Are you considering acupuncture for treatment of infertility? Having the right information about acupuncture and its ability to treat infertility is relevant in the treatment of this condition since it can help you to ask the right questions your acupuncturist and understand how and why acupuncture works; you also know what to expect from the treatment.
What is fertility acupuncture?
This type of acupuncture treatment is to help a person attain fertility so much so that it can lead to conception. Even if both women and men can experience infertility, it’s the former who has the most issues when it comes to the process of procreation. So far, it is mostly women who are treated with infertility problems by acupuncturists.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the principle behind infertility is the imbalance of energy and blood flow in the body, specifically to the reproductive organs. Each person has a vital or life energy flowing in his/her body known as Qi. Qi flows through a dozen invisible energy channels called meridians. When a certain meridian develops obstructions, the normal flow is of Qi is disrupted. This leads to various health conditions including infertility.
According to traditional Chinese medicine or TCM, there are several meridians related to organ systems in the body that needs to be observed by the acupuncturist when treating infertility. The kidney point meridian is one of them. When a blockage is found in this meridian, a needle is inserted into it to remove the blockage enabling to the healthy function restoration of the kidney system. A woman’s chance of conceiving is greatly increased when psychologically-caused blockages are cleared out of the meridians.
Are all infertility problems handled by fertility acupuncture?
Definitely not, there are conditions in which acupuncture is not powerful enough to treat. You need the help of a medical doctor. Some of these conditions include adhesions on the fallopian tubes and pelvic inflammatory disease. A lot of other infertility-related conditions, however, can be addressed by acupuncture.
Is acupuncture enough?
Sometimes, acupuncture treatment alone may not be enough to resolve a condition. Therefore, acupuncturists combine this treatment with other TCM modalities like moxibustion and Chinese herbal medicine. Integrating these modalities can greatly increase the potency of the treatment. A study involving these treatments showed that 10 of the 30 women with infertility problems who were given these treatments had a vast improvement of their infertility that they were able to conceive with just a single course of treatment. Eight of the 20 women who did not experience results during the initial course of treatment were able to conceive after being given a second round of treatment.
One can also avail of acupuncture along with conventional fertility therapies. You can choose in vitro fertilization, donor egg transfer or artificial insemination along with acupuncture to help increase the success of these treatments.
In treating infertility, acupuncturists make sure not to insert the needles on your stomach or within the pelvic region after you have had IVF, insemination or transfer. Those areas are considered danger points by acupuncturists during pregnancy. These danger points include the stomach, large intestine, spleen and liver.
You need to also consider acupuncture treatment for your infertility from a licensed and qualified acupuncturist who preferably has a long experience in treating conditions such as yours.