Acupuncture for Low AMH

Whether you have a formal diagnosis for low AMH or whether you’re trying to conceive, the tips in this guide will help you overcome those roadblocks…

We will show you:

• how low AMH is just one piece in the fertility puzzle
• about improving egg count and increasing pregnancy rate
• why stress and the hormonal changes in your body effect male and female fertility
• and why you optimise your uterine environment and not just your eggs

Okay, lets start with our definitions…

What is AMH?

Before we get into acupuncture for low AMH, let’s explore what low AMH means.

Low AMH is a term that is used within the fertility world. Your specialist might have even told you that you have a low AMH.

So what does that mean?

When specialists investige your fertility, there are many reproductive system tests they do.

And one of the things that they look at is the ovarian reserve.

This ovarian reserve assesses the quality and quantity of an individual’s remaining oocytes.

Oocytes are what your eggs are before they mature into eggs. ^[1]

And so ovarian reserve is quite an important marker of fertility… it gives a look into the pool of eggs that you have to fertilise with.

Which brings us to AMH, otherwise known as antimüllerian hormone (AMH).

AMH is a biochemical marker that highlights what your eggs are doing during your cycle. ^{[1, 2, 3]}

As your oocytes begin its maturation into follicles and then an egg, it produces this antimüllerian hormone (AMH).

Thus giving an indicator of how many follicles are maturing.

In other words, the size of your follicular pool.

AMH is what estimates oocyte yield and clinical pregnancy rates. ^{[4, 5, 6]}

It is important to keep in mind that the research is conflicting on AMH’s prediction of live birth rate.

Many studies suggest that the live birth rate predictor is inaccurate, and a better factor of importance is maternal age. ^{[7, 8]}

I have low AMH, now what?

There is a misconception that the AMH test is a true indicator of your fertility.

It is only one piece of the puzzle.

Your specialist will include many other investigations to get a bigger picture of your fertility.

AMH tests highlight how many eggs you have left but not the genetic health or quality of your eggs.

It is the quality of the eggs that is more important for getting pregnant.

AMH is also lacking in assessing your uterine environment.

It doesn’t take into consideration fibroids, adhesions, scarring or other factors, which might also affect your fertility.

Read on to see how acupuncture for low AMH can help, not only with AMH but to increase your chances of fertility.

Acupuncture for low AMH. How can it help?

Acupuncture for high FSH and low AMH

Acupuncture for low AMH has increasingly been used to improve the ovarian reserve.

We see a natural decline in ovarian reserve as we age.

But we also see this happening prematurely in younger women.

This shows up as high FSH levels and low AMH. Which means the eggs quality and quantity are affected.

In women with premature ovarian failure, acupuncture for low AMH has been shown to decrease FSH levels and raise AMH levels. ^{[9, 14]}

Not only is acupuncture for high FSH and low AMH, but it helps regain menstrual cycles in those whose periods stopped.

It can also improve perimenopausal symptoms that usually come with ovarian failure. ^{[9, 10, 11, 12, 13]}

Improve egg count and increase pregnancy rate

Clinical trials utilising acupuncture for low AMH shows improvement, not only in AMH levels, but also show an increase in antral follicle count.

This improvement results in a higher number of oocytes and higher number of embryos transferred.

Clinical pregnancy rates are also reported to be higher in the study groups using acupuncture for low AMH.

Many studies have shown higher success rates in acupuncture groups compared to no acupuncture groups. Treatments include receiving acupuncture before and after embryo transfer.

Acupuncture for low AMH helps to regulate the ovarian blood flow, increasing circulation, as well as modulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian system. ^{[14, 15, 16]}

Manages psychological impact of low AMH

Often when we are told our AMH levels are low, we are also advised to act quickly.

This time pressure has the potential to have a negative effect on the body. Putting us in a state of stress or perpetuating the emotional difficulties of IVF cycles.

To make things worse our body keeps score of this stress.

When under emotional stress it causes a cascade of hormonal changes in your body.

This can affect male and female fertility.

Our hormonal balance in our body operates within a very fine tuned manner, of which psychological stress can disrupt.

High levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, circulates in our bodies when stressed.

And this can delay the maturation of follicles and ovulation, as well as fertilisation, implantation and uterine receptivity. ^{[18, 19]}

Acupuncture for low AMH allows for the body and mind to enter into a deep relaxation, by reducing any stress and anxiety.

This can prevent any negative impacts of the mind body interaction, particularly during the time of transfer and implantation… a crucial period where our uterine function can be sensitive to the state of our entire body. ^{[20, 21, 22]}

Optimise your uterine environment and not just your eggs

It is only the beginning of the journey for the eggs to mature and then fertilise.

The next challenge is implantation.

So acupuncture for low AMH doesn’t end when the egg fertilises. The journey is now about successful implantation and that involves endometrial receptivity.

Endometrial receptivity is the ability of the lining to accept embryos.

It is crucial in successful pregnancy.

Studies have shown that two thirds of IVF embryo transfer fails due to low endometrial receptivity. Specifically the endometrial thickness, circulation and its sensitivity to hormones. ^[23]

Acupuncture for low AMH also includes addressing the uterine lining by effecting the structure of the lining and increasing the microcirculation of the uterus.

This increase helps support the lining for implantation.

Acupuncture has also been shown to help with the uterus in increasing its capacity for progesterone and estrogen to act on it. ^[23]

What does acupuncture for low AMH involve?

You don’t need to have low AMH to receive the benefits of acupuncture for low AMH.

Whether you have a formal diagnosis of low AMH or whether you’re trying to conceive.

Acupuncture can help support the entire body that the ovaries sit in.

Acupuncture for low AMH can help at all stages of your IVF cycle or natural fertility.

But, we recommend starting with acupuncture treatments as soon as possible, to be able to start creating positive changes in your reproductive environment.

If you have already started your IVF treatment cycle, acupuncture can help during stimulation, egg collection, pre and post embryo transfer as well as support the pregnancy.

Our experienced practitioners will do a thorough assessment during your initial consultation, which will form the basis for your individualised treatment plan.

Your practitioner will also outline the frequency of treatments for you.

Get in touch today for acupuncture for low AMH.