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In my clinic I treat both male and female fertility challenges. I can assist you by working in conjunction with your doctor, your reproductive endocrinologist or with Traditional Chinese  Medicine (acupuncture and herbal medicine) alone.
Patients come to my office with many problems that can impact fertility including:
- Unexplained infertility
- Advanced maternal age
- Absence of menstruation
- Premature ovarian failure
- Poor ovarian reserve
- Elevated FSH
- Luteal phase defect
- Anovulatory cycles
- PCOS
- Endometriosis
- Reduced sperm count & motility
- Malformed sperm
- And many others
According to the Mayo Clinic:
- In about 20 percent of cases, infertility is due to a cause involving only the male partner.
- In about 30 to 40 percent of cases, infertility is due to causes involving both the male and female.
- In the remaining 40 to 50 percent of cases, infertility is due entirely to a cause involving the female.
Female Fertility Issues
Women who have experienced difficulty getting pregnant or maintaining a pregnancy are looking for effective solutions to help them. Many have been on the journey to motherhood for a long time. This can be a stressful and emotionally draining experience. Many women try Traditional Chinese Medicine after failing with other methods. Some come because they have heard that acupuncture can help improve the outcome of Assisted Reproductive Technologies like IVF. Still others come because they want to try a natural route to achieve pregnancy. Acupuncture can help in all of these situations.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been shown to increase fertility in the following ways:
- Regulate the menstrual cycle, return normal cycles
- Improve egg quality
- Increase blood flow to the uterus, increasing uterine lining
- Treat blockages in pelvic area
- Reduce stress that can affect hormone levels
- Reduce possibility of miscarriage
During your initial appointment we will evaluate your overall health, look at lifestyle issues that may impact your fertility, create a customized herbal formula to assist in regulating your menstrual cycle, make recommendations on supplements to ensure your and your baby’s health and provide an acupuncture treatment. You will also be given guidance on any other issues that may assist you in timing conception. I always consider this a team effort between myself and my patient. I listen to what you have to say and to your feelings about what you are going through. All factors impact your success and feeling free to express your concerns is of great importance. I make every effort to ensure your success.
You can get started now to improve your fertility by adding a few things to your diet.
- Take a high quality prenatal vitamin if you aren’t already doing it.
- Take a high potency fish oil, or flax seed oil if you are a vegetarian.
- Eat a variety of vegetables at every meal, especially leafy greens (not salads with only lettuce) like broccoli, kale, collards, spinach, chard.
- Drink plenty of filtered water.
Other beneficial things to do:
- Stop smoking
- Avoid alcohol
- Limit caffeine consumption to one cup of green tea per day
- Sleep 8 hours a night
All of these things will greatly enhance your fertility and your overall health, which in turn will ensure that your baby will be strong and healthy too!
Assisted Reproductive Technologies
If you have decided that assisted reproductive technologies are your best option for pregnancy, acupuncture is a very beneficial addition. Most reproductive endocrinologists now routinely accept and encourage acupuncture as an adjunct to treatment.
A recent study has shown that for women who are undergoing ART using acupuncture along with in vitro fertilization:
- Improved their results by 40-60%
- Improve ovarian response and receptivity
- Reduce the side effects of IVF drugs
- Helps produce more follicles
- Helps produce better quality eggs
- Reduces stress during procedures
- Prevents the uterus from contracting
- Decreases the chances of miscarriage
I often work in conjunction with your reproductive endocrinologist to achieve the best result. If at all possible I come to your embryo transfer to administer acupuncture using a specific protocol that was used in the study above.
Please call my office for more information. (310)367-1564
Male Fertility Issues
Recent studies show that an increasing number of men suffer reduced sperm count. Other factors that can impede fertility are the ability of the sperm to travel to the egg, called motility, and the shape of the sperm, called morphology. A malformed sperm can impede its ability to penetrate the egg. If semen is too thick this can also reduce its ability to reach the egg.
Six sperm factors are analyzed in semen analysis:
- Concentration (sperm/milliliter; cc)
- Morphology (sperm shape; normal structure associated with sperm health)
- Motility (or mobility; % sperm movement)
- Standard semen fluid test (thickness, color)
- Total motile count (total number of moving sperm)
- Volume (total volume of ejaculate)
The World Health Organization has established criteria for normal sperm concentration, morphology, and motility. Total motile sperm count, which should be about 40 million, is calculated by multiplying volume by concentration by motility.
It can take 2-3 months for new sperm to be generated so it is important to start therapy as early as possible. I always recommend acupuncture, herbal medicine and specific supplements for men with one or all of the factors mentioned above. In addition we consider lifestyle issues that may impact fertility.
Here are some areas that can be improved with therapy:
- Increased blood flow to the reproductive area to aid in sperm production
- Increased sperm count
- Increase motility or ability for the sperm to swim to the egg
- Reduce semen thickness
- Increase in libido
- Reduced stress which can affect the hormones that contribute to sperm formation
During your initial health evaluation we will look at your overall health and determine a course of treatment for you. This will include a customized herbal formula that is specific for you and your health picture.
Supplements that you can begin taking now that have been shown to improve the health of sperm are:
1. Arginine -This non essential amino acid is needed to produce healthy sperm. Natural production of arginine declines with age.
2. Coenzyme Q10 - Helps Increase sperm count and motility.
3. L-carnitine - Required for normal sperm function, carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid and men with healthy sperm in high numbers often have high carnitine levels.
4. Selenium - Selenium is believed to be good for sperm mobility. Nearly 50% of the selenium in a man is in the testes and seminal ducts.
5. Zinc - Zinc deficiency is common in many people. It is required for a healthy male reproductive system and sperm production. Zinc content in the sperm and prostate gland is higher than in any other body tissue. A deficiency of zinc is associated with numerous sexual problems, including sperm abnormalities and prostate disease. Zinc helps to maintain semen volume and adequate levels of testosterone, keeping sperm healthy.
6. Vitamin B-12 - A deficiency of B-12 reduces sperm motility and sperm count and is one of the most frequent vitamin deficiencies, so make sure your intake is adequate.
7. Vitamin E - Helps to improve the overall health of sperm. Sperm can be damaged by harmful molecules (free radicals). Vitamin E is an antioxidant which helps to reduce the number of free radicals, vitamin C also can be taken for its antioxidant qualities.
8. Omega 3 fatty acids - This can be found in oily fish and flaxseed oils and can help improve the sperm membrane fluidity and male fertility.
Questions and answers
- I’m in my forties. What are the chances that acupuncture can help me get pregnant?
- While there is no guarantee of becoming pregnant, I have helped many women 40 years and older to become pregnant. In fact probably 80% of my fertility patients are in their 40s.
- What is involved in fertility acupuncture?
- We always look to the root of a person’s problem, analyze their constitution and formulate a treatment plan according their particular set of variables. The treatments then are geared toward the phases of the menstrual cycle.
- Can acupuncture be used with western protocols also?
- Yes, acupuncture can be safely used while a person is taking fertility medications and undergoing ART procedures.
- What is a BBT chart?
- A Basal Body Temperature chart is used to track a person’s temperature first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, drinking water or any other activity. This record gives useful information about the patient’s menstrual cycle, ovulation and phases of the cycle. It can be helpful in determining treatment.
- How often do I need to come for treatment?
- Weekly visits are ideal.
If you have questions that have not been addressed here, please don’t hesitate to call for a complementary phone consultation.
(310)367-1564
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