Acupuncture is an alternative medical treatment that has been practiced for more than 2000 years. Created in the Chinese, the practice of acupuncture is based on the belief that a block in the flow of chi in the body can cause energetic imbalances, which is believed to be the root cause of most of the diseases suffered by people. These blockages can be cleared and the energy flow of the body can be redirected by the insertion of slender needles into specific areas of the body. There are more than 2000 different acupuncture insertion points on the human body and the problem determines which insertion points should be used. Acupuncture is now used all over the world to treat a variety of conditions, such as myopia, infertility, gastritis, paralytic ileus, tonsillitis and gingivitis.

How Does Acupuncture Treat Infertility?

The use of acupuncture to treat infertility is a relatively new concept for western civilizations. The ideology behind acupuncture for infertility is that acupuncture will increase the volume of blood flow to the reproductive organs and harmonize the hormones present in the body. This practice is verified to be effective by increasing ovarian effectiveness in women and aiding in sperm creation for men.

Using acupuncture for infertility treatment is most regularly applied when a couple is experiencing functional issues, such as irregular ovulation or erectile dysfunction. In some cases, acupuncture is used as supplemental procedure for in vitro fertilization, helping women to relax their uteruses during the embryo transfer process. A study conducted in 2002 by German researchers found that acupuncture improved the success rate of in vitro fertilization by up to 16% and reduced the amount of miscarriages in women receiving in vitro fertilization by 12%.

What is the Acupuncture Treatment Like?

Acupuncture is a reasonably painless procedure and side effects are very rare. The most common adverse events reported include needles broken beneath the skin, minor bleeding at the insertion point and the transmission of infectious agents. These risks will be greatly reduced if the acupuncturist is a licensed and capable professional that has undergone the required 2000 to 3000 hours of training and has passed the required board exam.

Acupuncture for infertility treatment can be a long-winded process. On average, acupuncture therapy requires 12 individual visits, each about an hour in length and occurring weekly. During this hour long appointment, a physical test will be given and any complications or issues that have arisen since the last appointment will be discussed.

Using acupuncture to treat infertility is rapidly gaining acceptance in the USA. Although whether the procedure is useful is fiercely debated among doctors, the fact of the matter is that it seems to work and it certainly doesn't hurt to try. For couples who have been trying to conceive a child without success, using acupuncture therapy to aid in infertility treatment may give them the boost they need to finally be blessed with a baby.

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Natalie Williams is the author of Pregnancy101.net, a treasure tome full of pregnancy tips on pregnancy symptoms, conception, fertility, birth and breastfeeding issues. Be sure to discover a woman's infertility story on how she overcame multiple miscarriages to become pregnant in her thirties.