Acupuncture and Male Infertility

It takes two to tango. And if you're having trouble conceiving, you want to make sure that both partners are tested to make sure everything is working the way it should.

Male fertility is the most common reason that couples seek a medical intervention for conception. But medical interventions, whether In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or assisted reproductive technology can be costly, time consuming and invasive. Before seeking medical intervention, you may want to look at other ways to improve your sperm, including acupuncture and supplementation.

Acupuncture and Male Infertility

Clinical trials all over the world have shown that males who are treated with acupuncture (and/or herbs) have seen their sperm count and function improve. There may be a number of reasons you are experiencing infertility, and acupuncture can help to diagnose and correct whatever imbalance is causing a problem.

Before looking at a medical intervention:

Decrease your alcohol consumption. Heavy alcohol use has a toxic effect on both sperm count and function. You don't need to stop drinking alcohol altogether, but cutting back may be helpful. Acupuncture can help you control your cravings for alcohol.
Stop smoking. Both tobacco and marijuana negatively affect sperm. Acupuncture can help with your addiction to tobacco or marijuana.
Lower your caffeine intake. More than three cups a day of coffee or other caffeinated substance can damage your sperm. Acupuncture can help you control your dependence on caffeine.
Get to a healthy weight. Being obese or even overweight has been shown to decrease testosterone and increase estrogen, which can lead to poor sperm quality. Acupuncture can help you control your appetite.
Have sex. You should have sex regularly but not too frequently. Frequent sex improves the quality of your ejaculation, but abstaining for a few days increases the number of sperm in each ejaculation. Acupuncture can help with a low libido.
Actively manage your stress. It can be stressful to deal with infertility, and the irony is that stress can negatively affect the quality and quantity of your sperm. Acupuncture treatments can help you reduce your stress.

Some other ways to help your body produce healthy sperm:

Avoid cycling. Regular exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle and is generally considered good for sperm; however, excessive cycling has been shown to decrease the count and quality of sperm. If you are a cyclist, try a different exercise for a while to see if your sperm responds.
Wear looser clothing. If you and your partner are having trouble conceiving, you should not wear tight pants or underwear, because the body is better able to produce sperm when your temperature is cooler.
Eat a healthy diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables (organic, if possible), lean protein and the "right" fats, and low in processed foods, is advised for optimal health.
Take the right supplements. Vitamins and antioxidants help protect sperm from damage, so taking certain vitamins can help your body's sperm production.
Limit exposure to fumes or harmful chemicals. Chemicals and toxic fumes have been shown to lower sperm counts, so where possible try to limit your exposure.

Acupuncture is a very successful method to correct male infertility and all of the steps listed above can help lead to a healthier lifestyle and, hopefully, conception.