It’s estimated that after a year of trying to conceive, 10 percent of American couples are unable to get pregnant on their own. The vast majority of women turn to traditional fertility treatments for help, but a growing number are also trying alternative therapies, including acupuncture.
More and more women are delaying childbirth into their late 30s and early 40s than ever before. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Report on Fertility in America, about 20 percent of women ages 35-39 are childless in 2002. In 1976, only 10 percent of women in that age category had never given birth.
Because a woman’s fertility declines as she ages, more and more women are having trouble getting pregnant.
What causes infertility?
There are many causes of infertility in women. Hypothyroidism, pre-mature ovarian failure, decreasing ovarian function with advancing age, immune system producing antibodies against sperm or ovaries, stress, poor nutrition, hormonal irregularities, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, and unexplained infertility are among the most common causes of infertility in females.
Men may also have fertility problems, including low sperm count, and poor sperm motility and morphology.
Conventional Medicine Treatments for Infertility
Reproductive Endocrinologists prescribe drugs to stimulate ovulation with drugs such as Clomid. If the Clomid treatment fails, the next step may be intrauterine insemination or IUI, (where the sperm is placed directly in the woman’s uterus) or in vitro fertilization or IVF, (where a sperm and egg are united outside the uterus and later placed in the womb after fertilization).
More and more couples are turning to acupuncture to treat infertility because it is safe, cost effective, and has been shown in studies to increase the success rate of IVF up to 40-60%.
Acupuncture to Treat Infertility
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment that involves placing tiny hair-like needles in the skin as a way of stimulating energy points that are thought to be central to your spiritual, mental, emotional and physical balance. Acupuncture is used to treat a variety of maladies such as headaches and back pain. For fertility, the needles are placed in energy points linked to the reproductive organs to improve energy flow to those areas.
It’s still not entirely clear how the technique works, but there is some evidence that it increases the production of endorphins, or brain chemicals that make you feel good and help reduce stress. It may also improve blood supply to the ovaries, which improves their function, and the uterus, which can make it easier to nourish a fetus and reduce the risk of miscarriage.
Traditional acupuncture involves inserting extremely thin, sterile, stainless steel, disposable needles into specific points on the surface of the skin. This ionic transfer sets in motion an elegant interplay of the body’s own energies, restoring balance to the body, mind and spirit along with the correction of infertility-related imbalances and deficiencies. This age-old system of medicine has
stood the test of thousands of years and yet continues to rise above and improve health even in our modern western culture. This sophisticated yet subtle method of treatment is so effective because of its focus on each individual’s particular needs. Your acupuncture, herbal and nutritional treatments for infertility are tailored to address your specific imbalances, and will revitalize you in a relaxing atmosphere.
Acupuncture can help improve fertility and the success of IVF in a number of ways:
1. Improve the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs.
2. Restore hormonal balance and blood flow to the ovaries to produce a large number of follicles.
3. Increase blood flow to the uterus to increase thickness of the uterine lining.
4. Reduce stress, increase relaxation and improve sleep.
5. Lessen the side effects of drugs used in IUI and IVF.
6. Balance the immune system.
In men, acupuncture has been shown to improve sperm count, motility and morphology.
Why should you try Acupuncture for Infertility?
Most women who choose acupuncture are doing it together with traditional infertility treatments. But some couples have undergone multiple cycles of IVF or other fertility treatments and nothing seems to be working. Also, fertility treatments can be incredibly expensive. For example, intrauterine insemination can cost hundreds of dollars and a single cycle of IVF can cost $10,000-$20,000. So couples are looking for other options that could possibly give them a greater chance at success.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are used alongside with IUI and IVF, as well as a stand-alone treatment for infertility. As a licensed Acupuncturist for over 10 years, Dr. Helene Pulnik uses proven acupuncture techniques, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary counseling, vitamins, nutritional supplementation and stress reduction to restore overall balance and overall wellness. Because 40% of infertility can be due to male factors, Dr. Pulnik also treats male partners of women trying to conceive. Restoring balance allows the body’s natural cycles to become more regular, and increases the body’s response to
IUI and IVF, thus improving fertility.
Dr. Helene Pulnik is a board-certified Naturopathic Physician, Licensed Acupuncturist and a Registered Pharmacist who holds a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition. Dr. Pulnik has studied infertility treatment using acupuncture, herbs, nutrition and stress reduction with Dr. Randine Lewis, author of The Infertility Cure. Dr. Pulnik is in private practice at Glastonbury Naturopathic & Acupuncture Center, in Glastonbury, Ct. and is accepting new patients.