It seems that I keep hearing more and more about acupuncture in relation to infertility.  I just started seeing an acupuncturist in January and I am already impressed with the changes I’ve seen.  We have the dreaded “unexplained infertility” diagnosis with my only “symptoms” being a borderline progesterone level and very short periods (just over a day long and very heavy).   After only 2 visits, my period lengthened out to a full 2 days with medium flow and a little spotting before and after.  I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it was a noticeable difference to me.

The other thing I’ve noticed is that this cycle my luteal phase progesterone is much higher.  I have as many (or more) symptoms as I did when my RE experimented with giving me supplemental progesterone in addition to follistim, and I noticed it immediately after ovulation, instead of a week or more later.  Since I am currently on an unmedicated cycle, this is huge for me.

I don’t know yet whether any of that will make any difference in trying to conceive, but I believe that getting my body back into “balance” will have a positive influence. 

I’ve also felt more mellow and relaxed since starting acupuncture.  Just the process of going to the appointment and being forced to lay still and listen to quiet music is a benefit to me.

If you are thinking of trying acupuncture instead of or in addition to your current medical treatment, I strongly encourage you to try it.  But of course, you probably don’t want to take just my word for it, so here are some references that include some statistics and more specifics:

http://www.acupuncture.com/conditions/fertility.htm

http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/features/ancient-art-of-infertility-treatment

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/infertility_acupuncture.html

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/acupuncture.htm

http://www.acupuncturebydawn.com/files/Acupuncture_for_Infertility.pdf

If you’ve tried acupuncture, please share your story with us in the comments section!