Acupuncture for Fertility
Recent studies conducted by the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology Fertility Center, Scandinavia and University of Gothenburg, notes that “women are encouraged to receive acupuncture treatments pre and post-embryonic transfer.” According to the American Pregnancy Association, a study found that acupuncture is a very effective process for women undergoing the in vitro fertilization process to overcome infertility issues.
A key benefit of acupuncture is stress reduction. As such, acupuncture treatment a great match for women trying to get pregnant or seeking to lower their chance of a miscarriage. This is simply because high-stress levels can contribute to higher levels of both infertility and miscarriage.
In Germany, a study involved data collected from 160 participants. In the study, 42 percent of women who received acupuncture treatment became pregnant, while only 26 percent of those who did not receive acupuncture treatment got pregnant.
The reasons behind acupuncture’s success are not precisely known, but don’t let that get in your way. For decades doctors did not know the precise reasons that aspirin worked. That didn’t stop millions of people from buying the effective headache remedy.
With acupuncture, science is still stuck with speculation. This is partly because the placement of very tiny, ultra-thin needles at specific points on the body creates only the slightest of measurable changes in physiology – often the changes are too small to measure. If you can’t measure the change, science is baffled. However, many believe that acupuncture increases blood flow and that specific needle placements can designate where that increased blood flow occurs. In the case of infertility issues, the blood flow is thought to be increased in a woman’s uterus, which helps a fertilized egg to implant itself on the uterine wall.
Acupuncture also promotes relaxation, which can have a systemic or holistic effect on someone’s well being. A woman who is relaxed will have relaxed uterine muscle tissue. This creates a healthier environment for the developing embryo.
What about male infertility?
Believe it or not, researchers have found a very beneficial use for acupuncture when it comes to male infertility. Again, this might defy your expectations of science, but, like aspirin, the results are in. The study shows, specifically, that acupuncture could be a great benefit for men whose sperm is not up for the task of impregnating an egg.
Just as it is from a woman’s perspective, infertility that is caused by the male can also be a matter of degrees. So, anything you can do to nudge the odds back in your favor can be the solution to your infertility issues.
As such, acupuncture may not sound like as worthwhile as a great surgical or pharmaceutical cure-all, but it may well be worth a shot. It is often said that fertility improvement is a numbers game, so if your odds improve just a bit, it may be well worth it in the long run.
To learn about infertility treatment options, schedule a consult at PRC today.
