Doctors at the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Cornell’s Weill Medical College have investigated the potential usefulness of acupuncture in enhancing female fertility.
photo via brittanica.com
Traditional Chinese medicine would attribute a disease state, such as infertility,
to energy disturbances or imbalances, or organ deficiencies and excesses.
Acupuncture is used in this system as a way to correct disruptions in
the flow of Qi (energy) and bring the body back to good health. Doctors
Chang, Chung, and Rosenwaks examined the current literature on acupuncture
from the perspective of Western medicine seeking to determine its impact
on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and the pelvic organs, and
its potential for easing stress and anxiety.
Connections were found between acupuncture and the production of endorphins,
which affect hormones playing a part in the menstrual cycle. In addition,
studies were identified indicating that acupuncture can have an impact
on ovulation.
Stress and anxiety, which too often accompany infertility, and possibly
exacerbate the condition, can be relieved by acupuncture. Studies have
been done, as well, on its use in relieving depression. As the impact
of anxiolytic drugs and anti-depressants on infertility treatment is unknown,
acupuncture presents an alternative for infertility patients.
Based on the preliminary clinical data showing acupuncture’s neuroendocrine
effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and peripheral impact
on improving uterine blood flow and endometrial thickness, the authors
feel that clinical trials are warranted to investigate systematically
the efficacy of acupuncture in treating various conditions related to
female infertility. As the physiologic mechanisms underlying acupuncture
are becoming better understood, the technique has been shown in trials
to relieve pain, alleviate chemotherapy-induced nausea, and to treat for
substance abuse. If trials show that it has a positive effect on the physiology
affecting fertility, it could become a useful adjunct to established treatments.