First Acupuncture Appointment

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with my first acupuncture consultation and treatment. I was a bit skeptical as to how sticking a bunch of small needles in our bodies can have any type of positive effect on our bodies, but considering it probably can't hurt, I wanted to give it a try to see if it could help.

I went to Tulsi Holistic Living in Washington, DC and met with Dawit Assefa. I wanted to have a consult with Dawit because his profile on the Tulsi webpage stated that he has advanced knowledge and experience in treating infertility. I must say that I was impressed with Dawit's knowledge of the ins and outs of this infertility stuff. He knew all about high FSH and its role in creating havoc on a woman's reproductive system. I was also comforted by Dawit's quiet confidence in my ability to get pregnant. Since I am getting ready for an IVF cycle, Dawit recommended that I see him once a week until egg retrieval (and then probably some additional ones around egg retrieval and transfer time). He said that he would not prescribe any herbs for me while I was going through an IVF cycle, but if this cycle were to be unsuccessful and I wanted to try going a natural route in order to get a break from the stims, he would have some suggestions for me at that time. I got the feeling that Dawit really believed that I would have a greater chance in getting pregnant naturally with a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and some dietary modifications. However, he did not try to influence my treatment decisions one way or the other. I liked his no pressure approach and really liked his positivity as to my situation!

As for the acupuncture session itself -- It was nice and relaxing. I barely felt the needles; in fact, I thought he was just pricking me with them to prepare me for actually inserting them, when he really was inserting them at that time. After he inserted the needles, he put a relaxing eye mask over my eyes, led me through a guided meditation to relax, and left the room to let the needles do their work. Since this was my first acupuncture appointment, I didn't realize how long you just laid there, but it was relaxing. I really didn't feel any type of other sensations that acupuncture might evoke, but I was just happy to feel relaxed. Time will tell if this is working and creating a better atmosphere in my body, but in the meantime, I will have faith in it and enjoy its relaxation benefits!