Little is written or known about Acupuncture in connection with Fertility in the UK. No one I have talked to ever heard of such a thing. No one in the western medicine field ever recommends Acupuncture to patients with low sperm counts. I could not find any formal studies published in the UK. on the topic. However, from my husband’s and my own experience, it’s an effective, safe, natural, cost efficient and virtually painless, method of treatment for infertility.
I was 32 years old when I married John, who was 37. We were in love and wanted to have children together. We waited one year after the wedding before we terminated the use of contraceptives. Six months passed. In came the boxer shorts. Out went the jacuzzi’s. After one year, no baby.
The testing began and I tested normal. John’s sperm count was 4 million with low motility for approximately one million motile sperm. One doctor told us we had better start thinking of adoption if we wanted children, but we were not to be discouraged. After all, it only takes one healthy sperm to make a baby.
Over the next two years I took my temperature and we planned intercourse around ovulation. John sat on ice to cool his testicles. We tried zucchini flour pollen, vitamin C, standing on my head after lovemaking, and every old-wives tale we came across. We tried Chinese herbal tea. John’s sperm count and motility remained low- about 7 million to 14 million motile sperm. We did intrauterine insemination twice. Our hopes rose and fell as the negative results persisted. I began to notice my temperature was not as stable as it was the first year. At that point, we filled out the necessary papers for adoption.
On a whim, we called an acupuncturist who practices at Harley Street, London, Dr. Li. We thought we might try the Chinese herbal tea again, but Dr. Li recommended that John try acupuncture first, and John complied. After two months of treatment, we had another semen analysis done. The sperm count had skyrocketed to 117 million with a 65% motility! We went for one more intrauterine insemination and again it was unsuccessful. It was then I decided to try acupuncture. Within three weeks of treatment, I conceived.
Our baby is due the first week of March, and we are thrilled beyond belief. We are at least the eightith couple treated by Dr. Li who has become pregnant, and we are convinced that the acupuncture treatments were instrumental in increasing our fertility. We are very grateful to Dr. Li for enabling us to experience this miracle of life. For other couples who are struggling with infertility as well, acupuncture presents another option.