Acupuncture and Infertility
Acupuncture works best when a functional problem is the cause of infertility, specifically when endometriosis, ovulatory problems or hormonal imbalances are the cause for not getting pregnant.
On the other hand, acupuncture has not been proven to be effective when structural problems, such as an improperly formed epididymis or a blocked fallopian tube, are the cause of infertility.
Acupuncture and Female Infertility
Many women chose acupuncture infertility treatment either on its own or in conjunction with assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, such as IVF.
Studies have proved the effectiveness of acupuncture for infertility. A 2004 study conducted by the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Center in Colorado found that 51% of women who underwent both IVF and acupuncture treatment at the same time became pregnant, while only 36% of those who only underwent IVF did. The latter group also had higher rates of miscarriage stillbirth (20%) compared to those women who had received acupuncture (8%).
Acupuncture and Male Infertility
Men can also use acupuncture to treat their fertility problems, including erectile dysfunction or sperm health problems, such as low sperm count.
Also, a 2005 study conducted by Shanghai University in China found that acupuncture also helped treat male infertility. Of the men who participated, those who had acupuncture had an increased percentage of sperm in their semen; their sperm structure and morphology was also healthier than their counterparts who did not undergo acupuncture infertility treatment.
Chinese herbs that aid fertility:
The collection of herbs that are used for the purpose of aiding fertility comprises of well over 150 different herbs. Each formula contains up to fifteen or more ingredients. These formulas can help cope with an organic or functional problem that causes infertility.
Over the years the formulas were modified by practitioners based on experiments and the results that were obtained. There are some Chinese herbs however that have gained preference in this case. Similarly there are certain formulas that are recommended by the Chinese medicine practitioners.
One of the things that contributes to the variations in formulas for treating infertility is that Chinese medicine takes the specific condition of the patient into account when prescribing a herbal remedy. Hence the various formulas came into being as they were catering to patients with different disorders.
The prominent materials that make up herbal formulas include materials that are derived from barks, roots, flowers, leaves and fruits of plants. Fertility formulas cater to both men and women and vary accordingly. Some exotic materials like sea horse and deer antlers are also used along with herbs.
Using Chinese herbs
Generally fertility formulas are now widely available and can be readily purchased in China. This is recommended for ordinary cases. In cases where infertility is persistent it is advised to consult an expert practitioner of Chinese herbs. The availability of Chinese fertility herbal formulas outside of China is limited although their popularity is slowly and gradually increasing. Generally they are prescribed by medical experts in Chinese herbology.
Today patients will be able to find these formulas in various different forms such as pills, granules, tablets and teas. Generally the treatment is based upon the use of a single herb combination. Depending on the condition of the patient however two or three herbal combinations may also be prescribed.
Success with Chinese fertility herbs
Success with Chinese fertility herbs depends on finding the right kind of herb combination for which one needs to consult a medical expert who has knowledge about Chinese herbs. The other thing to ensure is to stick to the recommended dosage for the prescribed period of time.
In general the fertility formulas are prescribed to be used on a daily or periodic basis. The desired results are usually achieved within a span of three to six months. Doctors suggest waiting for a maximum of nine months to see if fertility will be restored after which they say that it is unlikely for the treatment to work.
Statistics show that one third of infertility cases do not get restored. The good thing about making use of Chinese fertility herbs is that even if they fail to restore your fertility they will load you up on a number of health benefits.
One-Stop Fertility Test is done using out-patient advanced 3D-Doppler ultrasound scan to check the lining of your womb, ovarian reserve (reserve of eggs) and to check the blood flow to your ovaries and womb. You may require an additional blood test to check the hormone Anti Mullarian Hormone.
Here is a list of One-Stop Fertility Test places in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Please send us your contact information if you want to be listed here:
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British scientist Prof Robert Edwards who pioneered IVF treatment has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his achievements in the treatment of infertility.
Former Cambridge physiologist Prof Robert Edwards, now 85, developed the fertility treatment that led to the birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown in 1978.
Together with his colleague Dr Patrick Steptoe, a gynaecologic surgeon, they created the technique of fertilising human eggs outside the body before implanting in the womb. Dr Steptoe died in 1988.
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Acupuncture can increase the chances of getting pregnant for women undergoing fertility treatment by 65%, a review of the evidence concludes today.
Acupuncture, which involves inserting fine needles under the skin at particular points in the body depending on the condition being treated, has long been used in China to help with a range of diagnoses, including regulating female reproduction.
To establish how effective the treatment is, doctors in the US collated evidence from all relevant, well-conducted studies and published their conclusions in today’s British Medical Journal.
Eric Manheimer, research associate at the centre for integrative medicine at the University of Maryland school of medicine and colleagues looked at seven studies. All had been published in English since 2002 and conducted in four different western countries. The trials involved 1,366 women undergoing in vitro fertility treatment – where eggs and sperm are removed and mixed in the laboratory and one or more resulting embryos returned to the womb.
In the trials some women were given genuine acupuncture, others “sham” acupuncture, such as putting needles in the wrong places, and some no treatment at all. Overall the genuine acupuncture improved a woman’s chances of pregnancy by 65%. All the acupuncture took place within a day or so of embryo transfer. Not all the pregnancies would have resulted in a live birth. In trials where the clinic’s pregnancy rate was already high, there was a smaller, non-significant increase. Manheimer said the results were not necessarily a reason for every infertile woman to seek out acupuncture.
“I think the findings should be regarded as somewhat preliminary,” he said. “Acupuncture can improve the rates of pregnancy and live birth. Some couples might want to choose acupuncture but others might want to wait until further research has been done.”
But Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the Peninsula medical school, Exeter, urged caution. “IVF may not seem to be ‘placebo-prone’ but it probably is: if women expect it to be helpful they are more relaxed, which in turn would affect pregnancy rates.”
Manheimer argued a placebo response was unlikely, arguing that acupuncture may stimulate the body to produce neurotransmitters which influence the menstrual cycle, ovulation and fertility.
Original Article can be found at The Guardian’s Health Page
Researchers at the Center for Integrative Medicine, at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, conducted a meta-analysis of several research studies on the effects of acupuncture on IVF outcomes. (A meta-analysis is a research study that gathers information from several studies and evaluates them together.) The meta-analysis considered seven trials, which all together included 1,366 women.
The researchers found that when acupuncture took place on the day of embryo transfer, statistically significant improvements were found in the rates of clinical pregnancies, ongoing pregnancy, and live births. They also found that 10 woman would need to be treated with IVF and acupuncture to see one additional pregnancy.
In another study, often referred to as the “German study,” a German fertility clinic offered 160 IVF patients who had good-quality embryos an opportunity to participate in a study on acupuncture and IVF outcomes. Half of the patients received acupuncture treatment, 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer. The control group did not receive any supportive therapy.
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If you are having difficulty getting pregnant, and if you have already tried your GP, fertility specialist, and IVF from NHS but to no avail, trying natural fertility options can be an effective way of improving your chances. One such natural fertility treatment option is acupuncture.
Acupuncture works best when a functional problem is the cause of infertility, specifically when endometriosis, ovulatory problems or hormonal imbalances are the cause for not getting pregnant.
However, it is much more tricky to use acupuncture treatments when structural problems, such as an improperly formed epididymis or a blocked fallopian tube, are the cause of infertility. In the latter case, advice from your GB needs to be sought and acupuncture should be used as an assistance rather than a replacement of western medicine.
Acupuncture and Female Infertility
Acupuncture infertility treatment can be applied either on its own or in conjunction with assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, such as IVF.
A report published in the journal Fertility and Sterility (2002) found the pregnancy rate in the group receiving acupuncture group was 42.5%, compared to the group which did not receive the therapy, where the rate was 26.3%.
A 2004 study conducted by the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Center in Colorado found that 51% of women who underwent both IVF and acupuncture treatment at the same time became pregnant, while only 36% of those who only underwent IVF did. The latter group also had higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth (20%) compared to those women who had received acupuncture (8%).
Acupuncture and Male Infertility
Acupuncture can also be used to treat men’s fertility problems, including erectile dysfunction or sperm health problems, such as low sperm count.
Recently a study was published in journal Fertility and Sterility describing the effectiveness of acupuncture on male fertility. This study suggests once again that acupuncture has positive effects in treating male infertility: it improves a number of normal sperm and reduces sperm defects.
Study was conducted on a study group of 28 men, all diagnosed with idiopathic infertility. Study group received acupuncture twice a week over a period of 5 weeks. Needles were inserted 15 and 25 millimeters, depending on the region treated. Control group did not receive any treatment.
During treatment needles were manipulated for approximately 10 minutes, and then they were left in place for another 25 minutes.
According to the research, semen samples were collected from both study and control group after a 3-day period of sexual abstinence, one sample before the acupuncture treatment began and one sample after the last treatment.
According to the study results, motility levels increased significantly in semen samples in the men receiving acupuncture. In the control group median motility levels increased from 32% to 37% in the control group, while in the study group that received acupuncture, the median motility levels increased from 44.5% to 50%.
Additionally, the number and percentage of healthy sperm also increased. After the 10th acupuncture sessions, the median percentage of healthy sperm had increased more than four-fold.
Moreover, significant changes were noted in sperm structure and quality in the group that received acupuncture treatment: the median percentage of normal acrosome shapes increased for 16%.
In conclusion, acupuncture appeared to improve the overall quality and structural integrity of sperm, which could, according to researchers lead to acupuncture treating male infertility.
Symptoms:
The symptoms vary and are characterised by various combinations of constipation and/or diarrhea, abdominal pain, sometimes mucus in the stool, flatulence, and vegetative symptoms. Mental stress is very significant in the etiology of this pyschosomatic disorder.
The Chinese Medicine way:
As in other disorders of the digestive organs, the symptoms are differentiated according to traditional diagnostic categories:
- Excess-type disturbances with damp-heat in the large intestine are apparent in acute cramping pain, acute diarrhea, or spastic constipation. Spleen deficiency often lies at the bottom of this condition. Vigorous needling is indicated in such cases.
- Deficiency-type disturbances are characterized by chronic constipation or chronic diarrhea with weakness symptoms, such as dull pain, lack of appetite, tiredness, depressive mood or anxiety state. Moxibustion is advisable in such cases. Moxibustion of Mu and Shu Points of the large intestine, spleen, and sometimes stomach channels is very effective.
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October 14, 2010 in 
