Acupuncture, frequently combined with herbal medicine, has been used for centuries to treat infertility. In the United States, the use of acupuncture as treatment for infertility is on the rise as infertility itself increases and women and medical practitioners realize the role acupuncture can have in its treatment. It is not at all uncommon today for high-tech reproductive specialists to refer their patients to acupuncture.
Clinical observations from the Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness suggest that the most effective fertility treatments involve a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and traditional medicine. The fact that acupuncture has a known effect to relax the patient and balance the body can contribute to fertility in and of itself. Acupuncture can allow a patient to become fertile by helping the body function more efficiently, which in turn allows other, more modern reproductive treatments to also work more efficiently. Indeed, in a study of 160 women, published April 2002 in the reproductive journal Fertility and Sterility, a group of German researchers found that adding acupuncture to the traditional IVF treatment protocols substantially increased pregnancy success. Conception can also occur when acupuncture and herbal medicines are used without traditional medical interventions.
Acupuncture can be used to treat any type of fertility disorder including spasmed tubes, elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), repeated pregnancy loss, unexplained (idiopathic) infertility, luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia (when not caused by a prolactinoma), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with annovulatory cycles, and male factor including men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.
Acupuncture can also be used as treatment for men in infertile couples. Age takes its toll on men’s sperm starting at about age 30, and semen quantity and sperm quality decline sharply after age 45 according to a recent study presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference. Natural supplements and Traditional Chinese Medicine appear to repair the quality of aging sperm.
Acupuncture is similar to physical therapy in that it is a process-oriented method of medical intervention. It is better to do more than less. Patients are commonly treated for three to four months or longer. If you are interested in trying acupuncture as a fertility treatment contact one of our clinics: Bend Acupuncture Clinic, Redmond Acupuncture Clinic. If you have any questions about fertility treatmetnts and how they can help you, please call us at 541-330-8298.
