Is acupuncture safe during pregnancy? Acupuncture can affect fertilization rates to help women get pregant and help prevent miscarriages. Acupuncture dates back thousands of years, and pregnancy has occurred...
Acupuncture dates back thousands of years, and pregnancy has occurred in woman since the dawn of age. To link these two together, more and more research has been conducted to see if pregnant women can benefit from the centuries old medicine - acupuncture. Acupuncture can affect fertilization rates to help women get pregnant. It can also help to prevent miscarriages says Annie Sturman, a licensed acupuncture physician and owner of Annie Sturman Acupuncture. She has helped treat patients with pain and illnesses for the past 20 years. "I have had girls come see me that are pregnant and need help to keep their child while they are pregnant so they don't have a miscarriage," she says. "It increases the chances of delivering a baby 30-40% along with whatever else they are doing."
On its own, acupuncture can be seen as an alternative way of treating fertility problems. Acupuncture is also seen as a complementary therapy to modern fertility treatments. When used alone, acupuncture is probably most effective for those who are experiencing a functional problem, like irregular ovulation, according to IntegraMed, a website that focuses on fertility problems. Herbs are also given to aid with the treatments; however, some can interfere with the function of fertility drugs and procedures, so be sure to give an accurate detail of all drugs that are taken with your acupuncture specialist. Many acupuncture specialists feel that acupuncture helps by regulating the body's system by helping the blood flow increase to the reproductive organs and stabilizes hormone levels. This is what increases ovarian function in women as well as sperm production in men, according to IntegraMed. "I believe that it helps women stay relaxed during a stressful time," Sturman says.
A German study done in 2002 found that out of 80 women who underwent IVF and received acupuncture, 34 women got pregnant, a success rate of 42.5%. Of the 80 women involved in the study who received IVF without any acupuncture treatments, only 21 women became pregnant, a success rate of 26.3%. An American study also found that out of 114 women who received acupuncture and IVF, 51% of the women became pregnant versus only 36% of the women who had IVF alone. The study also found that women who received acupuncture also had lower rates of ectopic pregnancies.
According to the Pregnancy Health Information Organization website, research also shows that acupuncture may help control pain during childbirth. Previous studies have found that acupuncture may be helpful in treating low back pain, acute dental pain and recurrent headaches. Acupuncture has also been used to treat morning sickness and to induce labor. A study that was conducted to see the affects of acupuncture and pregnancy compared 106 women who received acupuncture along with conventional medication to 92 women who received only conventional care. It was found that the acupuncture group was less likely to request pain medications than those who did not receive acupuncture. According to the website, "almost all women treated with acupuncture said they would use the complementary treatment again for labor pain."
