Acupuncture and Fertility Studies and Treatments

Acupuncture and fertility are linked together almost as much as oysters and the libido. The idea of using acupuncture to treat those with fertility problems may sound strange but cultures have been using it for centuries to combat infertility.

If you feel that western science is not doing enough to ensure that you get pregnant, you may want to give the Chinese medicine of acupuncture a chance.

Although researchers can't explain why, women who use acupuncture in combination with infertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization, are more likely to become pregnant than women who have not had acupuncture. This has been confirmed, so far, in two different studies.

Acupuncture and Infertility Studies

One study in the U.S. where 51% of the women who received acupuncture treatments with their in-vitro fertilization treatments became pregnant, while only 36% of those without acupuncture treatments became pregnant. In the German in-vitro fertilization study (consisting of 160 women) - half were given acupuncture and half were not. Of the ones that received acupuncture, 30 became pregnant. Of the women who did not receive acupuncture, only 21 became pregnant.

There have been instances where conception occurred from using only a combination of acupuncture and herbal medicines and without traditional medical interventions such as in-vitro fertilizations. However, since these events are isolated and happened outside of a test environment, no one can say that if the conception was due to acupuncture and herbs or whether the conception was simply a matter of luck.

Accupuncture and Fertility Theories

Acupuncture works by inserting ultra thin needles into specific points on the body that are linked to the reproductive organs. This causes certain parts of the body to be stimulated, increasing the flow of energy to those areas and, hopefully addressing the patient's fertility problems.

Acupuncture is also thought to sometimes help by correcting problems such as hypothyroidism. This is a hormone imbalance, where there's not enough of the thyroid hormone in the blood stream. This can affect pregnancy by making the uterus environment inhospitable to the egg. A woman with hypothyroidism is also at greater risk for miscarriage because the hormone imbalance prevents the body from functioning in a normal manner.

Many believe that the primary benefit of acupuncture to women attempting to get pregnant is that it helps her to relax. Although this may be true in some cases, it's not yet been proven. And since almost half of fertility problems due to men, relaxing the women in those cases would not have much of an effect.

There are various theories as to how acupuncture works to increase the odds of conception. From stimulating egg production in women to simply relaxing women so that conception takes place more easily. But not everybody always agrees on the reasoning behind why acupuncture should work.

How To Proceed With Your Acupuncture and Fertility Treatments

The most successful outcomes for combining acupunture and fertility have the woman beginning her acupuncture treatments about 3-4 months prior to her beginning the in-vitro fertilization treatments.

Regardless of whether you use acupuncture in conjunction with herbs or not, it's a good idea to have your doctor give you a basic fertility workup to establish your fertility baseline. A fertility workup is important because, in most cases, it can determine the reason why you are having trouble conceiving.

The Financial and Emotional Cost of IVF
If not for the cost of IVF, or in-vitro fertilization, even more women and couples who are having difficulty conceiving, would be looking at this as the ideal way to get pregnant.

The Top IVF Message Boards
Online IVF message boards are very helpful in providing information and support for those trying to conceive. Here are some of the more popular ones:

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