Acupuncture is a tried and tested system of traditional medicine, which has been used in China and other eastern cultures for thousands of years to restore, promote and maintain good health.
Research has found that acupuncture treatments can have a positive effect on those trying for a baby and can actually aid the conception process.
Fertility focused acupuncture treatments can help to increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, balance hormonal levels, regulate the menstrual cycle and help improve the lining of the uterus and quality of eggs released. Additionally, conditions such as polycystic ovaries and endometriosis have also been shown to improve with acupuncture.
Benefits to male fertility have also been helped by acupuncture with positive effects on sperm count, sperm morphology and mobility.
Some of the positive effects of acupuncture in fertility treatments are thought to include:
- regulates the menstrual cycle and promotes regular ovulation
- regulates the hormones to produce larger numbers of follicles
- improves the functions of ovaries to produce better quality eggs
- enhances the vitality of sperm
- relieves the side effects of drugs used in IVF
- increases the thickness of the uterine lining so to encourage successful implantation
- reduces the chance of miscarriage
It is known that stress has an adverse effect on the fertility hormones. Acupuncture can be used to support the process, thus enabling couples to cope with any stress and anxieties they may experience during this time. The acupuncture treatment can help promote a calm, positive and relaxed frame of mind which can bring a more successful outcome for conception.
Information for this blog has been taken from British Acupuncture Council
Jackie Marsden MAR is a qualified reflexologist and clinical acupuncturist, working from Elder Cottage Clinic, Warton, nr. Preston.
