Fertility & Pregnancy
Acupuncture is good for relieving stress and helping the body to relax. Both stress and hormonal imbalance are thought to be frequent contributors to fertility problems. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is routinely used to help boost fertility by stimulating the reproductive organs and by helping to restore emotional balance generally.
A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of acupuncture in increasing the chances of successful IVF treatment. I seems likely that at least part of this is due to the ability of Acupuncture treatment to promote relaxation and thus enhance blood supply to the lining of the uterus.
There is also evidence to support the ability of Acupuncture to help regulate endocrine function in subfertile women and men, leading to increased chances of conception. Of particular note is its effect on Polycystic overy related fertility problems.
The causes of one person's difficulty conceiving are inevitably complex and dinosing the individual patterns of disharmony responsible is at the heart of traditional Acupuncture's approach to treatment.
In order to arrive at an appropriate diagnosis, Acupuncturists will take a full case history as well as using information gained from taking the pulse and looking at the tongue.
The Acupuncture points chosen will vary from week to week as the treatment progresses and according to the stage of the menstrual cycle.
Acupuncture during pregnancy
Acupuncture can be used as a form of treatment to support the woman through her gestation period. It can help with:
• Morning sickness
• Anxiety/Depression
• Constipation
• Breech presentation
• Delayed labour
Acupuncture & Acupressure during Labour
Acupuncture or Acupressure can be applied to the pregnant woman directly before and during her
Labour. Only a qualified Acupuncturist can apply needles to the patient but Acupressure can be taught to the birthing partner and applied by them to aid the whole process.
Acupuncture can be very effective at inducing Labour, if a woman becomes post-term and would like to be induced using Chinese Medicine.
Refrences
Betts, D. (2006) The Essential guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth JCM Press.
p149-159
Paulus WE, Zhang M, Strehler E, El-Danasouri I, Sterzik K. Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate of women who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. Fertil Steril. 2002;77(4): 721-4.
Westergaard LG, Mao Q, Krogslund M, Sandrini S, Lenz S, Grinsted J. Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer significantly improves the reproductive outcome in infertile women: a prospective randomized trial. Fertil Steril. 2006 May;85(5):1341-6.
Johnson D. Acupuncture prior to and at embryo transfer in an assisted conception unit - a case series. Acupuncture in Med. 2006 Mar;24(1):23-8.
Stener-Victorin E, Humaidan P. Use of acupuncture in female infertility and a summary of recent acupuncture studies related to embryo transfer. Acupunct Med. 2006 Dec;24(4):157-63.
Ng EH, So WS, Gao J, Wong YY, Ho PC. The role of acupuncture in the management of subfertility. Fertil Steril. 2008 Jul;90(1):1-13.
For further information:
http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/research-fact-sheets.html
