Consultant, Oriental Medicine & Acupuncture Director, Complementary Medicine Center International Medical Center, Jeddah For many couples, the diagnosis of infertility brings much emotional, physical and financial stress. Couples are left feeling helpless and hopeless. This added stress can further interfere with fertility. More and more of these patients are turning to unconventional, alternative, or complementary approaches to assist in improving their fertility. Acupuncture is one adjunctive treatment that is gaining in popularity. Recent studies confirm that acupuncture treatment contributes to increase the pregnancy rate in women who undergo IVF treatment. Research suggests that Acupuncture works to increase blood flow to the uterus, reducing uterine contractions and regulating stress hormones which may enhance the chance of implantation of the embryos to the uterine wall and successful pregnancy. Acupuncture can affect male fertility as well by improving the Spermatogenesis (the production and maturation of sperm cells) process. One such study was conducted on a group of infertile men with pathological sperm abnormalities and a poor fertilization rate in at least two cycles of IVF. These men were given acupuncture treatment for 8 weeks (two sessions every week) and the IVF cycles were repeated following the acupuncture treatment. The fertilization rate rose significantly from 40% prior to treatment to 66% following acupuncture treatment. It should be noted that Spermatogenesis takes approximately 75 days. For this reason, the minimum recommended treatment for male factor infertility should be twice per week for 10-12 weeks. Despite continued research showing efficacy of acupuncture treatment there are many that say it is nothing more than placebo. In the end it doesn't matter that much whether the success of acupuncture is a placebo effect or not. The bottom line is that acupuncture is relatively safe, and if it improves fertility it may be a worthwhile option for many patients. The best first step to treating any fertility problem is to contact a specialist. If you do decide to try acupuncture, look for a certified, licensed acupuncture physician with experience in treating infertility and working with IVF. Always inform your doctor prior to trying any adjunctive therapies if undergoing IVF procedure.
