Acupuncture and male fertility
Around 10 – 15% of couples across the world experience problems conceiving and in half of the cases it is issues with male fertility that are the cause. [1] It really does take ‘two to tango’.
In 2010 a survey of UK acupuncture practitioners was conducted. They found that acupuncture was used commonly in China to treat male and female fertility and gynaecologic conditions. In Western countries however, gynaecologic and andrologic complaints were less prominent in acupuncture patient profiles compared with musculoskeletal pain. A minority of acupuncturists were specialists in supporting fertility issues. [2] We believe this has significantly changed over the last decade and there is wealth of supporting research showing the affect acupuncture can have to improve male fertility.
At A D Acupuncture, we focus on finding the cause, or part cause, of infertility. This may be with recommended testing, analysis of results and referrals. We can then address these causes with both Chinese medicine, as well as conventional medicine if necessary.
Commonly the health of sperm can be seen to be the biggest factor - 65 - 80% of male fertility issues. [3] On the British Acupuncture Council website various clinical trials show acupuncture improved sperm quality and in one sperm density. [4,5,6,7] A systemic review in 2015, found that acupuncture is distinctively efficacious in improving sperm quality [8] and a study in 2021 did conclude that manual acupuncture combined with medication improves male fertility, especially sperm motility. [9]
Inflammation of the genital tract impacts sperm and acupuncture has been seen to increase sperm output in these cases, with the probability that acupuncture works by stimulating the body’s immune response. [10]
Once the sperm are produced, they are mixed with fluids from the prostate gland and seminal vesicles to dilute the concentration of the sperm and provide them a suitable environment to give them the best chance of completing their mission. Semen contains potassium, enzymes, citric acid, phosphorylcholine, free amino acids, fructose, prostaglandin, and zinc. Therefore, diet can have an impact on semen quality. Also, in the blog about vitamin D we mentioned there are a number of studies linking vitamin D deficiency with poorer semen quality. [11,12, 13]
Not all issues with men’s fertility are due to sperm or semen. Men can also suffer from erectile dysfunction and acupuncture has been found to be beneficial here too. [14] A study in 2014 stated acupuncture appeared to have promise in treating male sexual dysfunction [15], and another review showed potential beneficial effects of acupuncture as adjunctive treatment for people with psychogenic erectile dysfunction. [16]
Occasionally male infertility can be due to hormone issues. Acupuncture is frequently seen in clinic for the support of hormone health, particularly thyroid disorders which can affect male fertility. [17]
Male fertility is so influenced by diet and lifestyle and the sperm lifecycle is so short, that men have a great opportunity to change things and improve chances of conception. Research, ancient theory and clinical experience all show that acupuncture can play a huge role in optimising male fertility, especially when the cause is well understood.
To better understand how acupuncture could help you along your fertility journey, please do get in touch.
References
1. Some of the factors involved in male infertility: a prospective review. Babakhanzadeh E. et al. International Journal of General Medicine 2020:13 29–41
2. Extent of acupuncture practice for infertility in the United Kingdom: experiences and perceptions of the practitioners. Bovey M. et al. Fertility and Sterility Vol. 94, No. 7, December 2010
3. Male Infertility. Leslie S.W. et al. NCBI books, Copyright 2022, StatPearls Publishing LLC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562258/#_NBK562258_pubdet_
4. Does acupuncture treatment affect sperm density in males with very low sperm count? A pilot study. Siterman S. et al. Andrologia 200l 32: 31-9
5. Effects of acupuncture and moxa treatment in patients with semen abnormalities. Gurfinkel E. et al. Asian Journal of Andrology 2003; 5: 345-8
6. Quantitative evaluation of spermatozoa ultrastructure after acupuncture treatment for idiopathic male infertility. Pei J. et al. Fertility and Sterility 2005; 84: 141-7
7. A prospective randomized placebo-controlled study of the effect of acupuncture in infertile patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia. Dieterle S. et al. Fertility and Sterility 2009; 92: 1340-3
8. Acupuncture treatment of male infertility: a systematic review. He Y. et al. National journal of andrology 2015 Jul;21(7):637-45
9. Acupuncture Therapy for Severe Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Nareswari I. et al. Medical Acupuncture 2021 August 1, 33 (4): 302-30
10. Success of acupuncture treatment in patients with initially low sperm output is associated with a decrease in scrotal skin temperature. Siterman S. et al. Asian Journal of Andrology 2009; 11: 200-8
11. Vitamin D deficiency and low ionized calcium are linked with semen quality and sex steroid levels in infertile men. Blomberg Jensen M. et al. Human Reproduction, Vol.31, No.8 pp. 1875–1885, 2016. doi:10.1093/humrep/dew152
12. Vitamin D in human reproduction: a narrative review. Anagnostis P. Et al. Int J Clin Pract 2013 Mar;67 (3):225-35. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12031
13. Possible influence of vitamin D on male reproduction. Boisen I.M. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Volume 173, October 2017, Pages 215-222
14. Acupuncture in the treatment of psychogenic erectile dysfunction: first results of a prospective randomized placebo-controlled study. P F Engelhardt P.F. et al. International Journal of Impotence Research volume 15, pages343–346 (2003)
15. Overview of the relevant literature on the possible role of acupuncture in treating male sexual dysfunction. Tsai M. Acupunct Med 2014 Oct;32(5):406-10
16. Acupuncture for Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Lai B. et al. World J Mens Health 2019 Sep 37(3): 322-338
17. An overview of the contribution of acupuncture to thyroid disorders. Cheng F. Journal of Integrative Medicine Volume 16, Issue 6, November 2018, Pages 375-383
