Experiencing miscarriage or baby loss during pregnancy can be emotionally devastating, and can feel physically painful or traumatic. You might be feeling alone, tender, fragile, or unsupported as you are experiencing changes in your body and mind.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are holistic therapy approaches which offer support for your body to heal after loss, both physically and emotionally. During an acupuncture treatment you are welcomed to safely share your experience of loss, and are offered support to help the physiological process of loss and the delicate processing of emotions and feelings which can arise after a pregnancy loss, e.g. sadness, sorrow, grief, anger, shame, guilt, worry and fear.

What is miscarriage?

There are different ways miscarriage is defined. According to the World Health Organisation, miscarriage can be generally defined as a baby who dies before 28 weeks of pregnancy, and stillbirth as a baby who dies after 28 weeks of pregnancy (WHO). Baby loss is incredibly common, with approximately 1 in 4 pregnancies ending before 28 weeks of pregnancy, and yet women often suffer privately from emotional and physical pain of loss (WHO). There is also no systemic recording of miscarriage and stillbirths globally which means that statistically baby loss could be even higher (WH0).

What is threatened miscarriage?

A threatened miscarriage is when there are potential early warning signs of miscarriage including: vaginal bleeding/spotting, lower back ache or cramping abdominal pain. With threatened miscarriage the cervix remains closed and there is usually evidence from a doppler or ultrasound that the baby’s heartbeat is still present. Often the standard medical clinical approach with a threatened miscarriage is just rest and to wait and see. Not all bleeding is a cause for concern. It is relatively common in the first trimester for there to be spotting or very slight bleeding as the embryo implants and during the time in which the menstrual cycle would normally occur. However if bleeding is accompanied with cramping or pain and is more than just spotting then it is considered a potential early warning sign of threatened miscarriage.

Acupuncture for healing after pregnancy loss

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine offer holistic approaches to healing after pregnancy loss. Miscarriage and baby loss may bring deep painful feelings and emotions in the body to the surface, and can also be potentially very physically painful, traumatic and heavy to go through. During an acupuncture treatment we give space for you to safely be with your feelings, and help to softly ease the heaviness you may be experiencing in your body and mind. An acupuncture treatment allows for healing from miscarriage by supporting the healthy flow of life force energy (qì) and blood between your heart and womb. When qì and blood is flowing smoothly in the body it reduces the risk of further miscarriage, helps to facilitate the complete release of pregnancy tissue and baby (retained products of conception), and supports the return of the menstrual cycle to a healthy rhythm and healthy uterine blood flow. If you are concerned about having medical intervention for miscarriage such as synthetic oxytocin medication or D&C (dilation and curettage), and are wanting support to encourage the processing of emotions and natural passing of pregnancy tissue, early treatment with acupuncture and Chinese medicine is recommended to help support the healing process.

Acupuncture for the prevention of miscarriage and threatened miscarriage

Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment to help calm the nervous system and reduce stress and anxiety (Junghans 2024). This is particularly important in the early stages of pregnancy if you are worried about experiencing a miscarriage, have experienced previous pregnancy loss, or have signs of threatened miscarriage. Acupuncture treatments help to facilitate reduced stress in the body through deep rest and restoration of yīn energy (Rossi 2023). Reduced stress helps to support the healthy production of pregnancy hormones, particularly progesterone in the early stage of pregnancy. Acupuncture works to support the processing of emotions to allow for smoother blood flow to the uterus, and to support the holding of blood and baby in the uterus.

It is best to seek acupuncture treatment early if you are wanting to keep your pregnancy and you are having signs of a threatened miscarriage, e.g. spotting and bleeding, cramping abdominal pain or lower back pain (Betts 2006). From a Chinese medicine perspective this is often a sign that the Spleen organ function requires more support to keep the pregnancy and baby healthy. Treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy can also help with sleep issues, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, headaches or migraines, general body tension, emotional challenges such as anxiety and worry (Betts 2006). Regular acupuncture treatment, as a form of preventative medicine is an investment, and can help to support you and your babies health throughout the pregnancy.

Why does miscarriage occur?

There can be a number of contributing factors for why miscarriage may occur, for example: genetic factors, age, nutrition and micronutrient health, medication and drug use, high stress, relationship conflict, illness and infection, luteal phase deficiency and other gynaecological conditions affecting menstruation and healthy flow of energy and blood in the womb. In my acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice, I commonly see the following contributing factors:

High stress and tension in the body

Stress is a contributing factor to illness and lack of harmony in the body and mind. High stress and anxiety is a significant contributing factor to pregnancy loss.

progesterone Imbalance

Progesterone is a hormone which naturally rises in pregnancy, and is also naturally higher in the luteal phase of menstruation (after ovulation until the bleed). Low progesterone tends to be more common when there is high stress and tension in the body. Low progesterone, or imbalances in the estrogen-progesterone balance is also correlated with some menstrual related conditions e.g. PMT, polycystic ovary syndrome, luteal phase deficiency (ASRM 2021). If there are signs of luteal phase deficiency, progesterone levels can be low, or the rise in progesterone is not of sufficient duration, or there is endometrial progesterone resistance (ASRM 2021). Research shows acupuncture and Chinese medicine are supportive for enhancing fertility and reproductive health (Cochrane et al 2014). In clinical practice, acupuncture is supportive of pregnancy health in the early vulnerable stages when the risk of miscarriage is elevated, or if there is a history of recurrent miscarriage.

Vigorous or strenuous physical activity and exertion

The beginning stages of pregnancy require a significant amount of the bodies resources and energy to allow for: the union of egg and sperm, the formation of the embryo, the implantation of the embryo in the womb, and the delicate growing of the neural foundational template of the baby. The babies neural growth is exceeding rapid in the early stages of pregnancy and is often experienced as fatigue and tiredness in the mind and body. Vigorous or strenuous physical activity tends to promote the elevation of stress hormones which is not suitable for the growth of vulnerable new life seeking a safe and calm place to reside in the womb. In ancient Chinese and Japanese medical writings there is medical guidance given on ‘Nurturing the Fetus’ during the 10 lunar months of pregnancy (Wilms 2023). Pregnancy was considered to start with the first day of the last menstrual cycle, and each month corresponded to certain organs and channels in the body which governed the development for that particular month (e.g. 1st month of pregnancy is governed by the Liver, the 9th month of pregnancy by the Kidney). During the first 3 months of pregnancy, clear guidance is given to avoid excessive physical activity and to maintain a calm mind and avoid strong emotions, particularly: fright, fear, worry, paranoia. Strong emotions and excessive vigorous physical activity could consume as well as scatter and knot the energy and blood in the body, creating less harmony between the heart and womb.

Subconscious emotions coming to the surface

Pregnancy typically brings the energy of the mind into the body, particularly into the heart and down into the sacrum and womb as new life grows. This natural heightening of the connection to the body and our subsconsious emotions in pregnancy often brings to the surface our emotional life from our past. Sometimes this is our recent past, but often it is our very early life experiences in the womb or as a young baby. To become a mother/parent of a child is a deep bond and responsibility. There can be a heaviness of emotions and feelings like sadness, anger, worry, guilt, shame, fear of death, which the subconscious body may be wanting to experience in order for new life to come through.

Unresolved birth trauma

This can be physical, emotional and psychological. Unresolved birth trauma tends to bring emotions to the surface during pregnancy. If there are deep fears about birth, or the pregnancy is unconsciously not wanted due to previous birth trauma these often surface when pregnant again. Birth trauma can be a past experience of birthing our baby, as well as our own birth into the world as a baby. Birth trauma is very common due to medicalisation and high interventions occurring in birth since the industrialisation of medicine. Birth trauma deeply impacts on the emotional and physical body of a pregnant person and their baby when it has not been processed and worked through.

Early treatment and preventative medicine

Modern biomedicine is generally not set-up to value preventative medicine or regular holistic therapies and treatments which help to promote psychological and emotional health and keep internal illness at bay. Most modern medicine involves treating illness with surgery, pharmaceutical medications, chemo and radiation e.t.c aimed to treat symptoms but not the whole person and root cause of illness. Illness is often then in the advanced stage, with a crisis management appproach to treatment.

Chinese medicine and acupuncture were traditionally practiced with an emphasis on preventative medicine. This was alongside massage, herbal medicine, diet and lifestyle, and movement exercises like qi gong or tai chi as a way to ensure healthy circulation of blood and life force energy and to prevent illness from developing. In my practice I recommend treatment early in pregnancy and throughout pregnancy according to the 10 lunar - months and developmental changes which take place in the body and in the growing baby. When clients come for regular treatment in pregnancy this has a beneficial effect on general well-being and health throughout their pregnancy.

If you are looking for holistic health support to heal from miscarriage or baby loss, or to have support during your pregnancy consider getting in touch to discuss an acupuncture treatment. For more information on pregnancy acupuncture you can find this on my website. You can also book an appointment in my Tauranga acupuncture clinic online.

Rose Skerten is a registered Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Certified Healing Birth Practitioner. She specialises in Birth Trauma Therapy, pregnancy and postpartum acupuncture, acupuncture for fertility and hormonal support, acupuncture for mental health and chronic pain.

 NOTES

Yīn qì: is a quality of the life force in the environment and our body which can be understood to be related to aspects such as: quiet, rest, darkness, the moon, earth, night-time, wintertime, decay, decomposition, dying, archetypal feminine, shadyside of mountain, slow processes in the body, the implicit body consciousness, receiving of energy, activities that promote nourishment, watery orgasm, gentle movements, the bodies innate movement to yield or surrender, water and earth elements. Yīn and yáng are always understood in relative terms so there is always some yáng in relation to yīn. They are always in relationship with each other, and contain each other (e.g a body of water like the ocean is deeply yīn, this is one of the overarching reasons why it can calm our nervous system, and yet within the ocean there are various yáng qualities, like: waves, currents and fast swimming creatures (all of which have the potential to activate our own restless inner yáng force and make us nervous and fear for our life).

References

ASRM - Practice Committees of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Diagnosis and treatment of luteal phase deficiency: a committee opinion. ASRM pages| Volume 115, ISSUE 6, P1416-1423, June 2021. Accessed from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.02.010 [Accessed June 2024]

Betts D. The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 2006.

Cochrane S, Caroline S, Possamai-Inesedy et al. Acupuncture and women’s health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women’s reporductive health. International Journal of Women’s Health. 2014 Mar 17;6:313-25. Accessed from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24669195/ [Accessed June 2024]

Junghans K. Acupuncture as a Therapeutic Treatment for Anxiety. Evidence Sumary for Anxiety. Evidence Based Acupuncture. Accessed from: https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-anxiety/ [Accessed June 2024]

Rossi E. Needles and Silence: the Yin Side of the Therapeutic Relationship in the Acupuncture Clinic. Journal of Chinese Medicine, Issue 131, February 2023. Accessed from: https://www.jcm.co.uk/ [Accessed November 2023]

WHO. Why we need to talk about loosing a baby. Accessed from: https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/why-we-need-to-talk-about-losing-a-baby [Accessed June 2024]

Wilms S. Nurturing the Fetus educational training: a translation of Sun Simiao’s Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang vol 2. Accessed from: https://www.traditionalchinesegynecology.com/articles [Accessed March 2023]

Yang Shou-zhong and Duan Wujin (1994). Extra treatises based on investigation and inquiry: A translation of Zhu Danxi’s Ge Zhi Yu Lun. Blue Poppy Press: Boulder Colorado; 1994