Ice baths, cold water immersion, whatever you call it… Knock it off. Trending in the name of health, these practices are not recommended for most women–especially those trying to conceive a baby.
Why are Cold Plunges Bad for Fertility?
Many women who come to my fertility practice have Spleen Qi or Kidney Yang Deficiencies – complaints including cold feet, fatigue, depressive moods, low libido, and bloating. You’ll often have a pale, wet, puffy tongue with teeth marks scalloping the sides.
In other words, you’re already too cold!
Are hot baths good for fertility?
People with these root cause imbalances will benefit much more from warm therapies than cold; often cold exposure is worsening your condition. Especially if you’re like me, and tend towards Cold Uterus (purplish, clotty blood, troublesome cysts, bad cramps, lower back pain).
Cold stagnates and contracts, so we use heat therapies for chronic pain conditions instead. Traditional Chinese Medicine (what we acupuncturists are practicing) has found in over 2,000 years of trial and observation that gentle, warming modalities are best for fertility for the majority of people.
Don’t get carried away with super hot baths, which can work against the cause, such as damaging sperm in men. Think moderation, rather than extremes, for longevity, fertility, and vitality.
Are Cold Plunges Ever Good?
Cold shock is similar to coffee energetically… it gives your Yang a brief shock, a sort of temporary boost, but that can be damaging in the long run. Professionally, I almost never recommend extreme cold therapies, except in the cases of Excess Internal Heat conditions.
If your tongue is dark bright red or has lots of red dots, your pulse is big, overflowing, and rapid, then you might get a pass. Otherwise, cold plunging and ice baths are a big no from this acupuncturist.