New Research Supports Acupuncture for Fertility Enhancement
By Alyssa Beiss, Acupuncture Denver Staff
National Infertility Awareness Week is upon us and, as specialists in the field, we are excited to support it. Infertility can be an enormous challenge but lots of new research is being done to find new options for treatment, and acupuncture has recently been the focus of multiple studies. One very recent study has found increased pregnancy rates for women who use Chinese medicine alongside in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This study looked at patients who had previously had at least two failed IVF cycles and found that those who were given acupuncture and moxibustion treatments had a 35.7% success rate, versus a sham acupuncture group and a control group, which had a 10.7% and a 7.1% success rate, respectively.
This study comes on the heels of multiple other studies which have demonstrated the efficacy of acupuncture for treating infertility caused by a number of factors. Another recent study found acupuncture to be more effective than Clomid at inducing ovulation by almost 30%. Similarly, a study looking at acupuncture for inducing ovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), found that repeated treatments resulted in higher ovulation frequency, compared to a control group.
The most important factor to look at when considering fertility research is live birth outcomes and a recent review published in The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine evaluated outcomes of IVF cycles when acupuncture was performed on the day of embryo transfer. This review found acupuncture to increase live birth rates in IVF donor cycles.
All of this research just further demonstrates what we’ve seen over and over again here at Acupuncture Denver: Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are truly effective for enhancing fertility! There is no question that Western medicine has done some amazing things in this field, but it’s important to remember that if you’re struggling with trying to get pregnant (or with any health issues), you do have options for treatment. Acupuncture is a great option, both as an alternative, as well as an adjunct therapy alongside Western treatments. Read about these studies at the links below and please reach out to us if you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment.
http://www.healthcmi.com/acupuncturist-news-online/744-ivfmoxa
http://www.healthcmi.com/acupuncturist-news-online/739-infertilityclom
http://www.healthcmi.com/acupuncturist-news-online/731-ovulationpcos