Infertility Acupuncture
Any of the problems below may lead to sub-fertility issues.
- Endometriosis
- Disorders of ovulation
- Polycystic ovary synndrome
- Tubal blockage
- Inflamation of the pelvic organs
- Fibroids
- Implantation issues
Assistance with the conditions that may lead to sub-fertility is based on the the individual presentation of the patient. There is no standardised treatment of biomedical illness. Obviously some conditions may require more long term management or may not be suitable to treat with acupuncture or herbs. Initial consultations will be 60-90 minutes long. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment is available in my City of London Clinic (EC2) and Salisbury.
Patients will be given information on how to monitor their own fertility, and what they can do for themselves to improve their chances of conception. This may include referral to other practitioners such as nutritionists or counsellors.
Womens Health
Menstrual Problems
- acne
- amenorrhea
- bloating
- breast distention
- cramps
- mood swings
- heavy periods
- irregular period
- irritability
- skipped periods
- premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Menopausal symptoms
- dryness
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- poor sleep
Pregnancy
- low back pain
- morning sickness
- postpartum depression and exhaustion
- sciatica
- constipation
- haemorrhoids
During pregnancy many women have found acupuncture beneficial for a variety of problems, such as morning sickness and lower back pain. After childbirth, acupuncture and herbal medicine are traditionally used to replenish the new mother’s energy.
Research has established plausible mechanisms to explain how acupuncture may benefit fertility:
- regulating fertility hormones – stress and other factors can disrupt the function of the hypothalamic pituitary-ovarian axis (HPOA), causing hormonal imbalances that can negatively impact fertility. Acupuncture has been shown to affect hormone levels by promoting the release of beta-endorphin in the brain, which affects the release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland, and oestrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary (Ng 2008, Huang 2008, Lim 2010, Stener-Victorin 2010). Further details of these processes are emerging, for example mRNA expression of hormones, growth factors and other neuropeptides (He 2009)
- increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs – stress also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which causes constriction of ovarian arteries. Acupuncture inhibits this sympathetic activity, improving blood flow to the ovaries (Stener-Victorin 2006, Lim 2010), enhancing the environment in which ovarian follicles develop. It also increases blood flow to the uterus (Stener-Victorin 1996, Huang 2008), improving the thickness of the endometrial lining and increasing the chances of embryo implantation.
- counteracting the effects of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility. By reducing sympathetic nerve activity and balancing hormone levels, acupuncture has been shown to reduce the number of ovarian cysts, stimulate ovulation, enhance blastocyst implantation and regulate the menstrual cycle in women with PCOS (Stener-Victorin 2000, 2008, 2009, Zhang 2009). It may also help to control secondary effects such as obesity and anorexia (Lim 2010).
Miscellaneous Women’s Health
- endometriosis
- fibroids
- cystitis
- vaginal discharge/thrush/candida
- infertility
