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Acupuncture to Aid in Fertility
As acupuncture floods mainstream America, people are starting to recognize that in addition to being an effective treatment for pain management, acupuncture can also treat a wide variety of conditions from digestive disorders to various chronic disease states.
Currently, much research has been conducted in the field of infertility. The basic concept is that with the insertion of fine needles, blood flow increases locally to the uterus and ovaries (or testes in males). By nourishing these organs locally, there will be improvement in egg quality and thickness of the uterine lining (and improvement in the quality of sperm).
German Protocol for IVF
One recent study conducted in Germany compared 2 groups of women receiving IVF treatment. The control group received only IVF treatment while the experimental group received 2 acupuncture treatments on the day of IVF transfer (one before the procedure and one immediately after). The results showed pregnancy rates of 42.5% in the experimental group compared to 26.3% in the control group.
PCOS
Several studies have shown improvement of PCOS symptoms with the addition of acupuncture. A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Physiology compared 3 groups of women with PCOS. Group 1 received acupuncture (with mild electrical stimulation), Group 2 included exercise only, and Group 3 was the control (including neither exercise nor acupuncture). Results showed a marked decrease in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (usually increased in PCOS) within both the acupuncture and exercise groups. In addition, only the acupuncture group saw a marked drop in waist size and experienced fewer menstrual irregularities.
Male Factor Infertility
Another study published in 2005, looked at male factor infertility. In the study, 28 men who were diagnosed with idiopathic infertility received acupuncture twice/week for 5 weeks. Semen samples were then collected after a 3-day period of abstinence. Compared to a control group, the acupuncture group showed a marked increase in sperm motility, count and quality.
For more information on acupuncture studies for fertility,
check out the link below:
http://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Infertility
-Karisa Grudi, L.Ac. (Towson)
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