Acupuncture in Reproductive Medicine

Abstract

Acupuncture is increasingly being used in reproductive medicine. This review summarizes the evidence of acupuncture in pain relief for oocyte retrieval, improving pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization treatment, management of ovulation disorders, male subfertility, primary dysmenorrhea, endometriosis and menopausal symptoms. However, most of the studies are nonrandomized uncontrolled trials, case reports or case series. For randomized controlled trials, the sample size is underpowered and blinding of assessors is lacking. Different acupuncture protocols and controls are used. These heterogeneities make it difficult to compare studies and draw any firm conclusions. Further studies should also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture and investigate the underlying mechanism of acupuncture treatment.

Acupuncture in Premenopausal Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: A Prospective Cohort Pilot Study

“…Instead, we focused on symptomatic improvement. Acupuncture is widely used and has been studied as treatment for several chronic medical conditions, from migraines 27 and pelvic pain syndromes such as dysmenorrhea28, 29 to urinary incontinence 9 and fertility issues, 30 with improvement in patient symptoms. Similarly, we noted improvement in our subjects' symptoms, primarily that of low sexual desire.…”

Semen Quality Improvement in a Man with Idiopathic Infertility Treated with Traditional Korean Medicine: A Case Report

“…Semen Quality Improvement effects of acupuncture in infertile men. [4][5][6] Although the majority of previous studies are based on uncontrolled trials, they suggest that acupuncture improves sperm count, 10 sperm motility, 7 and sperm morphology. 11 We identified acupuncture points based on the acupuncture studies reported above and used electrical stimulation on acupoint ST29 to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.…”

“…5 Although the mechanism by which acupuncture improves semen quality is unknown, it is possible that acupuncture might enhance blood supply in the testicular arteries, decrease testicular temperature, and stimulate systemic immune-regulatory actions. 6 Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu pharmacopuncture has been used to regulate the kidney yin and yang in TKM. The extracts also display antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.…”

“…The following acupoints were chosen according to previous acupuncture studies on improving semen quality in male infertility: SP6 (bilateral), KI3 (bilateral), LR3 (bilateral), ST29 (bilateral), SP10 (bilateral), CV4, and CV6. 6,7 Additionally, an electrical stimulation of 10 Hz was applied for 10 min to the acupuncture needles that were inserted into acupoint ST29. This manipulation was based on another study which reported that electrical stimulation of ST29 increased testicular blood flow.…”

“…Some studies suggest that each of these treatments improves semen quality. [4][5][6] However, there have been no published studies in which these treatments were used simultaneously for the treatment of idiopathic male infertility.…”