Infertility Treatment with Acupuncture and Natural Medicine


By Helene Pulnik, ND, L.Ac T


he fertility rate in the United States has been declining for the past few decades. The fertility rate is the number of children an average woman bears over the course of her life. The replace-


ment rate is 2.1. If the average woman has more children than that, population grows. Today, America’s total fertility rate is 1.93, accord- ing to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; it hasn’t been above the replacement rate in a sustained way since the early 1970s.


Infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after


a year or more of sperm insemination or well-timed, unprotected vaginal intercourse. Infertility may be a temporary or a permanent condition; this depends on the available treatments, the cause, and the fertility of the partner at any particular point in time. Infertility is often incorrectly considered “the woman’s prob-


lem”. To improve the couple’s chances of conceiving a child together, both the man and the woman should be evaluated, and treated, if necessary. Because conception is a complicated process, it depends upon several factors.


Causes of Infertility


There are many potential causes for infertility or reproductive problems. Chronic illnesses, as well as their treatments, can lead to fertility problems. Illnesses like diabetes and hypothyroidism can cause fertility problems. Insulin, antidepressants, and thyroid hormones may lead to irregular menstrual cycles. Premature ovar- ian failure has become a common cause of infertility in younger women, often diagnosed as “unexplained infertility”. Environmental toxins and xenoestrogens in foods are known to cause hormone disruption, free radical damage to both ovaries in women, and sperm production in men. Certain toxins such as phthalates may be linked to genital abnormalities in boys. Products that contain phthalates include food packaging, cosmetics, make- up, soaps, fragrances, shampoos, hairspray, nail polish, pharmaceu- ticals, nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, building materials, vinyl flooring, paints, adhesives, detergents, solvents, lubricating oils, plastic bags, garden hoses, automobiles, children’s toys, model- ing clay, glow sticks, cleaning products, and as inert ingredients in insecticides. In many instances phthalates are not identified on product labels. Forty percent of infertility can be due to male factors, and acupuncture also treats male partners of women trying to conceive.


10 Natural Nutmeg May 2013


Medication used to treat peptic ulcers or hypertension can cause male factor infertility, including problems with sperm production or their ability to fertilize the egg. In men, sperm concentration went from 72 million/ml in 2001 to 52 million/ml in 2011. When sperm concentration drops below 40 million/ml conception becomes diffi- cult. Researchers agree that diet, lifestyle and exposure to chemicals are causing the worldwide decline. Fertility issues are environmental issues.


Couples experiencing difficulty conceiving may be referred to a fertility specialist for evaluation. Typically, blood testing, genetic testing and sperm testing are done to determine if there are any medical or hormonal abnormalities that need to be treated.


Medical Treatments Currently, there are several medical treatments for infertility


performed by MDs who specialize in Assisted Reproductive Tech- nology (ART). These treatments are typically hormones to induce ovulation, IUI or intrauterine insemination, which is a procedure in which sperm are placed directly into the uterine cavity near the time of ovulation and IVF, or in-vitro fertilization, which is a procedure that involves retrieving eggs and sperm from the bodies of the male and female partners and placing them together in a laboratory dish to enhance fertilization. Fertilized eggs are then transferred several days later into the female partner’s uterus where implantation and embryo development will hopefully occur as in a normal pregnancy. Success rates with IUI can vary from 5% to 20% for a single


cycle, depending on the age and health of the couple. With several IUI cycles, the conception rate can be even higher. According to the American Pregnancy Association, the success rate of concep- tion with IVF is 10%-35%, again depending on the age and health status of the couple. Both IUI and IVF procedures can cost several thousand dollars per cycle or treatment, and are not always covered by insurance.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44