Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture For Fertility

Chinese medicine has been treating infertility for thousands of years through acupuncture, Chinese herbs, dietary therapy, and lifestyle modifications. Whether you are trying to conceive on your own or with the assistance of modern technology, we can support you on your journey to conceive and maintain a pregnancy, and prepare for labor.

acupuncture for fertilityThis photo is of Tischer who arrived in Jan after her mother received acupuncture for fertility and Chinese Medicine to support conception, pregnancy and preparation for labor. Here at the clinic we have support many other families through this full journey or parts of it.

Improved Fertility Rates

These ancient, time-tested techniques improve fertility rates and support a woman’s body in reaching the health, healing and childbearing.

Researchers from Weil Cornell Medical Center [1] in New York reviewed studies and concluded that acupuncture for fertility helps to:

  • Increase blood flow to the uterus, which improves the chances of an ovum implanting on the uterine wall
  • Reduce anxiety, stress, and the hormones that are secreted during stressful situations that can significantly decrease fertility
  • Normalize hormone and endrocrine systems that regulate ovulation, especially in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • Positively affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, which plays a key role in fertility
  • Regulate menstrual cycle

In a study published in Human Reproduction Journal [2], an ultrasound was used to evaluate blood flow to the uterus during acupuncture treatments. The study found blood flow increases which allows for more successful implant of an embryo within the uterine lining.

acupuncture for fertilityIn 2002, a team of German researchers discovered that acupuncture significantly increased the odds of pregnancy among a group of 160 women who were undergoing IVF treatment. Forty-two percent of the women who received acupuncture for fertility got pregnant, compared to 26 percent of those who didn’t receive the treatment. The researchers speculated that acupuncture helped increase blood flow to the uterus and relax the muscle tissue, giving the embryos a better chance of implanting.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can raise the fertility potential for women by affecting the balance and flow of Qi and blood, allowing every cell, tissue and organ to be properly nourished and functioning well. According to Chinese Medicine, infertility is caused by an imbalance of Qi and blood affecting one or more organ systems.

In men, acupuncture for fertility can significantly improve the quality and health of sperm. In a study published in Fertility and Sterility in 2005, researchers analyzed sperm samples from men with infertility of unknown cause before and after acupuncture treatments. They found that acupuncture was associated with fewer structural defects in sperm and an increase in the number of normal sperm.

[1] 5 Ways Acupuncture Can Boost Fertility, Prevention.com, 2002

[2] Human Reproduction Journal, Volumn 11, Number 6, 1996

Chinese Medicine and PregnancyiStock_000016447523XSmall

As was the case for Tischer’s Mother, many women we have treated have received acupuncture through out their pregnancy, allowing any imbalances to be corrected as they arise, optimizing conditions for both mother and baby, in addition morning sickness can often be moderated.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can be used through out pregnancy to prevent preeclampsia. This was the case of a mother who had experienced pre-eclampsia with the first pregnancy. Regular acupuncture treatments and close monitor of adequate nutrition and weight gain allowed her second pregnancy to be smooth for both mother and baby, no pre-eclampsia occurred.

Acupuncture can also be used in the final weeks of pregnancy to prepare women for childbirth. Research has demonstrated a reduction in time spent in labor and a reduced rate of medical interventions.

Acupuncture can be used to induce labor where the pregnancy is going beyond the delivery date and pressure is being applied for medical intervention to induce labor. Using acupuncture such medical intervention is often avoided, labor begins in a manner that allows natural childbirth to proceed. The Oriental Healing Clinic has worked with a local midwife on many occasions and other mothers who are planning their child birth in a hospital setting.

Contact us at either our Boulder or Nederland Acupuncture Clinic to evaluate if you are a good candidate for help with acupuncture for fertility.