Fertility Acupuncture

Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture) offers you a natural way to optimize your fertility during the critical four to six months before conception. 

(thanks to ”astrid on air media” @ homebiztv.ca  for creating these amazing videos for our clinic)

TCM describes the female reproductive system as a network of energy systems. Each energy system has complementary organs and hormonal responses. This network is sensitive to stress, chemicals, lack of exercise, poor diet and excess emotions all of which can put the body ‘out of balance’.

A TCM practitioner will carefully determine the state of your imbalance(s) and prescribe an individualized program of herbs, acupuncture and diet to help you create the correct biological and emotional environment for increased success with fertility and pregnancy.

Stress Reduction with Acupuncture

Psychological stress can have a negative effect on couples facing fertility problems. Stress leads to the release of stress hormones and causes detrimental effects on mechanisms responsible for a normal ovulatory menstrual cycle.

The success of acupuncture for reducing stress and anxiety is due to its beta-endorphin releasing and sympathetic calming effects.

Stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to be over stimulated causing blood flow to be diverted away from the ovaries and uterus to the adrenals (stress coping gland). This can cause irregular cycles, lack of ovulation, and may lead to infertility.

Research has shown that the stress associated with fertility treatment can be at a level comparable to the stress associated with serious illness. Patients who seek emotional support early in treatment are often better prepared for their experiences and find it significantly less stressful than patients who do not.

Acupuncture Strengthens the Immune System

Many women with immunological factors hostile to pregnancy have been effectively treated with a traditional Chinese medicine prescription of proper nutrition, herbs, and acupuncture. When an acupuncturist treats the root imbalance, the immunological markers may start to correct themselves.

Fertility Hormone Regulation with Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been known to control pain through stimulating the release of beta-endorphin. In addition, beta-endorphin works to influence the source of women’s ovulatory and fertility hormones (the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis) and control hormones that regulate a women’s ovulation and fertility that includes gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (F.S.H.), luteinizing hormone (L.H.) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

It is used as an analgesic in the body to numb or dull pains. That is the reason why humans start to feel better immediately after an acute physical trauma even though the symptoms are still present. The reason the pain dulls is because it binds to and activates opioid receptors. beta-endorphin has approximately 80 times the analgesic potency of morphine. Beta-endorphin is believed to have a number of other benefits, including:

• Boosts the immune system
• Slows the growth of cancer cells
• Promotes feelings of well-being
• Increases relaxation

Acupuncture Regulates Hormones Creating Better Egg Quality

Acupuncture helps to normalize dysfunction of the Hypothalamus- Pituitary – Ovarian Axis. Improving ovarian function creates more follicles leading to better egg production. It has also been suggested that the concentrations of central opioids may regulate the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis via the central sympathetic system. Thus a hyperactive sympathetic system in anovulatory patients could be normalized by ElectroAcupuncture (Chen and Yin, 1991). It has been assumed that various disorders in the autonomic nervous system, such as hormonal disturbances, may be normalized during auricular (ear) acupuncture (Gerhard and Postneck, 1992). www.acubalance.ca/res_medical_reduction.php.

Acupuncture Lessens Side Effects From Clomid

Clomid often causes the uterine lining to thin, which is detrimental to becoming pregnant. Acupuncture may help the uterine lining to thicken and become more uniform. This is a result of increased blood flow to the uterine arteries.

IVF Assistance

Studies have shown that acupuncture increases blood flow to the uterine arteries creating a thicker, more regular lining allowing for IVF to be more successful. Acupuncture also improves ovarian blood flow to increase ovarian response.

Decreases Uterine Contractility at Implantation

Study: Influence of Acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo ART. (Fertility and Sterility Vol77, April 2002)

“Acupuncture May Improve Success Rate of IVF Pregnancies: Patients in the acupuncture group received two acupuncture sessions – the first treatment before embryo transfer, the second treatment after the transfer. In the acupuncture group, the pregnancy rate was “considerably higher” – 34 women (42.5%) were carrying a fetal sac at the time of examination.” “Relaxing the uterus with Acupuncture treatment allows for more successful IVF.” www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2002/jul/07ivf.html, www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2002/jul/07ivf.html

Acupuncture Decreases the Chance of Miscarriage

Acupuncture relaxes the uterus, increases blood flow to the uterus, warms the uterus, increases the immune system, regulates the hormones and decreases stress, all increasing the chance for a sustained pregnancy.

Acupuncture improves sperm count, motility, and morphology

According to statistics from the National Infertility Association (an organization also known as RESOLVE), between 35% and 40% of infertility problems among couples are actually caused by male conditions. A recent trial published in Fertility and Sterility has shown just how effective acupuncture can be in the treatment of this condition, leading to significant increases in the number of normal sperm and equally significant reductions in structural defects.(www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2005/oct/10infertility.html)