How Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture) Enhances Fertility

How Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture) Enhances Fertility
by Robin Hays and Nancy Rakela

TCM describes the female reproductive system as a network of energy systems. Each energy system has complementary organs and hormonal responses. This network responds to stress, chemicals, lack of exercise, poor diet and excess emotions all of which can put the body Îout of balanceÌ. A TCM practitioner will carefully determine the state of your imbalances and prescribe an individualized program of herbs, acupuncture and diet to help you create the correct environment for fertility and pregnancy.

Stress Reduction with Acupuncture
Psychological stress can have a negative effect on couples facing fertility problems. Stress leads to the release of stress hormones and causes detrimental effects on mechanisms responsible for a normal ovulatory menstrual cycle. The success of acupuncture for reducing stress and anxiety is due to its beta-endorphin release and sympathetic calming effects. Stress causes the sympathetic nervous system of be over stimulated. Thus, the blood flow is diverted away from the ovaries and uterus to the adrenals (stress coping gland) instead. This can cause irregular cycles, lack of ovulation, and infertility. Electro acupuncture and Femoral Artery Massage redirect the blood flow back to the ovaries and uterus, enhancing fertility and regulating your cycle.

Acupuncture Strengthens The Immune System
Many women with immunological factors hostile to pregnancy have been effectively treated with TCM prescription of diet, herbs, and acupuncture. When an acupuncturist treats the root problem, the immunological markers correct themselves.

Fertility Hormone Regulation with Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been known to control pain through stimulating the release of beta-endorphin. In addition, beta-endorphin works to influence the source of womenÌs ovulatory and fertility hormones (the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis) and control hormones that regulate a womenÌs ovulation and fertility that includes gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (F.S.H.), luteinizing hormone (L.H.) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Acupuncture Regulates Hormones Creating Better Egg Quality
Acupuncture normalizes the dysfunction of the Hypothalamus- Pituitary - Ovarian Axis. This improves ovarian function creating more follicles, and better egg production. It has also been suggested that the concentrations of central opioids may regulate the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis via the central sympathetic system, and that a hyperactive sympathetic system in anovulatory patients could be normalized by ElectroAcupuncture (Chen and Yin, 1991). It has been assumed that various disorders ...