Acupuncture can help treat infertility

AORN Journal, June, 2004

Acupuncture can increase fertility by reducing stress, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs, and balancing the endocrine system, according to a Jan 28, 2004, article from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, San Diego. Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin, disposable sterile needles at strategic points on the surface of the body to conduct qi (ie, the energy that regulates spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance) from the surface of the body to the internal organs via 14 major pathways, called meridians. Poor health habits or other circumstances can disrupt the flow of qi, resulting in pain or disease. Acupuncture helps keep the normal flow of this energy unblocked, increasing a couple's chances of conceiving.

Acupuncture reduces stress, often a key factor in fertility, by releasing endorphins in the brain. Stress disrupts the pituitary balance that is important in the reproductive cycle and can prevent a woman from ovulating or cause spasms in the fallopian tubes and uterus, which can interfere with movement and implantation of a fertilized egg. In men, stress can alter sperm counts and motility and cause impotence.

Acupuncture also can increase fertility by increasing blood flow in the body, which can provide a woman's reproductive organs with more nourishment, increase the density of the uterine wall, and relax the uterus. For men experiencing problems with impotence, increasing the blood flow through acupuncture can increase potency.

An imbalance of reproductive hormones can lead to infertility and often is treated with fertility medications. Fertility medications are only about one-third as effective in men as in women, however, and in women they commonly include side effects, such as abdominal tenderness, bloating, fluid retention, weight gain, and nausea. Acupuncture stimulates the hypothalamus to balance the endocrine system and its hormones, performing the same function as fertility medications but producing few or no side effects. Studies show that women who used acupuncture without any other fertility treatments were just as likely to conceive in the same period of time as women who took fertility medications, and acupuncture used in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) is even more successful at increasing fertility, according to the article.

Some insurance companies will not cover IVF, a procedure that can cost more than $12,000 with no guarantee of success. Acupuncture, in contrast, costs an average of $40 to $100 per treatment.

C E Sklar, "Acupuncture makes miracles happen: Treating infertility with Chinese medicine," Complementary Medicines, http://www.complementarymedicines .com/articles/article_display.php?id=15 (accessed 31 March 2004).