Acupuncture and women's health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women's reproductive health

Abstract

BackgroundAcupuncture and other modalities of Chinese/East Asian medicine have been used to treat women’s health for many centuries. Gynecology specialties focus particularly on menstrual and reproductive disorders. Both the adoption of the use of acupuncture outside Asia, and the incorporation of scientific analysis in Asia have challenged biomedical conceptions of what can be achieved with this treatment method. The scale of research activity in relation to acupuncture and women’s health has increased over the last 20 years.ObjectiveThis review aims to explore the research evidence in relation to acupuncture use for women’s reproductive disorders, focusing on both clinical findings and experimental research on acupuncture’s mechanisms of action in relation to women’s health.MethodsA narrative literature search was undertaken using searches of electronic databases and manual searches of journals and textbooks. The search included all literature published prior to June 2013. The literature was assessed as to the nature of the study it was reporting and findings synthesized into a commentary.ResultsFor acupuncture’s mechanism of action the search resulted in 114 relevant documents; in relation to clinical reports on the use of acupuncture for women’s health 204 documents were found and assessed.ConclusionThere is preliminary data indicating acupuncture may improve menstrual health and coping for women experiencing delays falling pregnant. There is experimental data showing that acupuncture can influence female reproductive functioning, although the actual mechanisms involved are not yet clarified. Further well-conducted clinical research would benefit our understanding of the usefulness of acupuncture to women’s health.

Naturopathy and yoga in ameliorating multiple hormonal imbalance: a single case report

“…8 Empirical evidences suggests that acupuncture can enhance women's reproductive functioning and mitigative fertility issues. 9 Naturopathy is a wholesome approach intended to heal the underlying cause by averting the root cause of the disease. It also provides a healthy internal environment to the body to accelerate its healing mechanisms.…”

Integrating acupuncture: are there positive health outcomes for women?

“…A narrative literature research explored the literature up to June 2013 on acupuncture and its mechanism of action and its use and impact on female reproductive disorders (Cochrane et al, 2014). The synthesis demonstrated that data extracted from 204 papers provided clinical data which indicated that acupuncture may improve menstrual problems and women's abilities to fall pregnant.…”

Point of Influence: What is the Role of Acupuncture inIn VitroFertilization Outcomes?

“…The release of neurotransmitters-such as dopamine, serotonin, neuropeptides, and oxytocin-might be initiated by acupuncture, which, in turn, could influence the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis to promote ovulation, regulate menses, and increase overall fertility. 12,14 In polycystic ovary syndrome, acupuncture could affect glucose uptake in the skeletal tissue, 15,16 might decrease hyperinsulinemia, and might increase insulin clearance. 17 The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current literature evaluating acupuncture's effects on IVF outcomes.…”