Acupuncture helps some women conceive
Thu, September 11 2008
With a faint possibility of future pregnancy, she enrolled in a study testing the impact of acupuncture on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), at the University of Virginia Health System (UVAHS).
“To our great surprise we were blessed with a third pregnancy during the study,” said Killmeyer. “I’m absolutely certain the acupuncture treatments helped me ovulate regularly, which allowed me to become pregnant.
Five per cent of reproductive age women are affected by PCOS. Symptoms can include small cysts on the ovaries, infrequent or irregular vaginal bleeding, male-pattern hair growth, and acne. Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes also can develop.
Killmeyer learned of her PCOS in 2005. Over the past five years she did not have regular, monthly periods. One month after she started acupuncture treatments she got a period and for the next three months, they continued.
“I had finished all my acupuncture treatments and was in the end stages of the study when I became pregnant,” Killmeyer said.
Lisa Pastore, principle researcher of the study, was hoping for positive results. She helps women with PCOS have regular menstrual cycles.
PCOS causes a hormonal imbalance, interfering with ovulation and ultimately, fertility. With several women in the study reporting pregnancies, Pastore believes acupuncture could be an important alternative, non-drug therapy for women with this disorder.
“Over the last year we have seen women who never had a regular menstrual cycle start having regular periods,” said Pastore.
-IANS
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