Male Infertility
About 40% of infertile couples have problems related to sperm abnormalities. Unfortunately, most men who are subfertile or infertile, never get any definite explanation for their lack of sperm production and function.
They have no significant history of testicular trauma, infection, or surgery. They have no obvious structural or hormonal problems. From the Western medicine perspective, since the cause of the problem in these men is "idiopathic", or unexplained, it is hard for doctors to focus on any surgical or pharmaceutical approach to treating them. Assisted Reproductive Technology (IVF or ICSI, etc) is generally recommended.
Chinese medicine has been used in China for centuries to treat male infertility. It can significantly improve semen abnormalities - including low sperm count, low motility, abnormal morphology or anti-sperm antibodies. There have been numerous studies on the treatment of male infertility with Chinese herbal medicine in China, but unfortunately most of them are being neglected in the West. There have been more and more studies in the West, mainly on acupuncture and male infertility.
Treatment should realistically continue for at least 6 months. Chinese herbs are often chosen as the preferred treatment for the long term, which also reduces the number of acupuncture treatments and the cost. Formulae for men are often made into tablets to make long-term consumption easier. Acupuncture may be of great benefit where motility is an issue.
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