Infertility is a painful reality for many couples, and it's a complex medical issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2.1 million married couples are experiencing infertility. The statistical study also found that 9.2 million women had made use of infertility services at some time in their life. While there are many physiological reasons women have trouble conceiving, stress is believed to be a factor in a small number of cases.

Coping with infertility can be very challenging, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The fertility spa experience is meant to help couples with fertility challenges to conceive, using a gentle and natural healing approach. Modalities such as acupuncture, natural herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, fertility massage, and meditation have shown significant results either when used alone or in conjunction with more traditional procedures like IUI or IVF. In fact, many studies show a 25% increase in successful outcomes when utilizing an East-meets-West approach to fertility care. In addition to its clinical benefits, a Fertility Spa can provide a more comfortable and relaxed setting than a doctor’s office, with more personal, individualized treatment. This new approach to fertility care is one whose time has come, as SpaFinder predicted with one of our top 10 spa trends for 2008: "Fertility Tranquility: Spas are beginning to offer treatments and diet regimes designed to boost fertility."

The FertilitySpa in New York City (212-685-0985, www.fertilityspa.org), for instance, is dedicated solely to the treatment of infertility. Dr. Mike Berkley, founder and director of The FertilitySpa, calls the spa’s approach to reproductive wellness an integrated one, encompassing acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, fertility massage, compassion, and Western reproductive medicine. In addition to providing expert treatment through the dissemination of acupuncture and customized herbal medicine, team members specialize in nutritional counseling and fertility massage.