In the West, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are becoming increasingly popular and cost effective additions to courses of IVF due to the increased success rates of pregnancy.

Acupuncture’s role in IVF is mainly to regulate hormone levels and to prepare the uterus for implantation; we generally recommend acupuncture therapy starting biweekly up to 4-5 weeks before egg retrieval. The goal here, from a traditional Chinese viewpoint, is to nourish the body’s Qi and blood and vital energies before implantation so as to provide fertile ground to anchor the nascent embryo once it’s returned to the uterus.

Acupuncture also plays a secondary, but no less important role, in calming one’s mind and enhancing one’s immune system by invigorating one’s Qi and blood. In order to reduce chances of miscarriage, it’s recommended that supplementary acupuncture be continued for up to 12 weeks after successful implantation.

Alongside acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine acts as a nourishing influence in preventing miscarriages. A study involving both pharmaceuticals such as progesterone and progynova, and Chinese herbal medicine reported a decreased frequency of miscarriage amongst those who took their herbal medicine the earliest compared to those who delayed their herbal medicine or those who had no herbal medicine at all. The authors concluded that ‘Chinese medicine GTD could reduce abortion rate in women receiving IVF-ET’.(Liu Ying and Wu Jing-zhi Chin J Integr Med 2006, 12(3) : 189-193
Chinese Journal of Integrated Medicine).

Additionally, In the leadup to birth, acupuncture can also allow for a speedier and easier childbirth with fewer complications: ‘When compared with the local population rates, there was an overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for primigravida women, this was a 43% reduction); 31% reduction in the epidural rate; 32% reduction in emergency cesarean delivery; and a 9% increase in normal vaginal birth.’ (Betts D and Lennox S., 2006).

Breech births are dangerous for both the mother and child, and tend to be a leading need for caesarean sections.

In order to prevent this, we recommend acupuncture and moxibustion beginning at week 34. A Dutch study reported ‘that offering (acupuncture) to women with a breech foetus at 33 weeks gestation reduces the number of breech presentations at term, thus reducing the number of caesarean sections, and is cost-effective compared to expectant management, including external cephalic version‘ (Van den Berg I et al, Complement Ther Med. 2010 Apr;18(2):67-77.
Complementary therapies in medicine).

The ancient Chinese considered what we today identify as sperm health and genetic material as being integral with one’s vital essence or jing. As one grows older, one’s jing is steadily depleted but unhealthy lifestyle factors such as excessive sexual activity, alcohol and drug abuse, and unhealthy diet can also have a deleterious effect on one’s jing and by extension, one’s sperm health. In this regard, acupuncture helps by re-invigorating the jing and replenishing the depletion resulting from a life of unhealthy living.

Even in cases where the source of infertility is unclear, acupuncture can still help; a study on infertile men initially presenting with malformed, slow and sparse sperm later reported that ‘a general improvement of sperm quality, specifically in the ultrastructural integrity of spermatozoa, was seen after acupuncture ‘ (Pei J et al Fertil Steril. 2005 Jul;84(1):141-7
Fertility and Sterility).

Poor sperm motility is a leading cause of male infertility; irrespective of quality or quantity, the sperm literally cannot move or their movement is impaired such that they’re unable to reach the ovum to fertilise it. In Traditional Chinese Medical theory, the immotile sperm are due to deficiencies in one’s yang Qi, specifically kidney yang given that the kidneys play a central role in fertility, and therefore acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are prescribed to restore kidney yang and allow for the production of more motile sperm.

A randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled study found that ‘infertile patients with severe (immotile sperm) received acupuncture according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and 29 infertile patients received placebo acupuncture. A significantly higher percentage of motile sperm (World Health Organization categories A–C), but no effect on sperm concentration, was found after acupuncture compared with placebo acupuncture’ (Dieterle et al Fertil Steril 2009 Oct; 92 (4): 1340–3
Fertility and Sterility). Whilst studies like these call for more comprehensive trials and research, the evidence is stark: acupuncture has a positive effect on sperm motility.

Nature deals in probabilities and nowhere is this most evident than in fertility; just as some plants release hundreds of seeds so as to increase the chances of one seedling taking root, the millions of sperm from one ejaculation exist so as to increase the probability of a successful impregnation. Naturally, a high sperm count is desired for a successful impregnation.

Positive outcomes have been achieved with acupuncture for some men suffering from such low sperm count that testicular biopsy was required for an IVF cycle. A pilot study reported that ‘acupuncture may be a useful, nontraumatic treatment for males with very poor sperm density, especially those with a history of genital tract inflammation’ (Siterman S et al Andrologia. 2000 Jan;32(1):31-9.
Andrologia).

As a non invasive therapy, acupuncture is a preferred natural therapy to increase one’s chances of conception.