Puncturing Pregnancy Problems

There may not be much to it other than my own observation, but why is it that so many irresponsible mothers are able to conceive without a problem, while so many women who’d make great mothers can’t conceive because of problems with infertility?

Female infertility is a problem that spans all ages, races and ethnicities, and while it’s more common in later years than earlier years, 6 million women are infertile in this country annually – that’s the same number of estimated births in the United   States per year! Just as the treatments for infertility run the gamut, so too do the possible causes (e.g. age, hormonal imbalance, endometriosis, cervical disorders, etc). But another possible cause of infertility that you may not have heard of is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in the United States and affects a staggering one in 10 women! Its name is indicative of how it affects a woman’s body: many (hence the term “poly”) cysts line the ovaries, disrupting a woman’s periods (many aren’t even able to have periods).

While it’s been recognized as an infertility issue for the past 75 years, the cause of PCOS remains enigmatic. What is known about it are its symptoms, which include weight loss, excessive thinning of the hairline (but excessive growing of hair in other areas, like the face), high blood pressure and of course infertility.

As I mentioned previously, the treatments for infertility are many, but they’re often extremely invasive and leave women doped up on excessive amounts of drugs and hormones. Besides the bloating, nausea and weight gain that often come with such treatments, a woman also increases her baby’s risk of birth defects upon pregnancy – if there even is a pregnancy. And then there’s the cost!

As an alternative to such risky, invasive, expensive treatments, researchers from the University of Virginia looked into a treatment not often associated with infertility: acupuncture.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What possible good can shoving sharp pins all over someone’s body have on diminishing infertility?” But researchers like Lisa Pastore, an associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics from the University of Virginia, scoff at such skepticism.

“Over the last year we have seen women who never had a regular menstrual cycle start having regular periods,” said UVA’s lead researcher Pastore to Science Daily. “We can also boast several pregnancies since the study began.”

The positive results are best illustrated by one woman in Pastore’s study who hadn’t had her period for five years. But after one month of acupuncture treatment, her menstrual cycles returned – again, after five years without having one! And it wasn’t long before she, too, became pregnant.

Many people consider acupuncture to be something of a pseudo-science. But the University of Virginia’s study is proof positive that its effects are real, effective alternative treatments for many people. If you have problems with infertility, particularly if it’s related to PCOS, acupuncture might be something worth considering before committing to other far more invasive treatments.