Acupuncture can be beneficial for both male and female fertility by way of encouraging natural balance and rhythm in the body.
Whether you are wanting to conceive naturally or are undergoing assisted fertility, acupuncture can help through the following:
- Regulating fertility hormones and promoting the release of beta-endorphin in the brain. These affect the release of gonadtrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland and oestrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.
- Increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs by improving blood flow to the ovaries (Stener-Victorin 2006, Lim 2010). Its also increases blood flow to the uterus improving the thickness of the endometrial lining and increasing the chances of embryo implantation (Stener-Victorin 1996, Huang 2008)
- Counteracting the effects of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) by reducing the number of ovarian cysts, stimulating ovulation, regulating the menstrual cycle and increasing the chances of blastocyst implantation (Stener-Victorin 2000, 2008, 2009, Zhang 2009). It may also help control the sedentary effects such as obesity and anorexia (Lim 2010)
- Improving sperm motility (Dieterle 2009), increasing sperm count (Siterman 2001), improving sperm quality (Pei 2005, Gurfinkal 2003), lowering scrotal temperature (Siterman 2009), reducing inflammation (Zijlstra 2003) and improving sperm maturation (Crimmel 2001)