Why acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine which involves placing very fine needles into the skin of different points in order to stimulate the flow of Qi (pronounced “Chee”) which is the body’s energy.
Acupuncture has been used for centuries to balance energy and treat fertility problems in both men and women.

There is now an impressive body of evidence to support this success.

A large scale trial conducted at New York’s Weill Medical College of Cornell University conducted that acupuncture treatment has the following fertility – boosting effects:

• Increased blood flow to the uterus and uterine wall thickness improving the chances of the fertilised egg to implant.
• Increased endorphin production which in turn has shown to affect the release of a gonadotrophin – releasing hormone (GnRH) involved in regulating reproduction.
• Lower stress hormones that interfere with ovulation.
• Normalised fertility hormones that regulate ovulation.
• Improve ovulation cycles in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition that makes conception difficult.
• Improves pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF. The German protocol has shown studies that acupuncture provided before, during and after egg retrieval a transfer can increase the success of the cycle by up to 50%.

How long should it take to get pregnant?

How long is a piece of string?!?!

Generally if you and your partner have been having regular and unprotected sex for a year with no sign of pregnancy then it may be worthwhile making an appointment with your GP to see if there are any obvious problems!

Does age matter?

Yes is the simple answer!

The facts are that for women in their late teens and early twenties the chance of pregnancy in a given month is less than 25% (or they have to try on average for 4 months), despite perfect timing of intercourse and the release of a healthy egg.

In their early 30’s women will have to try for 10 months (or have less than a 10% chance for each fertile period). Once women get into their early 40’s the chances per month of becoming pregnant are reduced to 3%, or they will have to try for almost 3 years.

The chances at all ages are further reduced if the man has a low sperm count, poor morphology, or low motility or if the woman has any of the disorders discussed below.