Infertility is a globally growing problem, for many reasons, but then again, the number and types of treatments available are vast and diverse. Apart from many options in conventional medicine, such as fertility medication, In Vitro Fertilization, In Vitro Maturation, Intrauterine Insemination, surgery, and what not, there are a stunning amount of traditional, alternative, and complementary modalities that can come to help to deal with infertility issues.
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As for the latter, think of treatments like Acupuncture, herbal medicine, and a huge variety of massage types and traditional bodywork. In this post, we take a look at what Acupuncture, a well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment modality, can do with respect to regaining fertility.
Acupuncturists insert very thin needles to specific acupuncture points throughout the body to restore the flow of Life Energy, to balance the body’s energy, promote relaxation, and stimulate healing. The core idea behind Acupuncture is that blockages or disturbances in the flow of Life Energy (Qi) may cause a variety of health issues, and with “needling” these blockages can be cleared.
Acupuncture (often applied in combination with Chinese herbal medicine, Guasha and moxibustion), has been used for many diseases and disorders for many centuries already, including for health issues that cause infertility. It can help to treat an under-functioning or over-functioning thyroid, stimulate an improved ovarian and follicular function, and improve blood flow to the endometrium (the inner layer of the uterus forming the placenta in case of pregnancy of which the main function is to supply oxygen and nutrition to the embryo and fetus).
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Other fertility disorders that can be treated are repeated pregnancy loss, unexplained infertility, luteal phase defect, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and a range of male factor issues, just to name only some of the most common problems that can be addressed.
It’s interesting to notice that Acupuncture is increasingly used as a complementary therapy before conventional fertility treatments like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or donor-egg implementation. Moreover, there are voices in the medical world that claim that Acupuncture, herbal medicine, and other traditional medicines in combination with modern conventional treatments yield the best results to regain fertility.
In any case, there is little risk in using Acupuncture for infertility issues. Nevertheless, the risk of miscarriage may augment if incorrect acupuncture points are used during the pregnancy period. It’s therefore strongly advised that one should only be treated by an acupuncturist specialized in fertility disorders.
