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.

Chicago Is Next, And I Want You in the Room!
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

Chicago Is Next, And I Want You in the Room!

Pelvic Care for Acupuncturists · June 20 + 21, 2026 · Chicago, IL

There is something that happens in the room when a group of acupuncturists comes together to learn pelvic care. I have watched it happen city after city. Practitioners walk in with nervousness that becomes curiosity, and by the end of day two, something has shifted. Not just in what they know, but in how they see the body, how they see their patients, and honestly, how they see themselves.

That is what I am bringing to Chicago this June.

Read More
What MSK just published about acupuncture and prostate cancer survivors
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

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.

Read More
Vulvodynia
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

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.

Read More
NEW PUBLICATION: CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN & ACUPUNCTURE
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

NEW PUBLICATION: CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN & ACUPUNCTURE

Dr. Krystal Lynn Couture has officially been published in collaboration with Golden Flower Chinese Herbs.

This work brings forward a powerful and much-needed conversation around chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and the role of acupuncture in addressing one of the most complex and underserved conditions in modern healthcare.

Read More
The Gut-Pelvic Floor Connection
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

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.

Read More
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome in Pelvic Health
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome in Pelvic Health

When patients present with a constellation of seemingly unrelated symptoms (skin flushing, digestive issues, pelvic pain, and unexplained reactions to foods or temperature changes), many practitioners find themselves searching for answers. For acupuncturists specializing in pelvic health, understanding Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is becoming increasingly essential to providing comprehensive, effective care.

Read More
Pelvic Bowl Ep5: Lindsey Lawson
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

Pelvic Bowl Ep5: Lindsey Lawson

Pelvic Bowl Episode 5 is live! In this episode, Dr. Krystal Couture of The Pelvic Acu sits down with Lindsay Lawson, a board-certified reproductive specialist (ABORM) and certified endometriosis specialist (I Care Better), to talk about the clinical overlap between fertility, endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Read More
The Sinews & The Pelvis -Webinar
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

The Sinews & The Pelvis -Webinar

Pelvic health is an area of growing clinical interest for acupuncturists, yet it is often underrepresented in formal training. The Sinews & the Pelvis is a specialized continuing education course designed for licensed acupuncturists seeking to expand their clinical understanding of pelvic health through the framework of the Jing Jin (sinew channels).

This live webinar will take place on January 28th at 12:00 PM EST and offers an integrative, clinically relevant approach that bridges classical Chinese medicine theory, modern anatomical concepts, and evidence‑informed manual and needling techniques applicable to pelvic conditions.

Read More
A Secondary Infertility Case Study
Pelvic Health Caitlynn Pitts Pelvic Health Caitlynn Pitts

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

Read More
Endometriosis Acupuncture Point Protocols
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

Endometriosis Acupuncture Point Protocols

Endometriosis is marked by active endometrial tissue growing outside the uterus. Endometriosis can impact the ovaries, uterine walls, fallopian tubes, ureters, bladder, vaginal wall, rectum, colon and even abdominal scar tissue. 10% of those assigned female at birth were diagnosed by laparoscopy with endometriosis

Read More
PCOS Acupuncture Protocols
Pelvic Health Krystal Couture Pelvic Health Krystal Couture

PCOS Acupuncture Protocols

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine diseases in those assigned female at birth in menstruating years with a global prevalence of 4-12% (Chen et al., 2023). PCOS affects reproductive health, metabolism, and mental health with symptoms that include: irregular menstruation, acne, thinning hair on the scalp, hirsutism (excess facial, chest and back hair), ovulation dysfunction infertility, polycystic ovaries, insulin resistance, weight gain and pelvic pain.

Read More