Acupuncture & TCM For Male Fertility and Infertility
It may surprise you to know that male fertility problems are responsible for the same amount of cases of difficult conception as females: 40% by each gender (20% are cases where the male and female both contribute some cause of difficult conception).
A number of factors exist that can cause male subfertility. This is not to say infertility, but certainly to significantly lower chance of the sperm fertilising the egg, either due to poor sperm volume, count, motility or morphology, or a combination of these.
Poor dietary and lifestyle habits and an increase in environmental pollutants have caused male sperm health in recent generations to be far less than of those previous: just in the sperm count alone there has been a 45% decrease in males in 1990 since 1940. If you work with chemicals, have a history of long-term pharmaceutical drug use, and/or smoke, these are also inhibitors to producing healthy sperm, affecting not just the count but the quality of the individual sperm themselves.
It is not sufficient to have a good sperm count (ideally over 20million/ml) to assume good male fertility. Poor health of the individual sperm is another contributing factor to infertility and accounts for several cases of miscarriage; acupuncture and TCM can nourish and tonify the key root systems to produce healthy sperm thereby reducing the risk of this type of miscarriage due to early developmental problems.
In acupuncture and TCM, there are a number of diseases that can affect sperm health and these are identified by the health of the Kidney energy system, and/or stagnation of Qi, Blood and Damp-Heat invasion which may also be interrelated to other organ systems. The root cause is identified in your initial consultation and diagnosis: a thorough procedure involving enquiring about a variety of health factors and pulse and tongue inspection.
Semen and Sperm Testing
Whilst it is useful for an acupuncture practitioner to be aware of any laboratory semen test results, you do not need to have semen tests prior to coming for treatment, as we will be able to identify any male health deficiencies during our initial consultation and diagnostic procedures.
The key for male fertility is to focus on the health of the semen both functional and physiological. Acupuncture and TCM can successfully and significantly treat male reproductive disease, sperm abnormalities and treat specific cases that have deemed him “infertile”, including:
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Testicular: infection, varicose veins, ejaculatory duct blockage and varicocele
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Sperm motility
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Sperm morphology
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Sperm count
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Sperm volume
Typically, for any specifically identified cases of low sperm count, poor motility, poor morphology or low volume, acupuncture in conjunction with Chinese herbal medicine is very effective in increasing sperm health across the board.
Preparing for IVF and ICSI
For information about acupuncture and TCM to aid assisted reproduction technology (ART) such as IVF (In-vitro fertilisation) and ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection). Please see our section on Acupuncture and IVF.
What to do next…
It can take 60-90 days for sperm to mature, therefore in specific cases of poor male fertility, it can take 3 months or more to reach a state of optimum sperm health. If you have been trying, or are looking to try, for a baby in the near future, it is advisable to start treatment as soon as you can. Remember, acupuncture and TCM works holistically, treating the entirety of sperm health to not only increase chances of conception, but also increase the likelihood of a viable pregancy and an ultimately healthy baby.
Book an appointment at one of our clinic locations and see how we can help you.