Infertility And Acupuncture
The latest research studies have shown that acupuncture can be beneficial to couples who are opting for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). But the question as to whether it can actually solve the fertility issues which are being faced by people is yet to be answered. Though acupuncture has proved useful in helping some couples to have a baby, conclusive evidence is still needed to prove that ancient form of therapy can help childless couples.
The basic theory of acupuncture states that there is vital energy which is flowing all over the body and the flow of this energy is along certain pre-specified routes or paths. People who practice acupuncture and specialize in it say that this energy in the body needs to be balanced in the right manner which will help in making the body regain its original health. Specific points along these energy routes are highlighted using thin needles. The people in China have been practicing acupuncture for over 5000 years but the rest of the world including America has accepted this ancient form of therapy only a few decades ago.
In 2002, some German research scientists conducted a study on 160 women who were going through in-vitro fertilization. They found that acupuncture increased the chances of these women conceiving and getting pregnant. 42% of the women who opted for the acupuncture treatment were able to conceive while the 26% who did not opt for the treatment were not able to conceive. The researchers found out that acupuncture helped in increasing the blood flow to the uterus and relaxing the muscle tissues and this gave the embryos a better chance of getting implanted inside the uterus. They also felt that acupuncture helped in reducing the stress among women who were trying to conceive. This is very important since stress is one major obstacle that sometimes prevents women from getting pregnant. Many of the women who were a part of the study also confirmed that they felt more relaxed after taking the acupuncture treatment.
Acupuncture also helps in improving fertility among men. Men who take acupuncture treatment regularly have a better sperm count and the motility or the strength with which the sperms swim also improves. Through acupuncture, the sperm count of a man should be increased well over the mark that is needed for conceiving a baby and that is 10-12 million moving sperms per ejaculation. But none of the men who participated in the study were able to increase their sperm count to that extent.
But another result which has been obtained from the studies is that taking the acupuncture treatment can help in improving the quality as well as the health of the sperms in a man. In 2005, fertility and sterility published a study which used sperm samples from men who were infertile and these samples were taken both before and after the acupuncture treatment. People who had taken the treatment had sperms which had fewer defects and their sperm count was also much higher.
Experts on the subject of fertility have stated that much larger studies need to be conducted in order to come to better conclusions. Fake needles should be used on some patients and real needles should be used on other patients to determine as to exactly how effective acupuncture is. In the studies which have already taken place, people who were taking the treatment were fully aware of what kind of treatment was being administered to them. The studies could have been successful due to what is known as the placebo effect. They believe that the patient would have had faith in the acupuncture form of treatment and that is why it was successful in their cases.
But the final conclusion which can be drawn is that acupuncture treatment is a very safe form of treatment which also helps people who are infertile to have a baby. But it is essential to contact a specialist first or even a good acupuncture specialist.