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Acupuncture Increases Chances of Pregnancy

Acupuncture may increase the success rates of fertility treatment; a study has found that for every 10 IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycles with acupuncture, there would be one extra pregnancy.

IVF involves fertilizing the egg with sperm outside the woman's body, and then putting the resulting embryo back into the womb. Some couples need to make expensive attempts to achieve a pregnancy.

Acupuncture has been used for centuries in China to regulate fertility. A series of seven trials involving more than 1,300 women found that those who underwent acupuncture were 65 percent more likely to have a successful embryo transfer.


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Comment on This Article Community Comments (8)
 
 
Posted On Feb 08, 2008
While the results do put acupuncture in a favorable light, the article we had to review was very limited in showing the real research design.

Do people who go to acupuncturists not also make other lifestyle choices that would improve the hormonal balance and improve fertility.

Recent study, for instance shows that HFCS can deactivate the gene that controls the amount of sex hormones in your blood.  Low levels of SHBG (sex hormone–binding globulin gene) can cause infertility.

The following reference is the research article which is not easy reading but I offer it for those who are truly masochistic.

Thus, is it as simple as acupuncture patients consume less HFCS?  Who knows. 

http://www.jci.org/117/12/3979?rss=1  

 
foxtroter_203
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 9/2006
foxtroter_203  
Replied

Aaltrude
Moderator User Moderator User Joined On 4/2007
Aaltrude  
 
Posted On Feb 09, 2008
There are a large number of endocrine disrupters prevelant in todays society that are quite likely contributing to the increase in infertility. Maybe we should all be looking at going back to the habits of a century ago but then again maybe this is natures way of limiting a potentially out of control population explosion of the human species. Most people take it as a given right to reproduce. Maybe humans should start getting health clearances in a manner that is prevelant from ethical dog breeders before they are allowed to reproduce. We take the attitude that we will look at a way to fix a genetic problem ( and if this can be done with drugs, so much the better for the drug companies) rather than try to eliminate it from the gene pool.


foxtroter_203
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
foxtroter_203  
 
Posted On Feb 09, 2008
Aaltrude--you are right on with your comments.  You probably will offend some folks though.  Sound reasoning often irritates those who only use the right hemisphere and do not balance their thoughts with the left.

Good thing you are "Down and Under" (as opposed to us in North America being "Up and Over")--you are just too far away for stones to be thrown and reach you--LOL

 
 
 
Posted On Feb 08, 2008
Proactive, preventative, lower cost, less evasive, safer, protocols, including accupucture, are always better than reactive procedures.

 
Russ Bianchi
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 9/2006
Russ Bianchi  
 
 
 
Posted On Feb 12, 2008
Great for those who want kids, but our world is in greater need of pregnancy prevention.

 
Katie B
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 1/2008
Katie B  
 
 
 
Posted On Feb 12, 2008
I totally agree with you, Alaska dude, but many people are selfish and will have kids anyway, knowing there's a good chance their kid will be born with some kind of deformity, retardation, etc. 

 
Katie B
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 1/2008
Katie B  
 
 
 
Posted On Feb 08, 2008
If acupuncture clears the bodies energy meridians,  I would see where it would work, and possibly even more effectively than IVF, if it was used along with a nutritionally correct diet and EFT.

Mary

 
mmc88121
Moderator User Moderator User, Joined On 11/2006
mmc88121  
 
 
 
 
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