April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Male Problems
Acupuncture can help male infertility
A study of 40 men with idiopathic oligospermia, asthenospermia, or teratozoospermia has shown a general improvement of sperm quality, specifically in the ultrastructural integrity of spermatozoa, after acupuncture. If you would like to read more: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16009169?ordinalpos=6&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.
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Another study of 19 men with semen abnormalities showed that acupuncture and moxa techniques significantly increase the percentage of normal-form sperm in infertile patients with oligoastenoteratozoospermia without apparent cause. If you would like to read more: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14695986?ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.
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Acupuncture & Male Infertility
In a small Brazilian study, 19 male patients with sperm abnormalities (sperm count, motility and morphology) were randomly assigned to receive true (treatment group) or sham (control group) acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. The treatment group were needled at Qichong ST-30, Taixi KID-3, Zusanli ST-36, Hegu L.I.-4, Sanyinjiao SP-6, Gongsun SP-4, Taichong LIV-3 and Neiguan P-6 (with deqi), and received moxibustion (until the skin was reddened) at Shenshu BL-23, Zhishi BL-52, Sanjiaoshu BL-22, Mingmen DU-4, Ciliao BL-32, Qihai REN-6, Guanyuan REN-4, Zhongji REN-3, Pishu BL-20, Weishu BL-21, Shimen REN-5, Taiyuan LU-9, Feishu BL-13, Gaohuangshu BL-43, Xinshu BL-15 and Zigong (M-CA-18). Treatment was given twice a week for 10 weeks. The control group received needling and moxibustion at non-points. At the end of treatment, patients in the treatment group showed a significant improvement in sperm morphology ( i.e. normally formed sperm). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of seminal fluid volume, sperm count or motility. (Asian J Androl 2003 Dec; 5: 345-348).
Acupuncture Improves Sperm Quality
A study of the effect of acupuncture on sperm quality in men suffering infertility of unknown cause, found that after twice weekly treatment for five weeks, there were fewer structural sperm defects (acrosome position and shape, nuclear shape, axonemal pattern and shape, and accessory fibres of sperm organelles) and an increase in the number of normal sperm ejaculated. Other sperm abnormalities such as immature or dead sperm were not affected. Acupuncture was given at Guanyuan REN-4, Shenshu BL-23, Ciliao BL-32 and Taixi KID-3 with Zusanli ST-36, Xuehai SP-10, Sanyinjiao SP-6, Guilai ST-29 and Baihui DU-20 as secondary points. Deqi was obtained at all needling sites and aimed to be transmitted from Shenshu BL-23 and Ciliao BL-32 to the sacral or perineal area and the anterior hypogastric region. (Fertility and Sterility, Volume 84, Issue 1 , July 2005, Pages 141-147). Meanwhile there is evidence that infertility may now be affecting more men than women. Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), in which a single sperm is injected straight into an egg and is normally used in cases where the sperm is of too poor quality to permit conventional fertilisation has become the most commonly used technique in Europe and now outnumbers conventional IVF. (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual conference, Copenhagen, 2005). And in the Merseyside and Cheshire health districts in Britain, the number of men seeking treatment for infertility has risen by nearly 70% in the past four years with ICSI now accounting for 60% of the ICSI/IVF treatments carried out at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Acupuncture Improves Sperm Motility
The first prospective, randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of acupuncture in infertile men with severe oligoasthenozoospermia has shown that acupuncture can improve sperm motility. The German study, involving 29 men compared TCM acupuncture with placebo acupuncture. A significantly higher percentage of motile sperm was found after real acupuncture. No effect of acupuncture on sperm concentration was observed. (A prospective randomized placebo-controlled study of the effect of acupuncture in infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia. Fertil Steril. 2009 Apr 24. [Epub ahead of print]).
