Acupuncture and Infertility
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine and has been used successfully to treat infertility for more than 2500 years. Acupuncture is the science of insertion of extremely thin needles into specific points on the body. As needles contact those points, they regulate specific body functions and help control a wide range of physical problems, including those contributing to infertility.
In the United States, acceptance of acupuncture as a science and effective medical alternative has grown steadily since its introduction in the 1980’s. In France, Germany and the UK, acupuncture has been used for more than 200 years and is widely accepted by the medical profession.
Acupuncture Treatment for Infertility
Most often, acupuncture is used together with herbal medicine, as it has been for hundreds of years, to treat underlying causes of infertility. For example, acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used to improve functioning of the ovaries and to improve the flow of blood to the endometrium to reduce the risk of endometriosis.
Some of the benefits gained by patients include:
- Acupuncture can help regulate the menstrual cycle and improve whole-body function generally. That can be particularly important to older couples concerned about declining egg production and sperm count and sperm motility.
- Acupuncture and herbal medicine can also strengthen and balance overall health to increase the effectiveness of infertility treatments such as IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, ICSI, AHT and TET.
- Acupuncture can improve general health endocrine system balancing, increasing the likelihood of pregnancy.
Acupuncture Combined with Infertility Treatment
Acupuncture can be used in all phases of infertility treatment to improve effectiveness and reduce time needed to achieve pregnancy. It is used to treat:
- Hormonal imbalance – by regulating whole-body systems, increasing blood flow to organs and regulating hormone levels and ovarian functions
- IVF – acupuncture is offered by the majority of fertility specialists and IVF clinics
- Spasming fallopian tubes – calming the spasms to allow normal functioning
- Male infertility – increasing sperm quantity, motility, structure, and quality
- Other infertility issues – repeated pregnancy loss, unexplained infertility, luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia (when not caused by a prolactinoma), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and male factor including men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation
Acupuncture and Age-related Infertility
In the United States, about 20% of women have their first child after age 35. Because a woman’s fertility declines as she ages, more women who have deferred childbearing to pursue a career are having trouble getting pregnant. Fertility declines rapidly by age 35 and, likewise, the success of IVF treatment declines too. The percentage of live births after IVF:
- 38% at age 31
- 22% at age 39
- 10% at age 43
Facing these grim statistics, women over 35 often seek to improve their chances for success thru acupuncture. Women combining acupuncture with IVF were 65 percent more likely to become pregnant according to a study published in the February, 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal. The 1,300+ women in the study received acupuncture treatment either just before or just after embryo transfer.
Acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the production of a hormone, which controls the menstrual cycle and a woman’s ovulation. Acupuncture also stimulate blood flow to the uterus and increases production of endogenous opioids that inducing the body to relax.
Women over 40 often use egg donation, increasing the success rate from 10% for IVF with the woman’s own eggs to about 45%. Acupuncture has been shown to increase effectiveness of this process by reducing stress and contributing to whole body wellness.
Timing of Treatments
Timing and consistency of both herbal drugs and acupuncture treatment is very importance. For men, consistency is most critical, to ensure increases in sperm count and motility. Herbal treatment starts to take effect in the fourth month of treatment. It takes seventy days to generate new sperm.
For women, timing and consistency are important due to specific hormonal adjustments that can be made during each week of the menstrual cycle. Missing a week of treatment could negate healing of a particular segment of the four phase menstrual cycle. Three consecutive cycles, twelve treatments, are needed for foundational treatment.
Like physical therapy or occupational therapy, acupuncture is a process that works over time. Typically, patients receive three to four months of treatment before IVF or donor-egg transfer. And women are encouraged to continue acupuncture treatment after embryo transfer thru the twelfth week of pregnancy, as most miscarriages occur within the first three months of pregnancy.
Cost / Benefit of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is often used to improve the effectiveness of infertility treatment and minimize the total cost of treatment. For example, if a couple uses in vitro fertilization (IVF), the typical course of treatment could involve 3 or more cycles of IVF (at a cost of about $12,000 per cycle) before becoming pregnant. Acupuncture would add about $200 per cycle to the cost. But if acupuncture is a factor in reducing the number of cycles by one, e.g. pregnancy after two cycles rather than three, it saves the couple $12,000 for the third cycle at an extra cost of $400 for the two cycles of acupuncture, a net savings of $11,600.
Risks
Risks are minimal. Acupuncture is not considered dangerous or unadvisable for anyone. But couples should only seek treatment by certified providers who specialize in treating infertility.
Finding an Acupuncture Specialist
Many medical doctors and fertility clinics have relationships with acupuncture specialists and will routinely refer patients. In the United States, acupuncture is a profession licensed by individual states. Couples can use www.nccaom.org to find a licensed and Board certified acupuncturist.
