Is Fertility Acupuncture Right For You?
While Western medicine does not always recognize the validity of acupuncture, couples experiencing infertility are flocking towards the treatment. Acupuncture is a procedure in which long thin needles of varying lengths are placed in the body. It is based on the Chinese belief in energy flow, and that acupuncture can correct any imbalances of blockages in that flow. Acupuncture is most effective in tandem with other fertility treatments, but alone is effective for couples experiencing a functional problem like irregular ovulation.
How do you decide if fertility acupuncture is right for you? While acupuncture can be used to treat any type of fertility disorder, it treats functional problems best. These include treated spasmed tubes, repeated pregnancy loss and unexplained infertility. Acupuncture is often combined with herbs to treat the medical conditions including elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with annovulatory cycles. Acupuncture can also be used for men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.
If you are looking into infertility acupuncture, it is important to make sure that your acupuncturist specializes in treating infertility disorder. Your acupuncturist should also have appropriate training and certifications, which are mandated by the state or province. Having a certified professional reduces any risks that might come with fertility acupuncture. The one serious risk is that a miscarriage may occur if the acupuncturist hits the wrong point on a pregnant woman.
Acupuncture is a process, and not a one-time fix. It is also important to remember that it is also frequently used in conjunction with IVF or other medical infertility treatments. Individuals seeking infertility acupuncture treatment will need to undergo the procedure once or twice a week. While 12 acupuncture treatments is the usual, the treatment process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. While at your acupuncture appointment, your acupuncturist should take the time to discuss your current condition and answer any questions that you might have.
As acupuncture is still somewhat controversial in the medical profession, research has been done to prove its validity. Researchers from across the world, from the Center for Integrative Medicine to Germany have performed tests and studies. The German research study compared two groups of 80 women attempting to get pregnant – the first used acupuncture and the second acted as a control group. 34 women from the acupuncture group got pregnant, while only 21 from the control group got pregnant. Another study found that if the acupuncture takes place on the same day as embryo transfer, the statistical rates improved significantly.
Continue : Fertility Acupuncture