Fertility acupuncture how does it work

It's very important to discuss these therapies with your reproductive endocrinologist to make sure that they're safe to take with the fertility treatments you've been prescribed.

Your initial visit should include an in-depth consultation. Questions may not immediately seem to be related to infertility but are important for the practitioner to determine the ideal therapy for you.

After the consultation, the acupuncturist will use a variety of points in an effort to enhance fertility or blood flow to certain organs. Pressure points on the head promote relaxation, while points around the stomach help open up the supply of fresh blood to the ovaries. Other points around the lower legs are used to promote blood flow to the reproductive organs, which starts at the feet.

Needles are left in for around minutes while you relax in a room. The initial visit can range in price depending on where you live. Insurance often does not cover acupuncture, though check with your provider, but if you buy a package of treatments, you can save money. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA found that acupuncture only caused a negligible around 1 percent increase in pregnancy outcomes, but other research has shown that acupuncture in conjunction with other fertility treatments increases success rates by 50 percent.

Again, many of these are small pilot studies; larger, controlled studies still need to be done. However, there are few if any studies showing that acupuncture has a negative impact on fertility or treatment outcomes. While the research is still somewhat unclear, there are many success stories about how acupuncture helped with fertility and conceiving. Jacqui of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, had a similar positive experience.

She tried for six months to get pregnant, and after the first acupuncture treatment was able to conceive. The treatments, according to Jacqui, were also calming and soothing, which was really helpful during a particularly stressful time.

Acupuncture seems to have the ability to alleviate some of the undesirable symptoms of pregnancy like morning sickness, fatigue and depression. Some research has shown that in pregnant women who did depression-focused acupuncture, the treatment reduced symptoms by 63 percent.

What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff. Acupuncturists should not place needles in the abdominopelvic area after insemination or transfer. There are 6 contraindicated acupuncture points which should be avoided when the patient is pregnant or pregnancy is suspected.

There are minimal risks in using acupuncture for fertility treatment. The risk of miscarriage may increase if incorrect acupuncture points are used during pregnancy. This is one reason why those choosing to include acupuncture in their treatment regimen should only be treated by an acupuncturist who specializes in treating fertility disorders. Acupuncture can be used to treat any type of fertility disorder including spasmed tubes.

Spasmed tubes are often de-spasmed with acupuncture, though blocked tubes will not respond to acupuncture. Acupuncture is often combined with herbal remedies to treat elevated follicle-stimulating hormone FSH , repeated pregnancy loss , unexplained idiopathic infertility , luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia when not caused by a prolactinoma , Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome PCOS with anovulatory cycles and male factor including men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.

In most states, acupuncture is a licensed profession. You can visit www. However, it is important to understand that being licensed and Board certified does not guarantee expertise in reproductive disorders. Mike Berkley for APA. Berkley is an expert in acupuncture, medicinal herbs and traditional medicine as a means to treat infertility.

The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness. Acupuncture for Fertility. Does acupuncture for fertility treatment work? When should acupuncture fertility treatment begin? When should I stop? Are the acupuncture points different after an insemination, IVF, or donor-egg transfer than before? There is a concern that promoting often expensive add-on treatments, like acupuncture, as a fertility silver bullet, can give couples false hope.

This risk can be mitigated if practitioners are upfront about what acupuncture can realistically achieve, according to Dr Khalaf. But don't expect that sticking a few needles in your body will affect the quality of your embryos. It's just not biology.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

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