Acupuncture and Infertility
How do acupuncture and infertility fit together? Is there any merit to the claim that seeing an acupuncturist can help you get pregnant? It really can – studies have proven that women who have acupuncture treatment actually do get pregnant at a higher rate than women who do not. In fact, the evidence is so conclusive that many fertility clinics now recommend that women planning assisted fertility procedures also have acupuncture treatments.
Ancient Chinese wisdom states that the body has energy running throughout. This energy runs along lines they called meridians. They felt that blockage along any of the meridians could contribute to sickness, weakness, and even infertility. Acupuncture practitioners painlessly insert slender needles into meridian points, helping to clean the blockages out.
Modern health practitioners realize that there is something to that ancient wisdom. One leading theory is that the acupuncture needles stimulate nerves, prompting the body to release chemicals and hormones to rebuild and heal.
So just how does this impact fertility?
Like I said above, acupuncture has been getting a lot of attention in modern fertility research. It has proven to benefit women – and men in study after study. More women get pregnant, and men see increased sperm counts.
Stress is a big impediment to conception, and high stress levels (especially stress about conceiving) can actually block you from getting pregnant. Acupuncture stimulates the brain and encourages the release of substances called endorphins. Endorphins cause you to feel more relaxed, which makes your body more ready for conception.
Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system, allowing it to function at peak effectivness. This removes blockages in your internal systems and allows your body to receive all the chemical, electrical, and hormonal impulses that it should for health and fertility. These signals are vital for keeping your beautifully complex reproductive system in line.
This benefits your future baby as well – your body needs to be able to send all signals, and follow up with all the signals properly to build and nourish a healthy baby. Using acupuncture now lets you give your baby a healthier future.
Acupuncture also improves blood flow to the body, including to your ovaries, where your eggs are stored and ripen each month. Increased blood flow to the uterus lets a thick and nourishing lining to build up in preparation for your newly conceived baby.
If you're experiencing fertility imbalances, such as no period or scanty periods, or very heavy, painful periods, acupuncture may help balance your system and get your hormones in line. It's especially effective when used in combination with Chinese medicinal remedies or other traditional female herbs.
Research is pointing to acupuncture as a viable and cost effective way to improving fertility and overall health. Acupuncture practitioners also study herbs and use them in tandem with acupuncture techniques. A trained acupuncturist will be able to advise you on herbs to boost your fertility along with your acupuncture treatment.
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- Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy
- Quantitative evaluation of spermatozoa ultrastructure after acupuncture treatment for idiopathic male infertility
- Effect of acupuncture on the outcome of in vitro fertilization and intracytopplasmic sperm injection: a randomized, prospective, controlled clinical study
- Influence of acupuncture stimulation on pregnancy rates for women undergoing embryo transfer