Male and Female Fertility

Studies on fertility acupuncture have shown an increase in IVF success rates from 10-65%. Because IVF is an expensive and time-consuming process it makes sense to do whatever one can to increase the chance of success.

Most men and women using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) have underlying conditions that have made conceiving naturally a challenge. Although ARTs increase the chance of conception, they do not address the underlying conditions that led to fertility issues. Acupuncture can address the underlying conditions, improve the egg/sperm quality, and prepare the endometrium to increase chances of success.

It is ideal to start acupuncture three months before desired conception to optimize egg and sperm quality. It takes about 90 days for a dormant egg to reach ovulation and for new sperm to be produced. Therefore, during these 90 days we can positively influence the egg/sperm that may be used to conceive.

If we start treatment closer to your procedure date, we plan our treatment around your calendar and work to increase blood flow to the ovaries, support follicular maturation, and prepare the endometrium for implantation.

Based upon age, AMH and FSH levels give practitioners a good indication of ovarian reserve and egg quality. Low AMH or high FSH may indicate poor quality embryos or eggs, low pregnancy rates, and high miscarriage rates.

It is unfortunately very common to see Diminished Ovarian Reserve in our current society. Our lifestyle, stress levels, inadequate nutrition, high exposure to environmental toxins, and delayed motherhood are all at play.

Chinese Medicine is arguably the most effective and beneficial treatment for these diagnoses. It can minimize atresia (cellular death), optimize follicular function, preserve follicles, normalize hormonal levels, increase pelvic blood flow, and improve oocyte maturation. With three months of weekly acupuncture treatment, supplements, and herbal medicine, we have seen AMH values increase and FSH values decrease.

About 10-15% of couples face the challenges of unexplained fertility. They’ve taken every diagnostic test, and the doctors can’t find anything wrong. It can be one of the most frustrating diagnoses.

In cases where there is unexplained fertility, we review the case and make sure all possible biomedical causes have truly been ruled out through analysis of blood work, imaging and exam reports. We then use Chinese medicine to identify and treat subtle disharmonies that can be disrupting fertility. We treat these disharmonies, regulate hormones and ovulation, reduce stress, increases blood flow to the ovaries/uterus, and support implantation of an embryo into the endometrium. Once balance and harmony is restored, fertility follows.

PCOS symptoms are irregular menstrual cycles, obesity, excess facial or body hair, and infertility. Clinical symptoms are infrequent or no ovulation, high levels of male hormones, insulin resistance, ovaries have small cysts (follicles that have begun maturing and then stopped), and enlarged ovaries.

PCOS can make achieving pregnancy challenging. Acupuncture has been shown to increase the frequency of ovulation in women with PCOS. It also affects blood endocrine levels such as testosterone, LH to FSH ratios, and beta-endorphin concentrations. Through its effect on the nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, acupuncture can restore normal hormonal function. Supplements and herbal medicine can address insulin resistance.

Endometriosis is described as the abnormal growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus. Symptoms that mark endometriosis include very heavy bleeding, severe menstrual cramps and/or back pain, painful intercourse, and digestive problems.

Chinese medicine sees endometriosis as a combination of blood stagnation and reproductive weakness. The body is not discharging the blood correctly, so it collects in areas where it should not and causes pain. The immune system then targets this misplaced endometrial tissue and creates a response, which results in more inflammation, which further leads to infertility. Acupuncture can manage endometriosis symptoms without halting ovulation, can alleviate pain and inflammation, and mediate the immune response. It also promotes circulation to the reproductive organs, thereby helping the body flush out the endometrial tissue. Our goal is to create a healthy uterine environment that allows an egg to reach the uterus, fertilize, and implant.

Approximately, 40-50% of all couples facing infertility encounter issues with male infertility. A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity and quality of his sperm and his ability to properly transport sperm. If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if the sperm are of a poor quality, it will be difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy.

Chinese medicine has been treating male factor infertility for thousands of years. There are herbal formulas that support sperm production and acupuncture has been shown to increase sperm count, motility, and morphology issues. Adjustments in diet and lifestyle can also improve sperm quality, since sperm are very sensitive to environmental factors. We often see dramatic improvements with sperm within 3 months of treatment.