Pelvic Care Blog
Our blog is dedicated to supporting acupuncturists who specialize or hope to specialize in pelvic health. We hope you enjoy our musings and offerings.
The Last Practical of 2026 Has Four Seats Left
Seattle sold out. AND Both Montreal dates sold out.
48 acupuncturists said yes to closing the gap in pelvic care this fall, fast enough that I had to close registration early on both coasts. I am sitting with real gratitude this week. Every one of those seats is a practitioner who is about to walk back into clinic with real time needle guidance for pelvic floor dysfunction, hands on palpation training and the confidence to use it Monday morning.
How to talk to patients about Pelvic Acupuncture
A colleague asked me recently what I actually say when I bring up the pelvic floor with a patient for the first time. This is the resource I wish I had been handed in my first year of practice. The phrases I come back to. The ones that work in real rooms with real patients.
How to Collaborate with Pelvic PTs
Let's talk about what it looks like to actually walk into your community and build referral relationships with pelvic PTs without shrinking yourself in the process. This is the question I hear from acupuncturists more than almost any other. How do I work alongside the pelvic PTs in my area without stepping on their toes? How do I get on their radar without underselling what I do?
Featured in Voyage LA: Closing the Gap, One Acupuncturist at a Time
The interview gave me the chance to say, in one place, the thing I have spent 19 years trying to say.
Someone nominated us for Voyage LA, and I still don't know who.
I got the note that The Pelvic Acu had been chosen for a feature, and I sat with it for a minute, a little teary, because someone out there decided this work was worth pointing a light at. If that someone is reading this: thank you. You have no idea.
PCOS Is Now PMOS. And Honestly? It's About Time.
Something landed in my inbox this morning that stopped me mid sip of tea. PCOS has been officially renamed. As of today, the condition that one in eight women carry, that more than 170 million women worldwide are navigating, is no longer called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It is now Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. PMOS.
What MSK just published about acupuncture and prostate cancer survivors
JAMA Oncology published a pilot randomized controlled trial out of Memorial Sloan Kettering's Integrative Medicine Service (major props to MSK for their work with cancer AND ACUPUNCTURE). The NOCTURNAL trial. Sixty prostate cancer survivors, mean age seventy two, randomized two to one to either ten weekly acupuncture treatments or a usual care waitlist control. Every participant came in with at least two nocturia episodes per night for the past month. Outcomes were measured with the International Prostate Symptom Score, the validated instrument for this work.
Vulvodynia
Vulvodynia affects approximately 7% of American women, yet many suffer for years before receiving an accurate diagnosis. This chronic vulvar pain of unknown origin, lasting at least three months, can devastate intimate relationships and severely impact quality of life. For acupuncturists treating pelvic health conditions, understanding vulvodynia and the growing evidence supporting acupuncture as an effective treatment offers hope to patients who have often exhausted conventional options.
FREE MINI COURSE: PUDENDAL NEURALGIA
At The Pelvic Acu, we’re passionate about teaching Pelvic Health and supporting YOU, our providers, as you bring Pelvic Care as a specialty into your acupuncture practice. That’s why we’ve created these mini courses. This month we are talking about PUDENDAL NEURALGIA.
The Gut-Pelvic Floor Connection
When a patient presents with both chronic constipation and pelvic pain, or when bladder urgency seems to worsen alongside digestive distress, many practitioners recognize that something connects these seemingly separate systems. For acupuncturists treating pelvic health conditions, understanding the intricate relationship between digestive physiology and pelvic floor function is essential. The connection runs deeper than simple anatomical proximity. It involves a complex interplay of nervous systems that communicate bidirectionally, creating cycles that can either support health or perpetuate dysfunction.
Electroacupuncture for Post‑Prostatectomy Urinary Incontinence: What Acupuncturists Should Know
Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the most common and distressing side effects following radical prostatectomy. For many men, leakage persists for months and significantly affects quality of life, intimacy, and emotional wellbeing. A recent randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open provides compelling evidence that electroacupuncture (EA) may significantly accelerate early recovery of urinary continence after prostate surgery.
This article summarizes the study in clinically relevant language for acupuncturists and explores research methods, results, TCM interpretation, pelvic health relevance, and practical treatment takeaways.
A Secondary Infertility Case Study
Infertility is defined by the inability to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Secondary Fertility is considered the inability to conceive after one has already successfully conceived and had a live birth. Infertility is considered a disease of the male or female reproductive system or unexplained factors
The Pelvic Acu Ft on the Chick Chat Podcast: Exploring the Heart–Womb Connection
We’re honored that The Pelvic Acu was recently featured on the Chick Chat Podcast in the episode “Heart to Womb: The Emotional and Energetic Connection Between the Heart and Uterus.”
🎙️ New Podcast Episode: Pelvic Secrets — Unlocking the Hidden Power of Your Core
The Pelvic Act recently had the pleasure of joining Dr. Soma on her podcast Soma Says to talk about one of my favorite topics—pelvic health. Together, we dive deep into the world of the pelvic floor—a part of the body that’s often misunderstood, overlooked, or only talked about in whispers.
Acupuncture and Primary Dysmenorrhea
Primary dysmenorrhea—painful menstrual cramps without underlying pathology—is one of the most common gynecological complaints among women of reproductive age. While nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain the standard first-line treatment, many individuals seek alternative therapies such as acupuncture for symptom relief with fewer side effects. This literature review explores the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of primary dysmenorrhea, comparing outcomes with NSAIDs, sham acupuncture, and no treatment. While research in English is somewhat limited, three relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were reviewed for this discussion.
FIRE AND THE PELVIS-ACUPUNCTURE TODAY
We’re thrilled to share that Dr. Krystal Couture, founder of The Pelvic Acu, was recently featured in Acupuncture Today with her article “Fire and the Pelvis.” In this piece, Dr. Krystal explores a concept that is both poetic and profoundly clinical — how the element of Fire expresses itself within the pelvis. While most of us associate the fire element with the Heart and Small Intestine channels, Krystal reminds us that the pelvis holds its own unique expression of fire — one that is subtle, sustaining, and deeply connected to our essence.
The Pelvic Bowl: A Window to Source
Published in The Clinician, Vol. 3 Issue 2 (Sept 2025)
We’re thrilled to share that Dr. Krystal Lynn Couture’s article, “The Pelvic Bowl: A Window to Source,” was recently published in The Clinician. This piece explores the pelvic bowl as both a biomechanical foundation and an energetic center—a place where structure, function, and spirit meet.