Acupuncture And Infertility

Can acupuncture be used to treat infertility?

One of the most emotionally charged medical issues that couples deal with today is infertility. It can drain a couple emotionally and has been known to be the cause of many marital breakups. For those couples who love each other enough to make it through this issue it can eat away at their finances as they try expensive fertility treatments, only some of which will wind up working. Thousands can be spent in the hopes of conceiving a baby and too often it is all for nothing. Now they are even trying acupuncture to see if maybe that is where the cures lie.

There are limits to acupuncture when it comes to fertility treatments and an honest, competent acupuncturist will tell their patients at the time of an initial consult. If there is physical damage to the reproductive system, acupuncture cannot help.  But if the fertility specialist has told their patient that there appears to be nothing physically wrong and that they should be able to conceive, then an acupuncturists may be able to work with those patients and help them to conceive.

If the health care provider or fertility specialist has said there is damage to one or the other of the couple's reproductive organs, listen to them. They may still have methods by which they can help a couple conceive, but acupuncture will be of no direct help. But there are things that can be done, and have shown positive results when structural damage is not the issue. Frequently the acupuncturist will also suggest the use of some herbal teas. The treatments for fertility, though obviously somewhat different in nature and extent, can be used for both men and women.

The treatments usually involve the placement needles in the earlobes, eyebrows, ears and fingertips. Once the needles have been inserted carefully in the correct points the patient will relax for around a half an hour. Some acupuncturists tell their patients it takes only a few treatments to make a difference while others say it could take a few months. This method of treating female infertility is said to work because it rebalances the hormonal levels in the body. The acupuncture treatments are often in combination with the use of some herbs to reduce other hormone levels and help to regulate ovulation and so assist a woman to conceive. As well, the acupuncture treatments relieve stress.  Often, when a couple is trying to conceive and do not have immediate success,  the couple experiences a great deal of pressure and stress.  This stress may make it more difficult to conceive. The acupuncture alleviates stress and increases blood flow which can also help to retain the pregnancy if conception is successful.

Some people say that acupuncture treatments for infertility is a desperate move by people desperate to have a baby. Yet, it seems that all fertility treatment is exactly that and if something can help that is less financially and emotionally demanding, then why not try it? It is generally safe, noninvasive, and much less costly than most fertility treatments.