How does acupuncture help IUI?

What is intrauterine insemination (IUI)? IUI is a procedure which is used to help people with infertility. In this procedure, good quality of sperm is selected and placed into the woman’s uterus in the middle of the monthly cycle when egg is released from ovary. In order to process IUI unblocked tubes are essential. IUI may be one of the options for you if you have unexplained infertility or you have ovulation problems or your partner experiences impotence or premature ejaculation or you don’t have a male partner and are trying for a baby using donated sperm. For women, each cycle of IUI is timed to fit with the woman’s natural menstrual cycle. You will only be able to receive one cycle of IUI treatment a month. If you have ovulation problems, you can choose to use fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation. The sperm sample will be taken on the day of the treatment and washed. Good quality of sperm will be selected and placed in the uterus through a thin, flexible tube called a catheter. This process is mostly painless, although some women may experience mild cramping, similar to period pains. The success rate per cycle is up to 15% depending on women’s age. As with most other types of fertility treatment, the younger a woman is, the greater her chance of having a successful pregnancy. Other things that can affect the success of IUI include sperm count and sperm quality – using fresh sperm is associated with higher conception rates than frozen and thawed sperm; technical aspects of IUI, such as working out the time of ovulation correctly.

How can acupuncture help IUI? Acupuncture before IUI could help improve egg and sperm quality in both female and male by helping hormonal balance and improving local microcirculation. Acupuncture could also help uterine inner lining development and ready for implantation. Acupuncture could also help relax fallopian tubes and uterus for eggs, sperm and embryo passing through and embryo implantation. Acupuncture could help reducing stress, any inflammation in the body to improve fertility.