Male fertility and acupuncture

Name: Dr Vitalis Acupuncture Auckland
Price range: $$

It takes two to tango

“Acupuncture treatment is a simple, non-invasive method that can improve sperm quality.”
Dr Jian Pei
(Journal of) Fertility and Sterility

See what patients say Meet the team Book an appointment

As seen in

It takes two to tango

Reproductive medicine has been focusing on women in the past decades. In fact, the role of urologists – male reproductive health specialist -has been declining.

Chances are your sperm test was administered by a gynaecologist. Nonetheless, male factor infertility affects 30% of couples.

Male infertility can be due to a number of factors. And the most common cause is poor sperm quality.

An increasing number of men are expressing interest in restoring their fertility with acupuncture and lifestyle changes.

Addressing both male and female factors simultaneously is a sensible strategy.

See what patients say Meet the team Book an appointment

How acupuncture helps male fertility

Acupuncture has been shown to help male infertility, by

Improving blood flow to testis
lowering scrotal temperature;
enhancing local microcirculation;
reducing inflammation
increasing testosterone levels

See what patients say Meet the team Book an appointment

The effects on sperm

Professor Dieterle from Germany discovered that acupuncture can help men with severely reduced sperm motility. A course of treatment leads to a significant improvement.

This natural therapy can improve spermatozoa structure and sperm quality.

Acupuncture on men improves IVF and ICSI outcomes

Sperm quality is important for fertilisation rates in IVF/ICSI cycles.

A team of researchers led by Dr Zhang investigated how acupuncture can help men with poor sperm quality.

Men received acupuncture twice a week over eight weeks period. As a result, IVF/ICSI fertilisation rates after acupuncture increased by almost 61%.

Stress harms sperm, acupuncture comes to rescue

Stress reduces testosterone levels. And yes, stress can affect sperm quality – this is a conclusion by researchers who looked into sperm quality of men attending IVF clinic in Italy.

Men with high levels of short- and long-term stress or anxiety ejaculated less semen. They had lower sperm concentration and counts. Furthermore, men with the highest anxiety levels were also more likely to have sperm that were deformed or less motile.

Can acupuncture help? Yes, absolutely. It is well known that acupuncture reduces anxiety and stress by increasing endogenous (feel good) opioids in your body. Reduced stress helps improve both male and female fertility.

See what patients say Meet the team Book an appointment

Lifestyle matters

To name a few examples… Wearing loose boxers during the day and no underwear in bed may reduce the DNA damaged sperm by a quarter. Eating more carrots and tomatoes improves sperm motility and morphology. Sleep duration has been associated with sperm chromatin integrity. Quitting or reducing smoking and alcohol intake will make a difference.

Furthermore, researchers raise the issue of how male health and lifestyle may affect not only sperm quality and chances of conception but also the health of the baby.

During your initial session, we discuss your lifestyle and the changes which may benefit you.

IVF TESE and acupuncture

Acupuncture can be helpful for testicular sperm extraction (TESE) candidates. Studies show, that you can avoid TESE half of the time if you have acupuncture done correctly.

Azoospermic patients awaiting IVF, especially with a history of genital tract inflammation, are good candidates for this treatment.

Request a consultation or learn more about how acupuncture can help women undergoing IUI, IVF or ICSI treatment.

A word of warning on IVF ICSI, sperm quality and Autism

In a large study from Sweden, IVF-ICSI using surgically retrieved sperm was associated with a 4.6-fold increase in autism disorders and a 2.3-fold increase risk of intellectual disabilities relative to IVF without ICSI.

IVF-ICSI using ejaculated sperm also was associated with increased risk. A 47% increased risk of intellectual disabilities relative to IVF without ICSI using ejaculated sperm.

If you’re planning IVF, you should consider acupuncture and herbal medicines, lifestyle and diet changes, everything possible to improve the sperm to minimise the potential male fertility impact on your child.

Success stories

Dr. Birdsall called our first baby “a miracle”

Male fertility and acupuncture

It takes two to tango

How acupuncture helps male fertility

The effects on sperm

Acupuncture on men improves IVF and ICSI outcomes

Stress harms sperm, acupuncture comes to rescue

Lifestyle matters

IVF TESE and acupuncture

A word of warning on IVF ICSI, sperm quality and Autism

Success stories

Acupuncture evidence

Book an appointment

Herbs for fertility

Your first consultation: How it works