acupuncture for FERTILITY
Treatment with Chinese Medicine
You may be considering alternative therapy for any one of a multitude of health problems. Acupuncture and Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) can provide effective treatment for many problems.
Infertility is an increasing problem causing much anguish and heartache. So although the Office of National Statistics states that
The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the UK reached 1.90 children per woman in 2007. UK fertility has not been this high since 1980.This does not ring true for a large number of unfulfilled would-be parents, it is estimated that 1 in 6 couples have difficulty conceiving.
This page looks at how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help FERTILITY IN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN and also at menstrual problems such as painful or irregular periods that may or may not be causing concerns about fertility. Treatment to help maximise results with IVF is also recommended.
Find out
- how the problem is described in Western terms
- how the problem is explained by Traditional Chinese medicine
- what clients have said about treatment
- what the evidence is that acupuncture is effective for the problem (includes links to World Health Organisation if appropriate)
- what links there are to other useful sites (on the right)
Where does the fertility problem lie in Western terms?
It is no surprise to know that the man, the woman or both may contribute to fertility problems.
There may be no signs and symptoms accompanying problems with sperm mortality, morphology or mobility and this is a good reason for turning to complementary therapies such as acupuncture where TCM tongue and pulse diagnosis can reveal significant imbalances.
In women, irregular or painful menstruation is common and conditions such as PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), endometriosis may be diagnosed. Whether there is a Western diagnosis or not, TCM pulse and tongue are essential to find the cause.
How does Chinese medicine help with fertility and menstrual problems?
- Lifestyle change
- Changes may be suggested such as giving up smoking, taking exercise, limiting alcohol intake, losing weight and managing stress. Acupuncture can help with these difficult changes because it is a very calming treatment and because it can help people to give up unhealthy, possibly addictive, habits.
- Taking a holistic view - for both men and women
- Massage and acupuncture can help to re-balance the health and an acupuncturist does NOT need to specialise in gynaecology or fertility treatment to do this for their patients and have good results.
- Looking at the detail
- The strength of Chinese Medicine is that it allows a reason for the imbalances - that the patient may or may not recognise as a problem - to be found, then highly specific treatment will be possible.
- Here is something that might surprise female readers: A normal menstrual cycle is regular with no PMT and the period itself should be pain free, without excessive blood loss or clotting. A proper movement of Liver qi (energy) and Blood is essential for a pain-free period. Stagnation of either is likely to cause pain. Acupuncture has a strong moving effect on the body and can achieve good results with menstrual problems.
NOTE: Capitalisation of organ names is used to show that they are considered differently in Chinese Medicine, see Chinese terms
Have clients been pleased with treatment?
Success is more likely with patients who come as couples for fertility work, they appreciate the treatment, get chance to understand and agree on lifestyle changes and benefit from the general increase in self-awareness (not just focussing on the monthly cycle). Also they gain the ability to manage their emotions more successfully, often realising that their stress is not helping but struggling to do anything about it.
Men need to be aware that there is a 3 month time scale on sperm development and so should commit to regular treatment for 3 months.
What evidence is there that Chinese medicine works?
Not researched yet, try again another time!
