Fertility
Fertility is a subject close to my heart (you can read why here) and I belong to a team of what I consider to be the very best fertility acupuncturists in the country. We support each other by knowledge sharing, keeping up to date on the latest research, both in Chinese and Western medicine and keeping abreast of developments within the world of fertility. I’m proud to be amongst them, and the emails, cards and letters of thanks we receive from our clients is a testament to the work we do.
I work with both male and female clients (see details on male factor below) and I support my clients to have a natural conception whenever possible. When, and only when, it doesn’t look like that is possible, I support them in working towards achieving the best possible IVF or ART cycle they can, by working on egg quality and maturation, sperm health, stress factors, diet and lifestyle. I’m just as likely to talk about hormone levels and semen analysis results as I am to discuss Chinese Medicine terms such as ‘qi’ and ‘stagnation’. I believe that there is a middle ground between the two modalities and that by utilising both we can ensure the very best possible outcome.
I now offer fertility coaching and treatments and I mentor acupuncturists on fertility.
Acupuncture for Fertility: the evidence
Whatever your situation, whether trying to conceive naturally or going through the process of IVF / IUI to get pregnant, fertility acupuncture aims to boost reproductive health and improve your chances of conceiving.
Acupuncture may help to boost reproductive health and improve chances of conceiving by:
- Increasing egg production (Jin, 2009) and improving oocyte quality (Chen, 2009), which could increase the chance of fertilisation
- Increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs (Ho, 2009; Anderson, 2007), which can improve the thickness of the endometrial lining, therefore increasing chance embryo implantation and promoting embryo implantation (Liu, 2008)
- Enhancing luteal function (Huang, 2009)
- Regulating fertility hormones, as stress and other factors can disrupt the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis (HPOA), causing hormonal imbalances that can negatively impact fertility. Acupuncture has been found to reduce the effect of stress hormones on the body, thereby helping the normal balance of fertility hormones (Anderson, 2007)
Male Factor
Sperm health is declining in the Western world, with sperm counts having dropped around 50% in the last 40 years. With 1 in 7 couples experiencing infertility, and 30% of those being solely due to issues with male factor (and another 30% a combination of both male and female factor), male factor is now the primary reason for couples seeking IVF treatment.
What are the common issues men face with fertility?
- Suboptimal semen analysis (motility, morphology, count etc)
- Varicocele (a pooling of the blood around the testicles, which can lead to DNA fragmentation)
- Azoospermia
- Hormone imbalance
- Infection
- DNA fragmentation
- Oxidative stress
- Testicular trauma
- History of illness or undescended testicles
Male fertility acupuncture has been shown to increase sperm count and motility as well as significantly increasing the morphology (percentage of normal form sperm), and influencing quality (Pei et al, 2005). Working with a practitioner can also help in terms of knowledge and roadmapping of testing and available options or referrals, looking at diet and lifestyle, which can have a huge impact on sperm health, plus emotional support and stress management.
