A.C. asks from El Dorado Hills, CA on February 12, 2009
Acupuncture for Infertility
Hello,
My husband and I have a beautiful son who we conceived after our third IVF procedure. Our fertility issue was diagnosed as male factor. Our son is 4 years old now, and since his birth we not tried to prevent pregnancy hoping that it might magically happen on it's own. Needless to say, we have not been successful yet. We have always said that we did not want to do IVF again because when we had our last procedure we used the last of our embryos, so doing it again would mean starting over. It's also very expensive and requires a lot of doctors visits, which is difficult when you have a four year old and the clinic is 45 minutes away.
My question is, has anyone out there done acupuncture for infertility? If so, what was your fertility issue?? Did it work?
I am currently doing acupuncture for a shoulder issue, so I'm not opposed or afraid of trying it. The issue is that I would have to talk my husband into it, so I'm looking for some success stories to share with him. I spoke with the Acupuncturist and he said that my husband and I would both need to be treated in order to increase our chance of success. He said that studies show that you can increase your success rates by 60-70%. I have had two friends that were successful with this, but their fertility issues were different than ours.
Thanks!
2 moms found this helpful
More Answers
K.U. answers from San Francisco on February 13, 2009
I don't know if zinc deficiency is a factor of your husband's particular issue but you could throw pumpkin seeds into his diet and see if that helps. I have read that low zinc can be a problem in male fertility. Pumpkin seeds are a tasty, safe, and nutritious way to get zinc as well as other nutrients. Good luck!
L.W. answers from San Francisco on February 13, 2009
I don't have personal experience on this but I too did infertility treatment IUI and it worked after 19 months. I think it depends on your problem as to whether acupuncture will work. There were some couples in our group that were doing this along with fertility treatment and they had no success. So it is worth a try but remember if it took along time to conceive you might want to go with what you know or it might get too late to even try IVF again.
L.
H.G. answers from San Francisco on February 12, 2009
I used a combination of accupuncture, chiropractic care and reflexology to help with my unexplained diagnosis of infertility. My husband had male factor and I was not ovulating. We combined these treatments with Clomid and IUI and conceived on the first go around. I would recommend taking your husband to a traditional Chinese practicioner. At the least he'll feel great! Best of luck!
C.B. answers from San Francisco on February 13, 2009
I have 4 friends that were able to conceive after receiving acupuncture (both parents received acupuncture at the same time). The acupuncturists they saw specialized in fertility. My friends also had supplements and diets they had to follow in addition to the acupuncture.
S.S. answers from Yuba City on February 17, 2009
Hi A., sorry this is coming in late. This exact subject was on the show the doctors just the other day. The lady OB on there said it wouldn't work. In my opinion why not.. doctors are usually not open to anything besides the norm, anything is worth a shot, I understand how much these procedure cost.. an arm and a leg.. why not try it!!!
A.T. answers from Stockton on February 13, 2009
Hi A.,
i had 3 miscarriages last year so I'd be very interrested in what you find out. We were tested for everything and all is normal. SO, I was told to get pregnant again on our own and "give me a call and we'll take it from there."
Thanks for nothing!
Any info you get regarding KEEPING pregnant - could you pass on? Please??
Thanks!
Good luck!
A.
E.B. answers from San Francisco on February 12, 2009
Hi A.,
Acupuncture can be amazing for infertility and I highly recommend it. I also want to second the importance of nutrition. I work with women and couples in my practice to understand their bodies and nourish themselves well so they can get pregnant naturally. There are many nutritional approaches to both male and female factor infertility, and I often recommend acupuncture in conjunction to what we work on in my office.
I offer a free 1/2 hour, no-pressure consult to all new clients, so let me know if I can be of service to you in that way.
best,
E. Bender, NC, CHN
http://www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com
S.G. answers from San Francisco on February 13, 2009
Hi A., I went to an acupuncturist that specialized in fertility and she was awesome! I didn't end up conceiving but my doctor said it was my best quality cycle yet so the acupuncture definitely helped. She also had me on a special diet and herbs.
Her name is Leslie Oldershaw and she's in Piedmont. www.leslieoldershaw.com.
Good luck!
S.
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