Fertility
There are two questions which couples finding it difficult to conceive are often interested in the answers to:
Can Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine be used to treat infertility?
Can Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine used in association with IVF treatment?
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine have been used for hundreds of years to support fertility. Increasingly it is being used to support IVF treatments with research suggesting that it can be very helpful where the problem is in men as well as women.
In women, for pregnancy to occur, there has to be a basis of a regular and problem-free menstrual cycle as well as eggs that develop and can be fertilised. The womb then has to be receptive enough for the egg to be received and held onto. Different problems can occur at any or all of these stages. The menstrual cycle is a complex of precisely-timed processes which if not synchronised means that a pregnancy may not occur or be maintained.
Along with the classic methods of forming a Chinese medicine diagnosis, the Basal Body Temperature chart can provide much information relating to the stages of the menstrual cycle which in turn can lead to the appropriate treatment for imbalances identified.
Acupuncture can often help regularise the systems related to fertility, but if there are deep deficiencies, herbs are better at providing the nourishment required. Many people will be familiar with the acupuncture protocol used to increase the effectiveness of IVF at the point of embryo transfer.
For example, research has shown that Chinese herbs can:
improve the count, motility and morphology of sperm
support a consistent rise of temperature during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle
help ensure an adequate clearance of endometrial material when having a period (necessary for a good development of the new emdometrium)
increase fertile mucus around ovulation.
increase the ATP in the mitochondria of eggs (their energy supply).
Diane K. Cridennda' website provides some excellent links to fertility research. She has worked extensively with the fertility expert Dr. Paul Magarelli, a reproductive endocrinologist.
Other research findings:
Research on the benefits of acupuncture at time of embryo transfer
Research on how acupuncture can improve uterine blood flow
Research on how Acupuncture Normalizes Dysfunction of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis
Research on the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese herbs in fertility
A useful article on fertility and Traditional Chinese Medicine