Does acupuncture for infetility really work?
I am writting a report about how effective acupuncture is for infertile women, I would be very thankful to you if you could tell me your experiences as a patient or a practitioner.
Does it actually help??
How does it help? And how was it diefferent from the usual western style medications and treatment?
Is it more then a placebo?
Comment by Archived User
if I may compare woman's uterus to farming soil... it will be easier to relate and understand TCM's approach on the issue of infertility.
In order for soil to be good for farming there have to be plentiful moisture, sunlight, nutrients, good air and right temperature - having a good seed is another matter...
A woman's body, uterus to be specific, must have similar conditions as soil does for an optimal pregnancy. Her kidney, liver and spleen have to work in balance to achieve the goal. spleen's blood regulating function(yang energy) for maintaining optimal temperature of the uterus and kidney's robust renal filtration work in conjunction with lung's diffusing capacity(yin/yang balance) will determine the conception power of a uterus. Kidney's original essence(yin) has to be there to hold the embryo beyond 8 weeks and on. Liver's over 500 blood transformation related works(Qi / yin) has to be present for an uterus to harvest it's fruit.
in TCM practice, we recognize this reality of a woman's uterus and her body and incorporate formula of acupuncture points and herbal formula in patients' holistic treatmenst so her body will perform how it meant to perform and become a mother naturally. hope it helped...
thank you.
Comment by Archived User
Acupuncture and herbs alone are so very helpful with infertility. For one: A lot of times women dealing with an infertility issue can feel like a full time job without any control. And acupuncture is a holistic medicine and really addresses the body as a whole. So not only are we working towards fertile health but general health also. It also provides them with a sense of control in a area that can seem very helpless.
Secondly) acupuncture is really helpful and regulating out women's Basal body temperatures and can help stimulate/encourage ovulation. This is particularly useful when women's BBT show that they ovulate late or too early.
Thirdly) Many Western fertility centers actively refer out to acupuncturists for help. Statistics show that women who attend an acupuncturist while persuing help for infertility while undergoing any additional reproductive therapy (such as IUI/IVF) have a sturdy increase in chances of conception AND to making it to heart beat (viable pregnancy).
It differs from Western medicines in that acupuncture/herbs is completely natural. There isn't any side effects. For example - clomid (a very popular western drug of choice for infertility) has a side effect of making the uterine lining thinner. Which is a very unfortunate thing while trying to help get someone pregnant!
I've treated a woman who have had a year of unsuccessful injections, clomid, IUI, & IVF. (The doctors had even recommended not doing IVF because she was technically infertile based off of her low ovarian reserve.) She had pretty much given up and decided to try acupuncture as her last resort. And now she has a healthy 2year old boy! There is something to be said for that!
I hope this information provides you with a little more insight to what acupuncture and herbal therapy can provide for someone undergoing the hardships of infertility.