Researchers in Sweden have shown that a course of acupuncture treatment can increase ovulation frequency in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Thirty-two patients aged 18-38 and with PCOS, were randomised to receive either acupuncture with electrical stimulation, or treatment with a physical therapist, twice a week for 10 to 13 weeks. Patients in the acupuncture group ovulated more frequently during the trial, compared with the control group. Furthermore, after the course of treatment was over, patients in the acupuncture group exhibited significantly greater reductions in a variety of hormones (including oestradiol, DHEA and testosterone), compared with the control group.
(Acupuncture for Ovulation Induction in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomised Controlled Trial. American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1 May 2013.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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