Acupuncture May Treat Women With Fertility Problems

A new study at the University of Virginia Health System has shown that acupuncture could be an effective therapy for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS causes a hormonal imbalance, interfering with ovulation and ultimately, fertility.

Lisa Pastore, principle researcher of the study, believes that acupuncture could be an important alternative, non-drug therapy for women with this disorder. In the study, testing the impact of acupuncture, several women reported pregnancies.

"Over the last year we have seen women who never had a regular menstrual cycle start having regular periods. We can also boast several pregnancies since the study began," said Pastore.

"Now we would like to recruit more people to the study in order to complete the study. It is important for research to have enough participants to ensure that the results are scientifically credible and not due to chance," she added.

Study participant Rebecca Killmeyer of Charlottesville, Va, 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. We had already scheduled our follow-up appt with our fertility doctors when we found out we were pregnant." Killmeyer said.