Does acupuncture for fertility really work?

Thanks for the D2D. Yes, acupuncture is effective for fertility.

Acupuncture treatment which involves inserting needles at specific acupoints along the meridians, regulates the flow of qi and blood and restore healthy balance of yin and Yang. It serves to tonify where there is deficiency, drain where there is excess, and promote free flow where there is stagnation.

Acupuncture can help to normalize hormones, regulate ovulation, and facilitate implantation by increasing blood flow to the uterus. Studies have also shown that acupuncture improves pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF.

In short, the answer is yes.

Research conducted by cellular biologist Dr. Shahar Lev-Ari, head of the integrative medicine unit of Tel Aviv University’s medical school, and Keren Sela, a TCM practitioner specialising in women’s health have found that when combining IUI with TCM treatments, 65.5% of the test group was able to conceive, compared to 39.4% of the control group, which received no herbal or acupuncture therapy. In the test group, 41.4% delivered healthy babies as compared with 26.9% of the control group.

The difference in success rates was even more significant given that the average age of the women in the test group was 39.4, while the average age of the control group participants was 37.1. Usually, pregnancy and delivery rates are lower among older women. [1]

Research conducted in Germany by Dr Wolfgang E Paulus had found that clinical pregnancies were documented in 34 of 80 patients (42.5%) in the acupuncture group, whereas pregnancy rate was only 26.3% (21 out of 80 patients) in the control group (No acupuncture is performed in the control group). [2]

Anecdotally, I have seen many couples conceive through traditional Chinese medicine treatment as well.

That being said, there will be cases where surgery is necessary to conceive, and during such situations, I would recommend a visit to the Western medical doctor. Furthermore, utilising both Western and Chinese medicine could increase your chances of conceiving.

References:

1. https://www.israel21c.org/trouble-getting-pregnant-try-chinese-medicine/

2. https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(01)03273-3/fulltext

Read Also:

The Ultimate Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Fertility Treatments in Singapore (2021)

The Complete Guide to Seeing a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Physician in Singapore (2021)

The Complete Guide to Acupuncture in Singapore (2021)