Acupuncture and Infertility

Acupuncture effects hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and reduces fertility problems in men

Although acupuncture is based on ancient medical theory, modern scientific research has begun to evolve in the past two decades. The effects of acupuncture analgesia through endorphin production, a brain chemicals or a” feeling good” neurotransmitter, were described in medical journals 30 years ago. Research also found acupuncture effects the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis mediated through the nervous system. In 2003, Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York published a review article summarizing that acupuncture treatment has the following potential fertility-boosting benefits:

  1. Increased blood flow to the uterus and therefore uterine wall thickness, an important marker for fertility
  2. Increased endorphin production, which, in turn, has been shown to affect the release of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a neruo-peptide form hypothalamic, involved in regulating reproduction
  3. Lower stress hormones responsible for infertility
  4. Impact on plasma levels of the fertility hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), and Progesterone (P)
  5. Normalization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, a key process in fertility

A trial published in Fertility and Sterility, in 2005, demonstrated how effective acupuncture can be in the treatment of abnormal sperm quantity for men, which constitutes for 40 percent of infertility problems among couples. Clinical studies indicated acupuncture significantly increases the number of normal sperm and equally reduces structural defects.