About one in five women of reproductive age (and with no prior births) in the United States struggle with infertility, making the problem a common one. There are any number of reasons behind this failure to conceive and/or carry a baby to term, and we want to shed some light on some of the more common ones here.
The team of certified acupuncturists here at Family Wellness Acupuncture has extensive experience helping people with fertility issues, allowing them to build the families of their dreams.
In the following, we take a look at some of the more prevalent fertility issues and how we can help.
Fertility issues can be caused by both sides of the reproductive equation — men and women — as well as for reasons unknown. To give you an idea, one-third of infertility issues are related to male infertility, one-third are related to female infertility, and the final third are caused by both or for reasons that can’t be identified.
A wide range of issues can affect your ability to conceive or carry a child to term, including:
Some women experience problems with fertility because of previous pregnancy losses.
As for the male piece of the fertility puzzle, common causes of fertility issues in males include:
Less commonly, injury to the testes or testicular cancer, as well as the cancer treatments, can lead to male infertility.
If you’re struggling with infertility, acupuncture can play an invaluable role in many cases. For example, through acupuncture, as well as herbal supplements, we can help improve ovarian and follicular function in women. As well, we can improve thyroid function and help increase blood flow to your uterus to encourage a healthier endometrium (the lining of your uterus where a fertilized egg implants itself).
Please note that infertility issues that are caused by problems like endometriosis may not respond to acupuncture and warrant more specialized intervention.
Using the same techniques as we do for women, we can also address infertility in men. In fact, one study found that acupuncture, along with herbs, can, “Significantly improve sperm motility and sperm concentration.”
Where acupuncture can also help is in relieving stress, which may improve both male and female fertility. When a couple is trying, unsuccessfully, to have children, the stress and anxiety can build, which only exacerbates the problem in many cases. Through acupuncture, we can relieve the stress and body-wide tension to improve function in all areas.
If you want to try acupuncture to help you build the family of your dreams, please contact our office in Irvine, California, to schedule your acupuncture appointments today.
