According to a recent Swedish study, acupuncture can aid in stimulating ovulation and balancing hormones in women suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Published in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, the small prospective trial observed 32 women with (PCOS) for around three months.
The researchers say that acupuncture has been shown to reduce circulating testosterone and boost menstrual frequency in women with PCOS. The trial’s goal was to see whether acupuncture influences ovulation frequency and to comprehend the hormonal mechanisms causing such changes.
Balancing hormones
The subjects were randomly designated to groups. Some were assigned to appointments with a physical therapist while others received acupuncture along with low-frequency and manual electrical stimulation for 10-13 weeks two times a week.
The outcomes revealed that in both overweight and lean women frequency of ovulation during treatment rose in the acupuncture group compared to that of the control group.
After ten to thirteen weeks of treatment, and exclusive of androstenedione, circulating amounts of several hormones, including estrone sulfate, estrone, dehydroepiandrosterone, estradiol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, dihydrotestosterone, free-testosterone, androsterone glucuronide, androstane-3α, 17β-diol-17glucuronide, 17β-diol-3glucuronide, and androstane-3α, all lessened within the group treated with acupuncture and were substantially lower compared to the control group.
Multiple symptoms
About five to ten percent of women suffering from PCOS are of reproductive age. PCOS is considered to be the number one cause of female infertility. In several instances, sufferers have both excess male hormones (androgens) and insulin resistance which disrupts with the normal production of female hormones (progesterone and estrogen). Some sufferers manifest little or no symptoms while others however, a lot that include:
– Dandruff, oily skin, or acne
– Infertility after more than an year of trying to conceive
– Hair growth changes. This can be either thinning hair or excess hair growth on the stomach, chest, face, etc.
– Poor insulin resistance or glucose metabolism
– difficulty losing or managing weight/weight gain
– Zero or irregular menstrual cycles
Not all PCOS sufferers have problems getting pregnant but in women who have no ovulation or have irregular ovulation, they have a difficult time getting pregnant. Follicles start to grow in the ovaries, but due to the hormonal imbalance related to PCOS, they do not ripen enough to initiate ovulation. Cysts develop when follicles cease growing too early. Rather than bursting to release the egg, they develop swollen egg chambers (benign cysts).
Positive results
The above-mentioned study’s authors conclude: “multiple acupuncture treatments led to more ovulation frequency in overweight/lean women with PCOS and led to better results than just meeting with the therapist.”
Recent evidence demonstrates that acupuncture in Jacksonville can work for PCOS even if just a few large randomized controlled trials have been conducted. Chinese researchers, in another new study, discovered that while both the anti-diabetic drug metformin and stomach acupuncture enhanced metabolic and hormone function in overweight women with PCOS, stomach acupuncture may work better in losing weight and boosting menstrual frequency with very little negative side effects.