Positions Of Acupuncture In Management Of Infertility.

Acupuncture for management of infertility is possibly the most popular alternative treatment for those who try to become pregnant

. The media appears to report on studies related to acupuncture and fertility every few months, and increasing number of infertility practices provide or recommend acupuncture treatment along with conventional fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). While IVF stands forin vitrofertilization, which literally means "in lab conception", IUI means artificial insemination for women who are infertile.

Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine, sometimes abbreviated as TCM. Acupuncture works by inserting very thin needles into specific points on the body. The points, based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine, operate along the channels of energy, also known as meridians. From the TCM perspective, an imbalance or blockage of these energy channels in the body can lead to illness, including infertility. Correcting the imbalance by stimulating particular points along the energy channels is believed to improve health. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)has issued aconsensus statementindicating that "There is sufficient evidence of acupuncture's value to expand its use into conventional medicine"

Given all the hype over acupuncture and infertility, one might think that the gains from acupuncture therapy have been well documented. However, that's not exactly so. Some scientific investigation have shown improved pregnancy rates for those trying acupuncture, while other research have shown no or non-statistically significant results. Researchers on both sides of the issue are in agreement that acupuncture therapy is in general harmless, and almost everyone concurs it improves relaxation, reduces stress levels, and raises beta-endorphins - the feel good, pain-busting hormones.

If it can't do any harm, why investing so much time and money into the research associated with the issue? Why not send everyone wanting to be pregnant for acupuncture treatment? Well, if acupuncture really can improve pregnancy rates, then acupuncture treatment should be included as a formal protocol when managing infertility. Doctors should encourage patients to see an acupuncturist for treatments, and insurance companies should also be willing to foot some of the bill.

Although not inexpensive, acupuncture is definitely much less expensive than many infertility treatments. If acupuncture could assist couples get pregnant, at the same time spending much less money, less time, and risking fewer side effects, then of course acupuncture should be moved out from the "alternative" medicine and into the mainstream. However, if acupuncture cannot be proved to improve fertility rates, then the practice shouldn't be automatically incorporated into scientific medicine's approach to infertility.

Acupuncture isn't the only approach of achieving relaxation. While doctors should assist their patients to reduce their stress level, advocating acupuncture over other methods would be uncalled for. Meditation, Yoga, and other basic relaxation training technique can also help those with infertility beat stress, and for far less cost than acupuncture therapies. When a fertility physician, or any doctor for that matter, recommends a treatment, the patient assumes the recommendation is backed up by evidence-based research. Before advocating acupuncture to patients, physicians want to be sure that they are recommending a treatment that will really help, but not just offer a false sense of hope.

by: Gale Benz

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