Cara Bergman, owner of Blue Nest Acupuncture. She was in one of the three treatment rooms. (Courtney Diener Stokes/Media News Group)
When Carla Bergman became pregnant with the first of her three children as an acupuncture graduate student, the experience inspired her to choose her future specialty concentration.
“After experiencing my own pregnancy and seeing how effective acupuncture was in treating infertility at a student clinic, I decided that acupuncture would be one of my main focuses.” Licensed Acupuncture said Bergman, a teacher and owner of the newly opened Blue Nest Acupuncture Clinic in Chester Springs. , Chester County.
After 20 years of clinical practice, Bergman has found that more than half of her patients seek infertility treatment.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in six people worldwide experience infertility.
The majority of remaining patients (men, women, and teens) are receiving treatment for mental health areas such as depression, stress, and anxiety.
“Besides fertility concerns, the main reasons people come to me are back pain and stress,” she says. “Maybe they’re going through a divorce or a big change. They might be struggling.”
customized treatment plan
Bergman works with patients to create customized treatment plans that meet the circumstances of their lives.
“We can’t always prevent the challenges that arise, but we can learn how to overcome them with more grace and ease,” she said.
With its roots dating back more than 4,500 years to China, acupuncture is the practice of applying needles to specific meridian points in the body to alter energy patterns.
“We can actively look at things before they manifest as a disease,” she said. “We spot imbalances in the body before they appear.”
One of the ways that acupuncture helps with fertility is by inserting thin, sterile needles into important acupuncture points to clear blockages and direct energy to the reproductive organs.
“Untreated trauma often builds up in the uterus, and you can end up developing cysts and uterine fibroids, which can interfere with your fertility,” says Bergman. “Acupuncture helps create the receptivity in the uterus necessary for life to move through the body.”
women’s health
Blue Nest Acupuncture, which opened in January this year, primarily focuses on women’s health. In the decades that Bergman has been practicing acupuncture, she said she has seen a significant increase in the acupuncture treatments now available to women to improve their mental and physical health.
Treatment, an area of focus at Blue Nest, begins with a comprehensive health history so that Bergman can customize a plan to fit the patient’s needs. In addition to her acupuncture treatments, she incorporates dietary recommendations, abdominal massage, castor oil packs, low-level light therapy, and infrared heat.
A three-month treatment plan of 12 sessions is usually recommended to increase fertility, but Bergman has clients who have seen results faster.
“This year we had two people get pregnant after one treatment,” she said.
Struggling to become pregnant
One of Bergman’s patients who was struggling to conceive shared the following comment about her experience on the Blue Nest website:
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out I was pregnant. After 4 acupuncture treatments, I’m pregnant without Clomid (clomiphene) or IUI (intrauterine insemination). Acupuncture has prepared my body for this pregnancy. I can’t thank Carla enough for helping me make my dreams come true. We are almost 2 months old after my last miscarriage. I’ve been trying to conceive for years. It’s only been 2 and a half months since my acupuncture treatment and I’m so excited.”
Research supported by physician-scientists at Weill Cornell Medical Center supports the potential benefits of acupuncture for infertility treatment as a complementary or alternative form of treatment.
“Whether you’re doing IVF or trying to conceive naturally, acupuncture can be very effective,” says Bergman. “I want more people to know about it.”
Ms. Bergman finds her work extremely gratifying, especially with clients who thought they were failing because of infertility, but who later, through treatment, were able to conceive.
“It never gets old,” she said. “It’s a great feeling. I’m so excited and happy that they’re on the path to motherhood.”
Benefits of acupuncture for infertility
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the benefits of acupuncture include regulating the menstrual cycle, improving sperm count and motility, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs, and reducing stress and anxiety.
Blue Nest is an acupuncture clinic located in Chester County that also serves people living in Montgomery, Delaware, and Berks counties. We can treat anxiety, stress, depression, infertility, back pain, menopause, weight loss, and more. For more information, visit BlueNestAccupuncture.com or call 484-961-0465.
