Acupuncture for Infertility

Infertility refers to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term. Infertility is not always a woman's fault. Both women and men can have problems that cause infertility. Infertility in men is most often caused by a problem called varicocele. This happens when the veins on a man’s testicle(s) are too large. This heats the testicles. The heat can affect the number and/or shape of the sperm; make too few sperm or none at all.

Most cases of female infertility are caused by problems with ovulation, and irregular menstrual periods. Ovulation problems are often caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a hormone imbalance problem which can interfere with normal ovulation. Other factors increasing the risk of infertility include excess alcohol, drugs, smoking, age, environmental toxins, health problems, stress, poor diet, etc.

How Acupuncture can Help

Used as a complementary therapy to modern fertility treatments, acupuncture has been proven to be especially beneficial. Many studies have been conducted in the United States and Europe and they have discovered that acupuncture significantly increases the rate of pregnancy in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Regular acupuncture treatments can be very helpful in regulating hormonal imbalances (FSH, LH, E2, progesterone, prolactin etc.)

Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of treating infertility. According Chinese medicine, two causes increase the risk of non-pregnancy.

The first is weak kidneys which mean that the function of blood is lower than it’s supposed to be. The second reason is block of (Chi) energy in the liver. That causes an imbalance between the energy and blood functions. Because of that, their organs can’t receive enough nutrients.

Acupuncture is based on the theory that vital energy (chi) flows through the body along certain pathways. Acupuncturists try to balance this energy and restore health by stimulating specific points along the pathways with thin needles. Acupuncture regulates your body’s system. It promotes blood flow to the reproductive organs and stabilizes hormone levels. This in turn will increase ovarian function in women as well as sperm production in men, thereby positively enhancing the chance of pregnancy. Acupuncture also helps women by helping them relax during stressful fertility treatments.

The following are cases showing acupuncture treatment for infertility

A 31 year old lady was married for 3 years, but could not get pregnant. She went to an infertility clinic for a check-up, however, they didn’t find any problems. Doctors suggested she take lots of medication. She didn’t want to risk the side effects of medication so she came to me to help. She got pregnant after another 2 months of acupuncture treatment.

Another 30 year old lady didn’t get pregnant after 2 years of marriage. At the infertility clinic check-up, she found out that one of her hormones was high. So doctors prepared IVF for her. They also suggested her taking acupuncture while under IVF treatment. She came to me for acupuncture. After 3 months, the infertility clinics found she was pregnant. She was extremely happy. The infertility specialists were very surprised for her pregnancy.

A 36 year old woman took 4 months of acupuncture while under taking IVF. The infertility clinic found she was pregnant with twins. Later on she told me that several other women who only took IVF only during those same months didn’t get pregnant. She got great benefit for taking acupuncture while having IVF.

Now many infertility doctors recommend acupuncture because IVF is very expensive. Taking acupuncture as a complementary therapy to modern fertility treatments, increases the chance of getting pregnant, and may also give patients a good chance of having twins.