Why choose Acupuncture to treat the struggles of Fertility
According to Statistics Canada, 1 in 6 couples experience infertility. The definition of infertility is being unable to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Infertility can be categorized into two separate diagnosis’. Primary infertility is when pregnancy has never occurred. While having a first child successfully, then failing to conceive a second time is defined as Secondary infertility. Reasons such as lifestyle, age, reproductive health and chronic illness’ are a few examples of why infertility may occur. Western Medicine provides limited options for couples that are experiencing infertility. Western opportunities for treatment typically consist of medications or alternative procedures that may be costly and ineffective. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are a natural approach that may be paired with western treatment strategies or used alone.
From the Traditional Chinese Medicine standpoint there are many different patterns that can be treated to not only help increase chances of pregnancy but can also remedy other health concerns. TCM is also a preferred option for treatment when western medicine diagnosis’ the patient’s infertility to be idiopathic. According to TCM theories, infertility most commonly occurs from the disruption from either internal or external pathogenic factors preventing qi energy and blood movement.
Regarding women; having a regulated menstrual cycle is crucial for pregnancy because it signifies a strong uterine lining that can support and nourish the egg. Regular mensuration is also significant because it represents proper hormonal function for building and shedding of the uterine lining as well as egg release. TCM theory states that a regular menstrual cycle should never be painful, the woman should have powerful energy, and the cycle has consistent timing of beginning and ending as well as duration of bleeding. Color and volume of menstrual blood is also an indicator of woman’s gynaecological health.
Regarding men’s health, acupuncture has been proven to be therapeutic in regulating the endocrine system and to maintain circulation to all body systems for ideal function. Maintained levels of hormones must be stable for not only spermatogenesis but the quality of sperm that are being produced. Lifestyle factors such as stress, overwork, diet and exercise are examples of the main contributors to men’s infertility.
At Huatuo Clinic, the most commonly methods of treatment for infertility for both men and women are acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal formulas. These techniques may be used in combination of each other or used alone depending on the patient’s constitution.
Related Articles
- Infertility
With a proven track record of success in helping infertility patients with variety of causes, at the ACATCM College Clinic, we welcome both male and female infertile patients.
- Female Infertility
At Huatuo Clinic, we have been having great success in helping women to get pregnant naturally or in conjunction with assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, such as IVF.
- How Acupuncture Treats Male Infertility
Clinical trials suggest that acupuncture improves sperm motility (Dieterle 2009), increases sperm count (Siterman 2009, Siterman 2001), improves sperm quality (Pei 2005; Gurfinkel 2003), and has a beneficial effect on psychogenic erectile dysfunction (Engelhardt 2003) (see Table overleaf).
