Acupuncture For Fertility
Acupuncture has been practised in the East for thousands of years. In recent years, scientific studies in the west have proven that acupuncture can be used to treat and relieve pain and discomfort arising from many different diseases and conditions. Studies have shown that using acupuncture for fertility has shown some positive effects.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a technique whereby very fine needle are inserted into various pressure points causing an exchange of electrons within the body, similar to the flow of electricity. This helps to relieve pain and discomfort and improve blood circulation. It is a procedure to rebalance the flow of energy in your body. It regulates blood pressure by stimulating the central nervous system.
Acupuncture And Fertility Treatment
Research studies have proven that acupuncture is beneficial for female and male with fertility problems. One study has shown that it helps women to get pregnant with no side effect. It is concluded that acupuncture is a valuable alternative treatment for women with irregular menstrual cycles. It can be used to stimulate a woman’s hormonal system to secrete the right hormones at the right time in her cycle. Therefore, acupuncture is a good alternative for infertility treatment.
Acupuncture can also be used for treating fertility problems like spasmed tubes. Although it is not effective for blocked tubes, spasmed tubes are often de-spasmed with acupuncture. It is often used with herbs to treat elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), repeated pregnancy loss, unexplained infertility, luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia (when not cause by prolactinoma), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and men infected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.
Acupuncture – Male Fertility
A research study has also proven that multiple acupuncture fertility treatment over a period of time can improve the concentration, volume and motility of sperm in men. Thus it has also been used to increase male fertility.
Acupuncture And IVF
Another study shows that acupuncture can be used in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to treat issues like homonal imbalance and improve the rate of pregnancy. Fine hair-like needles are inserted along the spleen and stomach meridians and other sites, to stimulate blood flow to the uterus. This helps to regulate the hormone levels and thicken the uterine lining making it more receptive to embryo implantation.
Many fertility clinics work in conjunction with an acupuncturist to treat fertility problems. Women can be treated with acupuncture for three to four months before an insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), or donor-egg transfer. Women are also encouraged to receive acupuncture treatments before and after embryo transfer. Acupuncture also helps the couple, especially the woman, to reduce stress, anxiety and depression while going through the trials and tribulations of fertility treatments.
Fertility Acupuncture Risk
The risk of using acupuncture for fertility treatments is minimal. The biggest risk is that when incorrect acupuncture points are used on pregnant woman, a miscarriage may occur. For this reason, it is advisable to choose a certified and well-trained acupuncturist who specializes in treating infertility. There are some acupuncture fertility clinics specialized in infertility treatments.
