Could a centuries-old treatment for pelvic pain also help a woman get pregnant? Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are testing acupuncture to help women with fertility problems.
So far, it's already helped several women become new mothers.
This early success of using acupuncture to promote fertility in the Cleveland Clinic's study is surprising when compared with the national average, where acupuncture works in less than half of infertile women. But the numbers are, according to pain management doctor Dr. E. David Thomas at The Cleveland Clinic, important enough to merit a comprehensive study.
"We're going to use the blood flow, the hormone changes to see if with and without acupuncture what's happening," Thomas said.
As part of the procedure, Thomas positions the needles in specific parts of the body that aren't typically used to treat infertility, but rather, the pain associated with endometriosis. Thomas said he has between 10 and 12 patients right now who had difficulty getting pregnant -- but now are pregnant thanks to acupuncture treatments.
"I basically stumbled upon the treatment of infertility by treating endometriosis," Thomas said. "Most women who have endometriosis are infertile."
Because even women who have been infertile for some time due to endometriosis can suddenly and inexplicably get pregnant, Thomas said he will follow a large group women to scientifically determine acupuncture really is the reason for their pregnancies.
