Acupuncture has been a part of ancient Chinese medicine for centuries and, in more recent years, found a place in more cultures. In the last few decades, acupuncture is being used alongside fertility treatments to boost the chance of pregnancy. But what does the research say, and how can acupuncture improve fertility? Read on.
In the United States, about one in five heterosexual women aged 15 to 49 are unable to get pregnant after a year of trying. Also, in this group, roughly one in four women have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying to term. In addition, about 10% of all males in the US attempting to conceive also suffer from infertility.
Conception is complicated and dependent on a lot of pieces falling into the right place like:
Healthy sperm and healthy eggs
Unblocked fallopian tubes
Good embryo quality
The embryo’s ability to become implanted
The sperm’s ability to fertilize
What’s more is that for a pregnancy to come to term, you need a healthy embryo and female environment for development. So, there’s a lot that needs to happen. Infertility is defined as being unable to get pregnant after a year of trying.
What is Fertility Acupuncture?
Acupuncture involves inserting small, thin needles into various parts of the body to improve blood flow to that specific area. The theory behind acupuncture fertility is that it could help boost fertility in three ways:
