Female Infertility

Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used to treat certain causes of female infertility , though not all of them. Good candidates for acupuncture are people who have a functional , rather than a structural reason for infertility. Acupuncture and herbs regulate and improve ovarian and follicular function. Additionally, acupuncture can help female infertility to increase blood flow to the endometrium, helping to facilitate a thick, rich lining.

As a complementary form of therapy for women undergoing other fertility treatments, acupuncture has been proven to be especially beneficial. Acupuncture also helps women stay more relaxed through stressful infertility treatments. In particular, studies have shown that acupuncture in female infertility definitely increases the rate of pregnancy in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

A German female infertility study done in 2002 showed that of the 80 women that underwent IVF and received acupuncture , 34 women got pregnant, a success rate of 42.5%.

More recently, an American female infertility study involving 114 women showed that 51% of the women who had acupuncture and IVF treatments became pregnant versus only 36% of the women who had IVF alone. In addition, while 8% of the women in the acupuncture group miscarried, the rate of miscarriage in the IVF-only group was 20%. Furthermore, women who received acupuncture also had lower rates of ectopic pregnancies.

At Irvine Acupuncture we work closely with Infertility doctors to make sure our treatments are not conflicting with their treatments. We actually have an Infertility center in our medical building, making it easier for our patients to commute between us and the infertility center.