Infertility (Alejandra)
After several years trying to conceive, my husband and I became pregnant during my first month as a new patient of Mark Schwartz. I credit his combination of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, fertility knowledge, and calming reassurance with our success in conceiving, as well as reducing the chances of miscarriage early in the pregnancy. Mark is a great listener and always available for concerns and questions.
Después de varios años tratando de concebir, quedé embarazada durante mi primer mes como un paciente nuevo de Mark Schwartz. Mi esposo y yo damos crédito a su combinación de la acupuntura, medicina china, su conocimiento en fertilidad, y tranquilidad en nuestro éxito para concebir, y reducir las probabilidades de pérdida los primeros meses en el embarazo. Mark es un gran oyente y siempre disponible para responder y ayudar con cualqiuer pregunta o preocupación.
Infertility (Isabel)
I’ve had a great experience with Mark. I came to him with a diagnosis of unknown infertility and five failed IVF. My husband and I had decided to try for a sixth and last time, but at this point, we didn’t have too much hope. After more than five years trying to conceive and after so many failed fertility treatments, we thought it was probably impossible for us to succeed. I started this last IVF attempt and at the same time an acupuncture treatment with Mark. We were really surprised and excited when we knew I was pregnant, and not only that, we were expecting twins! During my pregnancy, I’ve seen Mark on a regular base. I’ve had a great pregnancy with really little discomfort and I’m convinced it happened thanks to the acupuncture treatment. I really like Mark because of his professionalism, kindness and respect for his patients.
Unexplained Infertility (Elizabeth)
I called Mark in September 2010 after me and my husband had been trying for almost a year to have a baby. When I called him the first time, I had not visited the doctor for testing and that was one of the first questions that Mark asked me. I decided at that point to visit my doctor and wait a little bit longer for my first visit to Mark. After an HSG I got a report from the nurse practioner about possibly having a T-shaped uterus. That was the beginning of a rollercoster of emotions. On top of that, the OB/GYN office that was seeing me started ignoring my calls and the last thing that the nurse practioner told me was “One day you are going to call me to tell me you are pregnant”. At that point I decided to start going to a Fertility Clinic and at the same time I contacted Mark once again. At the beginning, I didn’t know what to think or expect and was very anxious about how long it was going to take me to get pregnant. I’m not a fan of needles, but Mark’s explanation of the whole process made me feel better and it overcame my fears. By the third appointment, I was already taking herbs in addition to going to the acupuncture treatments once a week. The atmosphere that Mark and his staff created in the office was very professional and relaxing. I took a nap a few times after the needles were in place (I loved the heated bed that they have in the Buckhead office). I started the acupuncture treatments around January and at the end of March of this year, I got my first positive pregnancy test ever!!!!!! I’m currently six months pregnant and our little blessing is making his/her (we don’t want to find out the gender) debut on December 30, 2011. I have shared my experience with a lot of people and have told them how the acupuncture treatments helped me during this journey. God blessed us with this miracle, along with the great help and expertise of Mark. He was very supportive during the whole process and even drove out of his area/route one night to meet me to deliver the herbals supplements.
I have been doing great. I never experienced morning sickness. The only “issue” that I can report is back pain, which I used to have before the pregnancy but now is getting a little bit stronger in the lower back area. I have been doing pre-natal yoga hoping that will help strengthen my muscles for the delivery.
We started working on the nursery a couple of weeks ago, but have a long way to go. We are also still working on baby names since we need to have two names ready, one for a boy and one for a girl. Again, thank you for your all your help and the support that you provided to me during my journey.
Infertility: PCOS, 3 failed IUI’s, 2 cancelled IVF cycles. Acupuncture & Herbs stand alone (…just what the doctor ordered!) (Whitney Gaines – 13 weeks pregnant)
Oh, the journey of infertility… (which I preferred to call “having fertility challenges” since the word infertility seemed to have a much more negative connotation to me) Anyway, my journey began at the start of a new year near my 27th birthday when my husband and I made the all important decision to start a family. Both my sister and mother got pregnant very easily so I of course assumed that my experience would be pretty similar. I was young, healthy, and physically active. I was convinced I would have a new baby by the end of the year! I had no idea what we were about to embark upon…
My periods had never been regular and I had been on birth control for about nine years prior to trying to start a family. As soon as I got off the pill it was apparent that my cycle was very irregular. After we had been trying to get pregnant for about four months I went to my ob/gyn and consulted with him about my irregular cycles. He immediately chose to put me on Clomid and sent me on my way vowing that I would be “pregnant in three months!” Well, this made me uncomfortable just starting Clomid without determining an evidence based reason via ultrasound or blood work what my real issue was. So I decided to go to another ob/gyn and it was there that it was determined through an ultrasound and blood work that I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). The doctor put me on metformin to help regulate the PCOS and this proved to be a difficult experience for me. The gastric side effects of the metformin were pretty brutal and since I have an occupation in sales that was especially difficult. I felt as though I needed to wear sneakers with my suits rather than high heels so that I could make it to the restroom more quickly! After taking metformin for a few months with no success, my ob/gyn referred me to a reproductive endocrinologist for further evaluation.
By the time I got to the specialist’s office, I had lost several pounds on the metformin because of the gastric side effects. He was concerned that I needed to gain some weight back so that my body would be at an ideal size to get pregnant. So, he switched me to Actos, another type of diabetic drug that is prescribed to help regulate the effects of PCOS and to make you ovulate more consistently. When he got me to the desired weight, we started down the road of trying the myriad of fertility medications that were available to see what would finally work for me. My laundry list of meds that I took include the following (in no particular order): Clomid, Femara, Menopur, Novarel, Prometrium, Lupron, Vivelle patch, Estradiol, Cabergoline, Doxycycline, Follistim, Ovidrel, Gonal f, and Endometrin. Whew what a list! Some of those were pills while others were injections that I had to give myself, unless my husband was there to help me. During the course of taking all of those medications, we had three failed IUI attempts. We thought that IVF was our only other option but my body did not take well to that process at all. I ended up getting so hyperstimulated during the IVF cycle that, although they were able to take some of my eggs and make embryos, we were unable to transfer any embryos because I became so ill. We tried again the following month for an embryo transfer but my fertility specialist told me that my uterine lining was officially “fried”….. His exact words… So, he told me that I needed to give my body a rest and that I needed to take a couple of months off. I was devastated! I wanted to keep trying, but I trusted that he knew what was best.
I ended up taking three months off all medications, although I ended up bleeding constantly the entire time! What an awful experience! I called my specialist and he then proceeded to tell me that he would not see me again until I went to an acupuncturist. I was furious! Why would he not see me immediately! Had he given up on me? This bleeding was really starting to wear on me and what the heck could an acupuncturist do to help me?! I did not know much about acupuncture at all but the thought of lying on a table and becoming a human pin cushion was not appealing to me! I was desperate to get help from somewhere so I decided to just go ahead and call the acupuncturist that my specialist had recommended, Mark Schwartz. Little did I know that I was about to meet the person that was going to help make all of this heartache and emotional turmoil come to an end.
When I first met Mark, he knew I was rather apprehensive about acupuncture. But, he also knew that I needed help to get my body back under control and to make the bleeding stop! He explained his treatment regimen in depth to me and was very compassionate about the emotional roller coaster that he knew I had endured thus far. He immediately determined a course of action for me and he modified it as needed during subsequent visits. He put me on a formula of herbs that was made specifically for me and called me consistently to check on me to make sure that I was continuing to feel better. The herbs helped to not only regulate my cycle but also gave me more of a sense of calm about my situation. And then my miracle came….. After only 1.5 months of going to see Mark weekly and being on the specific formula of herbs he had written for me, I found out I was PREGNANT!!! My husband and I had conceived on our own without any fertility medications!! Unbelievable!! I just thought that after going through all we had been through, IVF would be the only way that we could have a baby. I never dreamed we would have an acupuncture baby! What a tremendous blessing for me not to be on all of those crazy fertility drugs when we conceived. Now I know that “those crazy fertility drugs” have worked wonders for a lot of women, and I am definitely not meaning to downplay the little miracles that they have provided to so many women. But, I am just saying that for me personally, I was thankful to have discovered an alternate route and a more natural route for me to conceive.
I highly recommend Mark Schwartz to others and I only wish that I had known about him before I had gone through all of the long list of fertility treatments over the past couple years! He is a genuine individual who truly cares about his patients and is extremely knowledgeable about his field. He has definitely made me a believer in acupuncture!! My husband and I were able to get pregnant because of Mark and I could not ask for a blessing greater than that!
Infertility: Unexplained. Acupuncture & Herbs (Jennifer)
In July 2008, I became pregnant for the first time at age 34. My partner and I had only been trying for four months, and we were very excited. He was age 37 at the time. Unfortunately, the pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 10 weeks. It was devastating, and because I didn’t know what to expect, I ended up in the hospital for a blood transfusion. After my body healed, it took several months before we were ready to try again. When we did start trying, it wasn’t as easy to get pregnant the second time. After five months of trying, I met Mark Schwartz, and decided to try acupuncture on a weekly basis.
Acupuncture was a very foreign experience for me. I am not a fan of needles (a bit of an understatement), but Mark’s manner of explaining the process and creating a relaxing atmosphere helped greatly. It did not rid my anxiety, but after a few weeks, I was comfortable with the procedure and able to nap once the needles were in place. I even had a few favorite acupuncture points for relaxation. Within a month of starting acupuncture, I also began drinking Chinese herbs three times per day. On day one, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to drink the teas, but by day three, I didn’t even notice the taste. I also felt healthier every day. My body temperature increased, and my monthly cycle became more regular and predictable. Unfortunately, still no pregnancy.
After four months of acupuncture, and nine months of trying, I went to visit Dr. Mark Perloe at Georgia Reproductive Specialists. My partner and I underwent various blood tests and analysis, and were relieved to learn that there was nothing specifically preventing pregnancy. We decided that I would continue acupuncture, stop taking Chinese herbs, and begin taking Letrozole prescribed by Dr. Perloe. I became pregnant in November 2009, and I will complete my first trimester next week. Dr. Perloe’s office has performed two ultrasounds, and all appears to be very healthy. After my previous experience, it has been comforting to be so closely monitored.
During the first trimester, I have continued to see Mark for weekly acupuncture treatments. The treatments are designed to prevent miscarriage, and there are additional benefits like relieving nausea and congestion. So much is out of our control when we try to become pregnant, especially when we spend most of our adult lives thinking we can become parents whenever we make the decision. For me, acupuncture has given me more control over a mostly uncontrollable situation. I feel more in tune with my body, and I look forward to continuing acupuncture treatments with Mark through my third trimester to prepare for labor and delivery.
Acupuncture Labor Induction (Jennifer)
Acupuncture was great today but I think that one session was enough for me! My pressure points are a little sore. I have been having cramping/contractions all day so hopefully I’ll go into labor soon!
… I just wanted to let you know that after our acupuncture session Thursday morning I went into labor at midnight! I delivered our son at 7:35 Friday evening. Just wanted to let you know that the acupuncture worked!
Infertility: PCOS, 2 failed IUI. One very successful IVF + Acupuncture (Tracie)
I came to Mark in December of 2009 in an effort to overcome the fertility issues I was facing. With a long standing diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, I had been trying to conceive for over a year with no success. After two failed intrauterine inseminations with a fertility specialist, acupuncture had been suggested in an effort to enhance my fertility and reduce the stress on my body. After seeing Mark twice a week for well over a month, my husband and I decided to try IVF. Mark’s support and wisdom was invaluable in this process. He made himself available whenever I needed him, as IVF timing is extremely sensitive. He was kind enough to meet me at the doctor’s office for post acupuncture following my first embryo transfer. I am happy to announce I am now almost 5 months pregnant with twins! I have continued to see Mark weekly throughout my pregnancy in an effort to reduce stress and manage any discomfort I have had. I have been free of morning sickness too, which I attribute to regular acupuncture! Mark takes the time to really know his patients and will go above and beyond at all times. Seeing Mark was not only a blessing, but one of the best decisions I have ever made!