H’s Story: Holding on to Hope Against the Odds….

I’m honored to present our first fertility journey story, shared by someone who is not even a patient at Acupuncture Denver, but who reached out to share her story immediately when she saw the call for stories on my newsletter or facebook. I’ll be sending you an article on how TCM views AMH/FSH and how acupuncture and TCM can help (just to answer your question at the end).   Thank you for your courage, your big heart and your vulnerability. I am sure there is someone out there who needs to hear your words of hope and understanding….

“What a way to begin the infertility awareness week. Yesterday I had an appointment with my fertility clinic and was told I will never be able to have a biological child. I will be able to get pregnant with someone else’s eggs or embryo adoption but at the young age of 34 I have bad eggs and cannot have one of my own. Well I felt like someone took the winds out of my sail. But in the true spirit of my life I decided to look on the bright side, that atleast now my options have been cut in half and it is either embryo adoption or start that long process of adoption. (Now don’t get me wrong, before we started trying to have kids 4 years ago we have always planned on adopting…but the plan was to have 2 biological kids and then adopt 2). So now we don’t have to make the hard decision of spending all of our money and taking a loan for the rest just for one try at IVF. It has been weighing heavily on us this last year. We even started looking seriously into an IVF vacation this weekend. But after 3 miscarriages over these last 12 years and an AMH level of less than .1 I was told no way I can have a baby with my own eggs. 

So you would think I would be bummed ….. well I woke this morning to an LH surge and decided we will have a miracle baby. It took my mom 4 years to get pregnant with me and 4 years to get pregnant with my sister. We have been trying 4 years….so this is the year. My husband decided we will get a miracle (or he just enjoyed waking to a wife wanting sex…haha either one is fine).  I thank my fertility clinic for all their help and have decided to just pray for the miracle and start the embryo adoption process. My husband and I have worked so hard for a child. Living these last 4 years putting all our hard earned money into fertility treatments, which of course are not at all covered by insurance, living each month thinking this will be the month and having our dreams crushed each and every month… not any more. We will have a child some way or another (just not the Raising Arizona kind of way..haha) and we just have to believe that things will work out. 

I have more than 20 aunts and uncles if that gives you any clue to how big my family is, and I am one of the only ones that is without child. This is funny since my talent, my gift in life,  is working with children. I went to college for early childhood education and have worked with children from birth to 3rd grade. Besides being a teacher and nanny, I am also a doula. So I guess what they say is true… “those who can’t teach….”

I just want to say with all the heartache my husband and I have been through we can still see a silver lining. We still know there is a child out there for us. We also joke that with my husband’s intelligence and my compassion that the child has just taken so long because they are destined to be president or to solve the world’s problems. 

There is no giving up on us. With that being said if anyone knows any way of raising your AMH levels (besides breaking into the lab an changing the results…hahaha), I am all ears. If not say a prayer that a loving family picks us to raise their embryos…. 

I wish everyone out there good luck in all of their journeys, no matter what path you go down just know that there are many people out there going down the same path and they are there to support you when you start to feel down…”

Share Your Story

In honor of National Infertility Awareness week, I am inviting one and all to share their family-building stories with us. Whether it’s a story of overcoming enormous odds to have a biological child, experiencing the miracle of adoption, embracing child-free living, or being part of a story that is still unfolding, I would love to hear from you. I have grand plans for a way to share these stories in the future, but for now will plan to share them on my blog. I truly believe in the truth I have learned from Brene Brown’s work on shame and vulnerability/wholehearted living. She believes that “owning our story and loving ourselves through the process is the bravest thing we will ever do.” To learn more about her work, visit her website or blog.

Please share your story with me. I believe sharing our stories is one of the most important ways we can inspire others and help them feel less alone in their own struggles. When you were in the depths of your darkest hours in your own fertility journey, wouldn’t it have been nice to hear an inspiring or just really raw story of someone who had been there? I know we can all benefit from taking the risk to be vulnerable with those who understand this particular struggle of longing, loss and hope. To share your story, please email to me (jane@acudenver.com) with “my story” in the subject line.

I am excited to hold space for this!

The Winds of Change

Spring is in the air. It’s actually well upon us. The flowers are blooming and the grass is greener and greener every day. It’s my favorite time of year. I love the new growth, the lighter, longer days and the warmer weather. It’s the time of the Wood Element, which enriches our experience of dreaming, creativity, growth and flexibility. In the spirit of new growth, we are embarking on some exciting changes here at Acupuncture Denver. We are planning to expand our office space to incorporate more treatment rooms, a yoga/classroom space, and Jane’s own private office where she can eat her lunch in peace and privacy (and maybe install a treadmill for running in the winter months)! Yay!!

We are also giving our website a much overdue facelift. We will be able to share info more easily and offer more content and education this way. We can’t wait to unveil the new site in the coming weeks.

Change can be stressful but it’s also exciting; we are trying to lean into the creativity and possibilities that are opening up before our eyes. New rooms to decorate, new space to fill, new programming to offer. We are drawing from our roots to find the sustenance we need to make this blossoming happen. And things won’t change too much since we are staying in the same building but moving into a new suite. So you will all still know where to find us!

Stay tuned for more details and other exciting upcoming events…..

Congratulations Merry, new ABORM Fellow!

We just found out that Acupuncture Denver associate, Merry Reasons, passed the recent ABORM (American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine) Exam.  I am so proud and impressed!! Merry has shown such dedication, hard work, and commitment to Acupuncture Denver over the past few years. Merry started in the clinic in August 2008 when I was on maternity leave and has been with us ever since. Merry followed me in the clinic for many months before starting, trained with Randine Lewis to become  a Clinical Excellence In Fertility (CEFP) member with the Fertile Soul, and agreed to sit for the ABORM exam earlier this month. Here is more information about the ABORM certification from their website:

The ABORM has been formed by leading professionals in Oriental Reproductive Medicine who have come together voluntarily with a resolve to meet the patient and physician demand for a demonstration of knowledge of care in this field. We have recognized the need for a certification to maintain that practitioners who are treating patients with Oriental Medicine in the field of Reproductive Health are doing so with an advanced knowledge and experience, and to allow practitioners to demonstrate their knowledge through the process of voluntary examination.

We are happy to both be certified ABORM fellows and to offer our patients the highest standard of care in the field of Oriental Reproductive Medicine at Acupuncture Denver.  Since this certification is not required, it sets apart those practitioners who have extensive knowledge, experience and dedication to the specialty. Since there are more and more acupuncture “fertility specialists” out there as time goes by, we feel that having met the criteria of the ABORM and having attained status as ABORM fellows distinguishes us as practitioners and as a clinic dedicated to women’s health and fertility enhancement.

In addition to becoming such a great practitioner, Merry has been an amazing support to me as a friend and professional partner at the clinic. Her friendship and loyalty have given me inspiration to grow both personally and professionally over the past few years. As many patients have told me, Merry is very “zen” and  brings a calm presence to any situation. She has the wonderful ability to hold space, allow for open emotional release, and bring non-judgmental compassion to those she touches. I am truly grateful to have Merry in my life and know she gives so much to everyone she treats at the clinic. In addition to  now being a certified ABORM Fellow, Merry has a huge heart, a humble nature and a gentle, calm spirit.  Congratulations, Merry! I don’t know what I’d do without you– you have my gratitude and love!

Spring Forward

Today is the day to set our clocks forward— Spring is in the air! I have seen iris shoots begin to push their way up in my yard and the promise of warm, sunny days feels close. This morning the ground was even wet with Spring rain.   In Chinese Medicine, Spring is the season associated with the Wood Element or Phase. Wood correlates with the Liver/Gallbladder organ systems, the tendons, the emotion anger, the eyes, the sound shouting, the sour flavor, the color green, the morning and the wind.

On a more psycho-spiritual level, the Wood phase relates to having vision to move into the future, the ability to plan and decide, and  the organization to integrate all of the elements like a tree: pulling up earth’s nourishment, water and minerals/metal through its roots, and absorbing the warmth of  fire/sun.  Wood energy is about rebirth, renewal, and adaptability as well. Like a tree, with wood in balance, our response to the “winds of change”  is the ability to bend without breaking. Clarity, confidence, flexibility, healthy boundaries,  and the ability to take risks are hallmarks of a person with wood in balance.

Wood out of balance can manifest as rigidity, aggression (or lack of anger/boundaries), inability to envision or dream the future, substance abuse, irritability, difficulty with planning, anxiety, muscular tension, PMS, eye issues, mood swings, headaches, painful periods, pain in the ribcage area, digestive problems, depression and insomnia.

As we move into spring, it’s a great time to harness the strength and promise of the Wood element and its associated Sprit, the Hun. Give yourself time to dream the future and create a vision as well as an action plan to create the life you imagine. Take time to experience the early growth of supple, tender shoots and leaves that are just emerging in nature. Let that fresh, green, flexible energy penetrate your own spirit as you become more adaptable and ease into the changes in your life. Ingest cleansing greens and include the sour flavor, the flavor of the Wood element. Emphasize stretching in your workout routine or re-commit to a yoga practice to stay supple physically. Remember the image of a healthy, vibrant flexible tree as you face challenges, especially those related to unfulfilled desires (the root of the frustration that leads to our liver qi or wood being out of balance). In  my own recent coming-up-against-insurmountable-issues-I- cannot control, I have remembered the Serenity Prayer:

Goddess/Mother Earth/Buddha/God/Cosmos/Universe (insert appropriate salutation),

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

I hope I got that right, since it came from memory! It’s a great thing to integrate as we move into Spring and try to embody the wisdom of the Wood phase. Spring is my favorite season since it brings the promise of change, warmth, movement, and renewal.  As we move from the depth of the Water Phase (winter) and emerge into the Wood phase, may we all carry with us the wisdom we gained in our deep internal journeys over this past winter and allow that wisdom to inform our movement into a creatively envisioned future. Happy Spring!

Welcome to Acupuncture Denver’s Blog

Welcome to Acupuncture Denver, Oriental Medical Arts. We are a fully licensed and board certified acupuncture and Chinese medicine clinic located in central Denver. While we specialize in women’s health and fertility enhancement, we can also treat a wide range of other conditions. Jane Gregorie is a Charter member of The Fertile Soul’s Clinical Excellence in Fertility Program™ and is also ABORM certified as a Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine.

To learn more about our facility and available services, visit our website at http://www.acudenver.com, or contact us directly at 303.929.9582. We look forward to hearing from you!