I’ve just got back from a three-day seminar with Zita West on treating fertility issues with acupuncture. For those of you don’t know, or heard of Zita West, she is probably the best-known acupuncture practitioner specialising in using acupuncture and nutrition to enhance fertility in the UK. She has a large clinic in London, has written numerous books and is regularly featured in the media; television, radio and print.
We’ve been treating fertility problems here, in our clinic in Bristol, for the last 20 years, but it is always possible to learn something new, and it’s good to stay fresh with the lasted research and techniques. The seminar was the first step to the formation of a new network of acupuncturists in the UK specialising in fertility, under the banner of the Zita West Clinics. You should be seeing lots of publicity in the New Year as the network is formally launched.
Today, I thought I’d share with you some interesting statistics on the effects on acupuncture on fertility. But firstly, a quick look at the physiological mechanisms that acupuncture appears to work on. There is a significant body of research evidence to show that acupuncture reduces stress and improves the circulation of blood flow to the ovaries and the uterus, it calms the contractibility of the uterus thus making it more receptive to an embryo, it helps to improve semen parameters and improves IVF pregnancy rates. Acupuncture has a direct effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary ovarian axis (HPOA) and the pelvic organs and indirect on fertility by reducing anxiety and stress, it also causes a significant increase in the release of (beta-endorphin levels that last for up to 24 hours. ((beta-endorphins affect gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion from the hypothalamus – the hypothalamus has an overall control of the menstrual cycle). We also know that acupuncture helps improve blood flow to the uterus and hence the endometrial thickness.
We mustn’t forget men in the process of conception! The research on acupuncture and sperm health shows there when compared to men who did not receive acupuncture treatment, those men who had received acupuncture showed increased motility and increased percentage of viable sperm.
The area where there is a lot of publicity and research is that of acupuncture and IVF. Research in 2006 showed in a control group where embryo transfer took place 26% of women conceived whereas the group that had acupuncture 39% of women conceived. In a systematic review and meta-analysis of seven trials of 1366 women undergoing IVF, published in the British Medical Journal in February 2008, showed that women who have had acupuncture with their IVF were 65% more likely to conceive than those who did not receive acupuncture treatment.
So, the good news is, that acupuncture does appear to have a positive effect on the outcome of trying to conceive, either in the old fashioned way, or by IVF, and the results of the research is mirrored by the results that we commonly get at the clinic.
On of the most common questions that we get is “what is our success rate?” Well, we can point you to results of the studies, but it is impossible to say what our success rate is because you are not comparing like with like. The success rate for a healthy 30-year-old woman is usually very different than the success rate of treating a 43-year-old woman who is obese, smokes 40 cigarettes a day, and has an awful diet. What we can do is after meeting you, and going through a full case history, we can give you a more thoughtful indication of how successful we think any treatment may be, rather than giving a blanket “we get a 70%, 80% or whatever figure.
I’ll apologise now that I’ve not had the time to find you the references for the research, but if that is something that you would find helpful please let me know in the comment below.
Over the coming days and weeks I’ll be writing about the various protocols and approaches that we use in our acupuncture treatments to help with fertility issues.
If you’ve got any comments or questions please will free to add them in the comment box below.
Until the next post – stay healthy!
Keith Ferris
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