Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist
Asheville's Comprehensive Acupuncture Care & Specialist in Fertility, Women's Health and Rejuvenation

Fertility & Acupuncture

Fertile Soul™ programs promote health of body, mind, and spirit using Taoist, traditional Chinese, and modern therapies. These practices reconnect us with our natural roots, identify and gently correct physical imbalances, limiting beliefs and habits, and encourage the unobstructed flow of the life force through us.
 
The Clinical Excellence in Fertility Program™ (CEFP) is a professional community of highly-skilled traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who follow The Fertile Soul program in their own lives and healing, and in their approach to patient care. This group excels in Chinese medical diagnosis and prescription of dietary and nutritional therapy, qi gong, meditation, reproductive massage, acupuncture, and herbal medicine to support deep inner healing, enhance fertility and overcome reproductive and related dysfunction.
 
Through continuing education, ongoing support from The Fertile Soul, retreat processes, and shared information, members of this healing community keep abreast of the latest research and fertility-enhancing treatments incorporating acupuncture and Chinese medicine, Western reproductive medicine, and complementary body-mind-spirit therapies, and collaborate to resolve complex patient cases. CEFP practitioners commit to healing methods which make them particularly accomplished at assisting patients with the complex physical, mental, and emotional issues surrounding their reproductive health.
 
Lorraine Harris owns the only affiliated clinic of The Fertile Soul in Asheville, NC.  She is also an active CEFP practitioner and charter member. Her license to practice under The Fertile Soul logo ensures patients will receive the best fertility care available in accordance with The Fertile Soul Method™.

Ten Ways Chinese Medicine Enhances Fertility.

Acupuncture's benefit for a range of feritlity-related issues is consistently demonstrated in studies, including a 2002 landmark study in Fertility and Sterility, (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) where pregnancy rates were 43% with acupuncture and 26% without it.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can:

1. Improve ovarian response -- better egg production
   
2. Increase ovarian and uterine blood flow -- better ovarian response
   
3. Help prepare the uterine lining -- increased implanation rates
   
4. Improve sperm count, motility, and morphology
   
5. Lessen the side effects of hormone treatments
   
6. Regulate hormones of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads
   
7. Decrease reproductive immunologic reactions
   
8. Decrease uterine contractility at implantation
   
9. Resolve stress to promote relaxation
   
10. Reduce the incidence of miscarriage

Acupuncture can be used alone or as an adjunct to other fertility enhancement procedures and can be employed at any stage of the feritlity process, inclucing during an IVF cycle.

The Diagnosis of Infertility is a Myth

As long as the anatomical structures are present, a medical diagnosis of “infertility” is often a fallacy.

Many factors can cause a woman to have difficulty conceiving, but once these factors are overcome and a woman’s body is restored to health, conception can occur naturally.

Our reproductive systems are made up of organs and hormones that must work together seamlessly so conditions will be right for pregnancy to occur. When the health of the body is restored, a woman’s reproductive system will do what it was designed to do naturally: conceive and carry to term a healthy child.

To understand how TCM works see these pages: acupuncture, chinese herbal medicine, and oriental medicine.

Men can also benefit from acupuncture, as treatment often invigorates the sperm, enhancing both the count and motility.

In addition to being relatively painless, one of acupuncture's biggest advantages is that it produces no harmful side effects such as potentially risky multiple births or ectopic pregnancies.  And there are none of the side effects of fertility drugs.

Chinese Medicine Increases Effectiveness of Assisted Reproductive Technology

Acupuncture is obviously improving the success rates of high tech reproductive medicine. Just how acupuncture does this is evidenced by many studies:

• A woman's response to hormonal therapy can be dramatically improved by acupuncture because acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs.
  
  
• Acupuncture has been shown to regulate hormone levels by moderating the release of beta-endorphin levels in the brain, which improves the release of gonadatrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland, and estrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.
  
  
• Acupuncture reduces stress and a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system response.
  
  
• Acupuncture has been speculated to moderate cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin levels in the uterus, reducing uterine motility to improve implantation rates.

In 2002, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine reported that in a study of 114 women who were receiving in-vitro fertilization (IVF), half were given acupuncture before and after the embryo transfer while the other half received IVF only. The outcome was impressive; of the women who received IVF and acupuncture, 51 percent became pregnant as opposed to 36 percent of those who received IVF only. In addition, the miscarriage rate in the acupuncture group was only 8 percent as opposed to 20 percent in the control group.

Herbal Therapies 'Can Help Boost Fertility' Experts Cite Benefits of Alternative Treatments

Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be crucial tools for childless couples, according to fertility experts who gathered last night for an event to mark the 30th anniversary of IVF.

Learn more about Chinese Medicine increases the effectiveness of assisted reproductive technology

Studies on the use of Chinese Medicine with IVF

Study suggests that acupuncture improves rates of pregnancy among women undergoing IVF - A scientific review suggests that acupuncture might improve the odds of conceiving if done right before or after embryos are placed in the womb. Some fertility specialists say they are hopeful that this relatively inexpensive and simple treatment might ultimately prove to be a useful add-on to traditional methods.

Acupuncture improves the reproductive outcome in infertile women.

Acupuncture affects outcome of in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Acupuncture as an Adjunct to IVF

Acupuncture for Fertility: Doctors say, 'Why not?'

Acupuncture Can Provide Long-lasting Beneficial Effects for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PCOS is the most common female endocrine disorder.  It is said to affect up to ten percent of women of reproductive age, and up to ninety percent of woman with irregular menstrual cycles.

Clinically, a patient usually presents with menstrual irregularities, infertility, and hirsutism. PCOS is associated with hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and obesity.  If not treated properly, a patient is at risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hyperestrogen-related cancers. The hallmark endocrine disorders of this syndrome are hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia. There also appears to be a defect in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients presenting with polycystic ovary syndrome. The syndrome is also associated with dyslipidemia and acanthosis nigricans, During the reproductive years, PCOS is associated with significant reproductive morbidity, including infertility, abnormal uterine bleeding, miscarriage, and other complications of pregnancy.

There is little known about the causes of PCOS.  It is associated with factors that influence the sympathetic nervous system.  Many women with PCOS require prolonged treatment.  Pharmaceutical drugs can be effective but have adverse side effects.

Clinical Studies
Studies done in Europe in the 1990s on anovulatory women with PCOS showed that electro-acupuncture restored ovulation in one-third of the test subjects. Acupuncture also reduced the endocrine indicators of PCOS, including LH/FSH ratios, mean testosterone concentrations and beta-endorphin concentrations. Researchers theorized that this improvement was due to an inhibition of hyperactivity in the sympathetic nervous system. For more information, see Chapter 11 of The Infertility Cure.

A Swedish/Italian study in 2000 described in the Biology of Reproduction Journal validated this theory. This study involved using injections of estradiol valerate, a kind of estrogen, to induce a state of polycystic ovaries in rats. Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system resulted, followed by increased concentrations of nerve growth factor in the rats’ ovaries and the adrenal glands. Within sixty days, the rats developed polycystic ovaries. The rodent subjects were separated into two groups. The control group received no therapy and maintained features of PCOS. In contrast, those treated with acupuncture showed a reduction in the hyperactivity of the ovarian sympathetic nerve fibers, reduction of the increased nerve growth factor concentrations within the ovaries to normal and reduction the weight of the polycystic ovaries. These are all indicators of a reduction in the “stress” reaction within the nerve and blood supply of polycystic ovaries. Acupuncture treatments were effective at resolving this condition because they reduced the level of hypersympathetic nervous system response, relaxing the whole neuroendocrine system.

A Major Cause of Infertility – Endometriosis - Can be Overcome by TCM

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, endometriosis affects approximately 5 to 7 million American women. Researchers believe that endometriosis is directly related to infertility for 30-50% of all infertile women. Endometriosis has been labeled by some doctors as “the career woman’s disease” because of its high correlation with increased stress levels.

Symptoms of endometriosis include dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, low backache radiating to the thigh, heavy menses, infertility or higher rate of miscarriage, irregular bleeding or spotting, pain on defecation, tender and enlarged ovaries, bloating or fatigue, painful intercourse, heavy menses with clots, menstrual diarrhea, pain 5-7 days before menses, during menses or with ovulation, no symptoms at all—30-35% of women with endometriosis do not suffer any pain or discomfort.

Learn more about Endometriosis and treatment options

TCM Practitioners Have Experience in Shrinking Fibroids, Some of Which can Cause Infertility.

One in 5 women will be diagnosed with uterine fibroids (myomas).  Onset is in the woman's 30's-40's with 25-50% of women of childbearing age.  Some types of fibroids can adversely affect fertility.

Symptoms from fibroids are related to their size and location.  Many women with uterine fibroids have no symptoms.  Approximately one-third of women will experience abnormal uterine bleeding, pain, or pressure in the lower abdomen.  Some women will notice a mass which can occasionally be as large as a full-term pregnancy.

Learn more about Uterine Fibroids and treatment options

Stress is One of the Most Under Diagnosed Contributing Factors to Unexplained Infertility

Stress is often a key factor in the fertility of both men and women. When people are under stress, the brain's neurochecmical balance is altered, thus changing hormone levels that affect the reproductive cycle.

Acupuncture counters the effects of stress and cortisol by releasing endorphins in the brain, which exert a calming effect.

• Chronic stress produces toxic chemicals.

• Often individuals are unaware of being under stress, yet when tested their cortisol levels are elevated 200-300%. 

  Long term exposure to cortosol: compromises immune response, changes body
  composition, causes depression and sleep impairment, increases risk of heath attack
  and other health problems, causes reproductive dysfunction and altered eating
  patterns.

• Historically, chronic, low-grade stress was seen during famine.

• Our hormonal response to stress is actually antagonistic to our fertility.

  Adrenaline is released by the adrenal glands during conditions of stress.  This inhibits
  our ability to utilize progesterone.

  In times of stress the pituitary gland emits higher levels of prolactin.  Prolactin also
  inhibits a woman’s fertility.

  When we’re under stress, the sympathetic nervous system can become
  hyperstimulated.  A hyperstimulated nervous system sends less blood to the uterus
  and ovaries, thereby impairing their optimal functioning.

   

Learn more about The effects of stress on fertility and how to manage it

Testimonials

Hi Lorraine.  Just wanted to let you know that my MD appt went well.  The baby appears well and moving a lot on ultrasound.  It was amazing!  The beautiful baby point you've been using must be working because it (the baby) is measuring 2 weeks larger than it really is.  My husband is hoping for an NBA player ha ha.

 Joyce L.

I was told I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I had been on all the fertility drugs (like clomid) to treat this and still felt totally out of wack and I couldn’t get pregnant. The first time, after many years, I began to actually feel healthy again was when I was seeing Lorraine for a special type of acupuncture treatment and Chinese fertility herbs. I’m now the proud mom of two healthy boys!

Sally M.

You were the first person I told that I was pregnant because I couldn’t believe it. We had been through so many failed tries with western medicine (invitro fertilization), I wanted to be sure before telling anyone. I’m almost 40 and I thought I had run out of time. I needed to find a way to increase my fertility. I can’t believe it took only a few weeks of treatment.

Lily T.

It’s only been a few weeks and amazingly I’ve returned to my normal energized self and all the discomforts of my period have disappeared. I don’t know if it was your acupuncture or the Chinese herbs, but something did it.

Donna P.

I had all the routine tests come back negative but I was still feeling lousy. I was depressed, overweight, my periods were irregular and painful, I had bloating and a host of odd symptoms. All that was being offered to me were drugs and/or surgery. I didn’t want to go either route so I thought I’d try acupuncture. I now feel so much more balanced. I’m almost scared to ever stop treatments because I don’t want to go back to the way I felt before.

Judy P.

Your path to radiant health...
from motherhood to menopause.

Lorraine H. Harris, Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist Specialist in fertility, women's health and rejuvenation, and the only acupuncturist in Western North Carolina (WNC) and Asheville offering the patented Fertile Soul Method™ and Mei Zen™ Cosmetic Acupuncture.

Oriental Medicine | Acupuncture | Chinese Herbal Medicine
Conditions Treated by Chinese Medicine | Fertility
Cosmetic Acupuncture & Facial Rejuvenation | Pain Management
Women's Health | Resources, Studies, Articles
About Lorraine H. Harris

Call for a free phone consultation 828.215.8185 Office & Contact info >> What is an acupuncture appointment like? >>

Male Factor Infertility

More women undergoing IVF fall pregnant using acupuncture BMJ.com >>

A comprehensive, natural approach to enhanced fertility >>

More women are using acupuncture to help them conceive LA Times >>

Chinese Medicine's Gentle Approach to Women's Health >>

How to Find a Qualified Acupuncturist >>

Testimonials >>

Lorraine H. Harris, a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, practices in Asheville, North Carolina. >>

Results from the Nurses' Health Study on Fertility: The amount of carbohydrates in the diet doesn't affect fertility, but the quality of those carbohydrates does.   Trans fats are a powerful deterrent to ovulation and conception.   Getting more protein from plants and less from animals is another big step toward walking away from ovulatory infertility.   A daily serving or two of whole milk and foods made from whole milk seem to offer some protection against ovulatory infertility, while skim and low-fat milk do the opposite.   Women with the lowest and highest Body Mass Indexes (BMI) were more likely to have had trouble with ovulatory infertility than women in the middle. Full Report Newsweek >>

Resources, Studies, Articles >>