THA's Practice Specialties:

• Classical Five Element Acupuncture
• Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique (N.A.E.T.)
• Pain management
• Women's Health and Gynecological Difficulties: PMS, Infertility and Menopause

Acupuncture and Infertility

Many people wonder about the effectiveness of acupuncture with the problem of infertility. There is good reason to give acupuncture a try when other options have not been successful for you. Infertility can be defined as a "failure to achieve conception after a year or more of regular sexual activity with no contraceptive use."

Infertility is also the inability to carry a pregnancy to full term. Some statistics show that up to fifteen percent of American couples have fertility problems, and twenty percent of married American women seek medical help for infertility in their childbearing years.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has a high success rate with functional infertility, which results from factors such as hormone imbalances, endocrine gland disorders, and emotional problems. Chinese medicine can also significantly improve some structural infertility problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, vaginitis, ovarian dysfunction, and immune-system-related infertility. (http://www.tcmpage.com/hpinfertility.html)

Herbs are recommended in conjunction with acupuncture. In Chinese medicine, the practitioner can combine herbs in order to produce a certain effect. There are many combinations of Chinese herbs that have been lauded as improving fertility in both males and females. It is best to have the practitioner tailor the herbal combination to you as an individual.

Acupuncture can be an effective aid when wanting to become pregnant. James K. Rotchford, M.D., a founding member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, finds it helps as many as 80 percent of people. (http://www.preconception.com)

An article in a recent issue of Fertility and Sterility--co-authored by Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, Dr. Pak H. Chung, and Dr. Raymond Chang of Weill Cornell--provides a summary of current research that supports acupunctures potential benefits for fertility treatment.

"Acupuncture, which is nontoxic and relatively affordable, holds much promise as a complementary or alternative fertility treatment," said Dr. Raymond Chang of New York Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The lead review article reports that acupuncture treatment has the following potential fertility-boosting benefits:

· Increased blood flow to the uterus and therefore uterine wall thickness, an important marker for fertility

· Increased endorphin production, which, in turn, has been shown to effect the release of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a decapeptide involved in regulating reproduction

· Lower stress hormones responsible for infertility

· Impact on plasma levels of the fertility hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), and Progesterone (P)

· Normalization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, a key process in fertility

· A positive effect for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal imbalance present in three percent of adolescents and adults. (http://www.news.cornell.edu)

So, if you are among the many who are seeking an answer to difficulties with infertility, give us a call. Perhaps we can help.

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About the Practitioners

If you are wondering whether acupuncture is right for you, please give Michele and Traci a call at (858) 613-0792. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

15644 Pomerado Road, Suite 301
Poway, CA, 92064
(858) 613-0792

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© 2006, Total Health Acupuncture Center. All Rights Reserved.