Fertility Research Delivers Healthy Results With Acupuncture
By: Matthew Cassidy Lic.Ac (Acupuncturist)
Gynaecological records date back to the Shang dynasty (1500 BC- 1000 BC), but here in North America, people are just beginning to understand and appreciate the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Acupuncture and Fertility: The Research
Many factors may make conception difficult to achieve as well as bringing a pregnancy to term. Research indicates that using acupuncture to enhance fertility is reason for new optimism in the struggle with this old problem.
In Vancouver in 2007, research by Dr. Paul Magarelli, an infertility physician at the Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Center, and Diane Cridennda, an acupuncturist at East Winds, produced the following results:
- Acupuncture does not harm to fertility or negatively interfere with an IVF outcome.
- Acupuncture can improve the live birth rate from IVF to between 10-15%.
- Acupuncture reduces the number of ectopic pregnancies in an IVF setting.
- Acupuncture improves implantation and live birth rates by regulating the body’s hormone levels (particularly prolactin and cortisol), mimicking these hormone levels in a natural cycle.
Why Does acupuncture Work?
“Acupuncture provides better circulation and better blood flow to the womb,” said Dr. Raymond Chang, director of New York's Meridian Medical Group, who has been incorporating acupuncture into fertility treatments for the past decade. "It will give a better chance for the eggs to be nourished and therefore carried." Acupuncture seems to help some women because it improves circulation to their ovaries and uterus. It aids ovarian stimulation, improves the thickness of uterine lining, and therefore can help with implantation. Acupuncture is relaxing, which helps to lower cortisol levels and increase progesterone output, important factors in decreasing the chance of having a miscarriage.
"Nourish the Soil before Planting the Seed”
The ideal time to begin preparing your body for a baby is three months before conception or an IVF cycle. This is the time to begin acupuncture treatments. In my practice, I recommend twice weekly treatments until we get a positive pregnancy test and once a week for the first trimester to reduce the risk of miscarriage.
Summary
By following the Chinese medicine approach to balancing your body, mind and spirit, you will not only boost your fertility but you will feel more energized, sleep better and experience a greater sense of well being.
- Benefits of TCM include:
- Improvements in your uterine lining
- Increased blood flow to your uterus
- Regulation of your hormones
- Reduction of your stress associated with fertility problems
- Improved function of your ovaries
- Increased conception with or without ART
- Increased live birth rates
- Lower rates of ectopic pregnancies
References
The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies by Dr. Randine Lewis.
