How acupuncture helps fertility

Acupuncture may help in many ways:

• Feel calmer and more relaxed. Trying to conceive can be a stressful and despairing endeavour. Some women feel very anxious about maintaining a pregnancy and acupuncture can help mange these fears.
• Regulate the menstrual cycle, so periods and ovulation follow a regular pattern. Menstrual cycles ideally follow a regular pattern of between 25 to 32 days. This shows that the flow of energy and blood are balanced and free-flowing enough to support pregnancy. It also helps you to plan when you are at your most fertile. Often women coming off the contraceptive pill or injection can experience disruption of their cycle and it can naturally take over a year to become more regular. Acupuncture may work to speed up this process and help you to feel the natural flow of a working cycle.
• Improve the quality and quantity of a woman’s cervical mucous. Fertile mucous is an indicator that ovulation is about to occur and helps to nourish the sperm and guide the egg – it almost acts as a ladder for the sperm to climb.
• Promote a healthy menstrual bleed. The period can tell us a lot about what is happening in the body with the blood, in terms of menstrual flow, fibroids, endometriosis etc. Acupuncture aims to balance this flow so a good quality and thick endometrial (uterus) lining is built, encouraging the embryo to successfully implant.
• Enhance egg development. Women are born with their eggs and it is not possible to change the genetics of this. However, it has been suggested that acupuncture may help to increase the blood supply to the developing follicles and improve the nutritional supply to the egg with the fluids that surround and nourish it, thereby enhancing egg development.
• Increase sperm quality and quantity. Acupuncture may help to increase the motility, morphology and volume of sperm being produced. Sperm take 3 months to form and a course of treatment, alongside a good diet, can affect sperm quality and quantity. Researchers, in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, reported in 2005, on a study which showed an improvement in sperm quality following acupuncture, especially the structural integrity of sperm. Dr. Jian Pei, from Christian-Lauritzen-Institut in Ulm, Germany, and colleagues assessed the benefits of acupuncture therapy in 28 men with unexplained sperm abnormalities, including malformed and motionless sperm, and low numbers of sperm. A variety of standard acupuncture points throughout the body were used. Acupuncture led to a significant increase in the percentage and number of sperm without structural defects, the investigators report. Visit Infertility Health Information website for some good advice and information about optimal sperm health.
• Reduce raised FSH levels. Follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) has to reach a certain level to signal the release of an egg for ovulation to occur. As women become older and their ovarian reserve (the number of eggs they have) declines, their level of FSH can increase. Ideal levels for FSH are under 6, 6-8 is normal, 8-10 is fair, 10-12 suggests lower than normal ovarian reserve, 12-17 indicates lower still reserves, and more than 17 generally suggests a very poor response to assisted conception techniques. However anecdotal evidence from acupuncture practitioners such as Zita West and Randine Lewis, suggests that women with high FSH levels have gone on to have successful pregnancies.
• Encourage embryo implantation and support IVF and ICSI. Acupuncture may help to support the successful implantation of the fertilised egg. It is recommended that women having an embryo transfer receive acupuncture before and after the transfer. I usually see women on their way in and back from the clinic or hospital. This treatment also helps the woman to feel relaxed. In the research by Paulus et al, women who had received acupuncture pre and post embryo transfer had a success rate for IVF of 42.5% compared to 26.3% in the control group. These results have been duplicated with similar results in other parts of the West.
• Reduce risk of miscarriage and increase live birth rate. I have worked successfully with a number of women who have a history of miscarriage and have come for acupuncture to try to prevent a further loss in a new pregnancy. Treatment is usually offered up to 12-14 weeks and also helps the woman manage her anxiety and stress around the pregnancy. An American study found that women who conceived through IVF who had acupuncture had a 0.8% miscarriage rate compared to 20% of women who did not have acupuncture. The live birth rate for each IVF cycle was 23% higher than in the control group. (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Oct 2004).
• Reduce morning sickness, nausea and vomiting. Many people are now aware of the power of the acupoint on the inner wrist which can be used to combat feelings of nausea. I offer a full, individualised treatment to combat morning sickness and strengthen your stomach and digestive system in the first trimester. Studies by Smith et al (2002) and Crowther et al (2002) conclude that acupuncture offers a promising treatment option to reduce morning sickness.
• Alleviate symptoms in pregnancy such as headache, sciatica, pelvic or back pain and anxiety, without taking medication. Acupuncture offers a safe, drug-free route to managing pain and alleviating feelings of anxiety and panic that some mums-to-be can experience.
• Assisting breech babies to turn. The use of moxabustion which involves the burning of a Chinese herb over an acupoint on the foot can help babies in the breech position at 34-38 weeks turn and offers up to an 80% success rate. See Cardini et al (1998) and AJCM, (2007). This is a one-off treatment and I then advise the woman and her partner or support person how to continue this treatment at home.
• Preparing for labour. Research suggests that receiving acupuncture weekly from 37 weeks reduces labour time from an average of 8 hours to 6.5 hours (Kubista and Kucera, 1974). It may also reduce the length of the labour. Zeisler’s research (1998) suggests treatment from 36 weeks reduced the 1st stage of labour (measured as the time between 3cm cervical dilation and complete dilation) from 6 hours to just 3 hours. Betts and Lennox (2006) found that pre-birth labour reduced inductions in first labours by 43% and in 2nd babies by 35%, and saw an overall reduction in epidural use of 31% and a 32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery. I offer a tutorial for the mum-to-be and her birthing partner on using acupressure for labour. Various acupoints on the body can assist in managing labour and may help to dilate the cervix, move the baby into an optimal birthing position and manage pain on contractions. These points can be pressed with firm finger and hand pressure or with other implements e.g. wooden spoons, during labour. This also offers the birthing partner an active role in helping to support his or her partner to be as comfortable as possible.

I truly believe that without Caitlin’s help I would still be on the stressful journey of trying to conceive. I think the extra relaxation I felt after the sessions and the general re-balancing of my hormones the acupuncture provided has been the key to success for myself. I’ve recommended her to a couple of my friends who are trying to conceive at the moment. Thanks a lot Caitlin!Allison tried to conceive her second child for 15 months.

A study in the United States has compared seven trials which used acupuncture to support IVF and found that having acupuncture treatment on the day of the embryo transfer could increase the chance of a positive pregnancy rate by 65%. Read the story in The Independent or the British Medical Journal.

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