Pulling Down the Moon

Does Acupuncture Help with Male Fertility and Sperm Quality?

May 03, 2024
A man is getting acupuncture on his back to promote better sperm quality

One of the odd challenges with finding good scientific data on male infertility is that until recently, most studies have focused heavily on the female burden for infertility, rather than male factor infertility—even though it takes both sides to make a baby! Also, we know that male infertility impacts anywhere from 30 to 50% of all cases of infertility.¹ Lately, one of the most common questions we’ve encountered is whether there is any evidence that acupuncture can help improve male fertility. In the scope of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture for male fertility is a first-line therapy and has been for centuries. For Western science, however, the jury is still out on a direct causal link between acupuncture and sperm quality. On the other hand, science has found ways that acupuncture improves men’s health that can have a significant impact on fertility generally. Here at Pulling Down the Moon, we are constantly working to help couples increase their chances of getting pregnant using a variety of time-tested and science-backed holistic fertility therapies, including acupuncture for male fertility.


Can Acupuncture Improve Male Fertility?


Because acupuncture is an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), considerably more research surrounding its efficacy for a wide range of health conditions has been done in Asian countries. The case for whether acupuncture can improve male fertility is no exception. A recent study completed by Chinese researchers and published in a Swiss medical journal finds considerable evidence that acupuncture can help male fertility by improving the following parameters:²


  • Regulating hormones
  • Reducing inflammation
  • Boosting the parameters that impact healthy semen production.


So, from the TCM point of view, the answer is yes, acupuncture for male fertility is a valid therapy. However, how acupuncture might help male fertility is still not fully understood from a Western scientific standpoint. Compared with sham treatments, acupuncture does seem to help with hormone regulation, a key issue with fertility in both males and females. A definitive causal link, however, has yet to be established as far as how acupuncture helps sperm quality. Nevertheless, if there are ways to help remove barriers to fertility, and acupuncture removes some of those barriers, it may be worth a try.


Acupuncture Effects on Sperm


More research on how acupuncture affects sperm compared data across several studies. The results, though somewhat inconclusive, indicated that there was some evidence that acupuncture could improve the shape and motility of sperm cells, and reduce inflammation in male reproductive systems.³ The key takeaway from this meta-analysis is that more research needs to be done before they can conclusively say that acupuncture improves sperm parameters directly. They did also mention, however, that across all the studies they pooled, no adverse effects were found from acupuncture among any of the participants in the studies they analyzed. Certainly, men who want to boost their fertility can try acupuncture as a low-risk, potentially high-reward part of a holistic plan to increase fertility from all different directions, including nutrition, stress reduction, exercise, and other aspects.


Acupuncture for Male Fertility: What Does It Target?


To answer this question, we have to talk about the things that impede male fertility. Once we address those concerns, we can talk about how acupuncture can play a role in supporting improved male fertility. Some things that can get in the way include:


A man is getting acupuncture treatment on his forehead to promote better sperm quality
  • Nutrition
  • Exercise
  • Hormone imbalances
  • Exposure to environmental toxins
  • Genetic factors
  • Smoking
  • Drug use
  • Past infections
  • Injuries
  • Chronic health conditions

One sweeping meta-study about male infertility causes found that the most important causes were related to physiological (genetic and chronic health conditions), lifestyle, environmental, and socio-demographic risk factors.⁴ While acupuncture can’t remove environmental toxins from your home or workplace, nor can it ensure that you’re eating a balanced diet and getting the right kind of exercise (more on that later), research shows that it can support and target things like stress, inflammation, and hormone imbalances caused by those issues. So, acupuncture for male fertility can be a supportive option.


Additional Benefits of Acupuncture


Since male fertility is tied to a man’s overall health generally, it would make sense for a man wanting to father a child to do all he can to boost his health. There is scientific evidence that acupuncture can support both men and women in ways that will reduce stress and inflammation, which can improve fertility generally. For example:


  • There is some evidence that acupuncture can help reduce stress and help people adapt better to stressful situations. The stress-relief aspect of acupuncture seems to also help people with hypertension (high blood pressure) issues, which can also impact fertility.⁵
  • Other studies suggest that acupuncture may help improve digestion, which can help reduce gastrointestinal stress and improve nutrient absorption, another key issue for improving fertility.⁶
  • Acupuncture may help regulate the immune system in individuals with allergies. Allergic individuals have immune systems that overreact to otherwise harmless things in the environment.⁷
  • Some studies also demonstrate acupuncture’s therapeutic effect against insomnia. Getting high-quality sleep is important for all the body’s healing and regulation processes, including fertility.⁸


Again, many of these studies suggested that more research was necessary, although positive effects were recorded. That said, the vast majority of studies recorded that acupuncture provided by a skilled, licensed acupuncturist was safe and presented few if any ill side effects. In all cases, acupuncture is a supportive therapy that researchers suggest patients add to overall lifestyle adjustments.


How Else Can a Man Improve His Fertility?


So, while acupuncture for male fertility is still being studied, it’s important to go back to where acupuncture comes from: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In TCM, an illness or condition isn’t just a collection of disconnected symptoms that can be treated one by one, without thought to any other system of the body. In TCM, the body is a whole ecosystem where all systems are deeply interconnected. So, when one part of the body is out of balance, other parts will suffer as a result. On the flip side, when balance is restored in one area, it can help support other areas of overall health too, including fertility. So, acupuncture isn’t just one isolated “fix” for male infertility. It’s a supportive aspect that you can mix with other strategies, including the following lifestyle adjustments:


1. Diet


Both TCM and Western medicine are huge proponents of everyone eating a nutritious diet for good overall health. This goes for fertility too. Recent studies in male fertility and nutrition urge men to eat for fertility by cutting saturated fats and focusing on nutrient-rich foods with good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, selenium, and coenzyme Q10. In other words, fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins like nuts, seeds, fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy.⁹ Talk to Pulling Down the Moon’s expert fertility nutritionist about individual dietary circumstances and learn ways to give your diet a fertility tune-up.


2. Vitamins


Of course, even if you are eating a super healthy diet, it can be difficult to get all the various nutrients needed to boost fertility. Some studies suggest that supplementing with a mix of important antioxidants, inositol, and L-arginine can help improve sperm parameters and overall fertility.¹⁰ Talk with your doctor and our fertility nutritionist about any digestive issues or health concerns that may be impeding your nutrition absorption, and then discuss potentially adding supplements that can increase levels of nutrients important for fertility that you may not be getting enough of naturally.


3. Exercise

The human body was designed for movement, and we know from scientific studies that a sedentary lifestyle can decrease fertility in both men and women. Specifically, overall physical fitness seemed, in this study¹¹, to improve sperm quality, although they cautioned against particularly strenuous exercise.


4. Lifestyle


In addition to diet and exercise, generally reducing stress, getting high-quality sleep for the body to self-heal its systems, and removing as many environmental toxins from your life as possible is a good idea. For example, if you are still smoking, stop.

The man is practicing yoga in a park, to improve his overall heath and sperm quality

Science shows that it hurts sperm health, not to mention overall health.¹² Once again, improving fertility is about looking at the whole picture of your health. If anything is damaging your health, causing digestive issues, stress, or sexual dysfunction, it’s a good idea to look at ways to remove any barriers to your fertility that exist, whatever they are.


Helping Men Boost Their Fertility in Chicago


Here at Pulling Down the Moon, we are eager to help men and women in their efforts to bring happy, healthy babies into the world. We provide an entire suite of holistic fertility services, including TCM and acupuncture for male fertility (and female fertility) on this journey. Our licensed acupuncturists are true experts in the field and have helped many couples on their path to pregnancy. Schedule an appointment with us today. Try an Initial Acupuncture Consultation with First Treatment and FEM for Men in June to save for Men's Health month!

Share on Social

Discuss With Us

Our Latest Resources

Therapeutic Yoga for PCOS?

By Beth Heller • 13 Sep, 2024
There are many reasons that a therapeutic yoga program may benefit women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS presents very differently in different women but the syndrome as whole is associated with infertility and other adverse health conditions including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Women with PCOS may also have higher levels of chronic inflammation and elevated levels of circulating stress hormones. The good news is that more and more research suggests that lifestyle intervention including lifestyle intervention including diet and exercise may be the best way to manage PCOS. In addition, new research is showing the benefit of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat the hormonal imbalances, symptoms like hirsutism and acne, and menstrual irregularity that is associated with PCOS. Another element of PDtM’s PCOS “Action Plan is yoga. Yoga has been shown to lower levels of stress hormones and women with a regular yoga practice have been show to have a “healthier physiological response to stress". Yoga has also been shown to reduce markers of oxidative stress and blood sugar control in people with diabetes as well as improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels in heart disease patients (1). Some of the goals of a therapeutic yoga practice for PCOS include: Standing and seated yoga asana that create an invigorating, but not exhausting, exercise session Twisting poses, which in yoga physiology are believed to help decrease abdominal fat Postures that bring blood to the thyroid gland, an important endocrine gland for metabolism Stimulating agni, the digestive fire, that supports complete digestion and metabolism of foods Mudras (hand yoga) that stimulate different physiological and energetic systems Breathing exercises that induce the relaxation response While lifestyle changes can be very helpful with PCOS, they are not enough on their own. Working in partnership with you physician or Reproductive Endocrinologist and ensuring they are kept up to date on any holistic treatments you may be using is the smartest approach for PCOS management. Yoga for Fertility to support PCOS is available at Pulling Down the Moon in-center starting on Sept 21st and virtually starting on Sept 30th . If you would like to learn more about PDtM’s PCOS Action Plan to manager your PCOS Action Plan with holistic health treatment ( Acupuncture , Massage , Nutrition , and Yoga ) then contact us at 312-321-0004 or email info@pullingdownthemoon.com to get started today! (1) Field, T. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 17 (2011) 1e8
woman holding supplements doing research supplements for fertility

Supplements for Fertility When Trying to Conceive

21 Aug, 2024
Discover effective supplements that support fertility and boost your chances of conception. Learn how vitamins and minerals can enhance reproductive health.

Pregnancy Passport: Relaxed Mommies Make Healthier Babies

By Beth Heller, MS RYT • 15 Aug, 2024
As I’ve said before, it took me seven years and five pregnancies to get two kids. So, while pregnancy was a joyful time for me on some levels, it was also a time of stress and sleepless anxiety. In fact my business partner Tami will often joke that my pregnancies were some of the most stressful times of her life. Honestly, though, without yoga, massage and acupuncture I think I would have bitten my fingernails to the quick waiting for Jackson and Calvin to arrive safely. What I didn’t know then was that seeking relief for anxiety through holistic means was also good for my boys. A growing body of clinical evidence now suggests that prenatal stress, depression and/or anxiety is linked to adverse health outcomes for both moms and babies including preterm birth, preeclampsia and even future risk of chronic disease and obesity (1). Women, especially women who have struggled to conceive, may feel guilty about experiencing anxious emotions during this “blissful time". Yet preparing for a new baby, no matter how hard one had to work to get it, can be stressful. Changes in the body during pregnancy, including the strains of a growing belly and nighttime muscle cramps, can also disrupt sleep, which increases stress. Rather than worry about worrying, we suggest you take the bull by the horns and enjoy a 360 degree self-care program during pregnancy. And honestly, it will never again be as easy to justify self-care like acupuncture , massage and yoga as it is when your efforts are a “double-dip – good for mom and great for baby. Here are several strategies for decreasing maternal stress and improving overall well-being during pregnancy: 1. Get acupuncture. A 2010 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that acupuncture treatment alleviated symptoms of stress and depression in pregnant women and women experiencing infertility (2, 3). Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective at managing morning sickness, back and pelvic pain and labor pain. Make sure, however, that you see a practitioner who is experienced in treating pregnancy. 2. Do prenatal yoga. Compared to controls, women who did prenatal yoga experienced significant reductions in physical pain from baseline to post intervention compared with women in the third trimester whose pain increased. Women in the yoga group showed greater reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety in their third trimester than women from the control group (4) The same women also experienced better sleep and less wakefulness (5). 3. Get prenatal massage. Research shows that women who received prenatal massage reported decreased depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain. Cortisol levels decreased, which decreased excessive fetal activity; the rate of baby prematurity was also lower (6). 4. Seek expert prenatal nutrition counseling. There are specific nutritional strategies for managing weight gain, avoiding conditions like Gestational Diabetes and Pre-eclampsia and improving digestion (less heartburn, avoid constipation). At Pulling Down the Moon we target our prenatal nutrition consults based on trimester. Get your passport to pregnancy relaxation by getting started today with prenatal care in Chicago , Highland Park , or virtually ! Gift certificates are also available at our online store shop.pullingdownthemoon.com . 1. Entringer S et al. Prenatal stress and developmental programming of human health and disease risk: concepts and integration of empirical findings. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Dec;17(6):507-16. 2. Smith CA. 1. SMith The effect of acupuncture on psychosocial outcomes for women experiencing infertility. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Oct;17(10):923-30. Epub 2011 Oct 6 . 3. Manber et al. Acupuncture for depression during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Mar;115(3):511-20. 4. Beddoe AE et al. The effects of mindfulness-based yoga during pregnancy on maternal psychological and physical distress. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2009 May-Jun;38(3):310-9. 5. Beddoe AE et al. Effects of mindful yoga on sleep in pregnant women: a pilot study. Biol Res Nurs. 2010 Apr;11(4):363-70. 6. Field, T. (2010). Pregnancy and labor massage therapy. Expert Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology , 5, 177-181.
More Posts
Share by: