ELECTROACUPUNCTURE FOR THE OVARIES AND UTERUS

Jul 9

Electroacupuncture (EA) is a great treatment for improving ovarian and uterine function.

I absolutely love geeking out on the science of acupuncture. And today, I thought I’d share some of what we know about all the things electroacupuncture (EA) — which I often more casually call e-stim — can do. Specifically, the many benefits electroacupuncture has for the ovaries and uterus!

What is electroacupuncture?

First things first. Electroacupuncture, or electrical stimulation, involves using a small battery-powered device that has one or more wire leads with clips on the end. The wire goes from the machine and the clips are attached to the handles of acupuncture needles. Specific acupuncture points and electro acupuncture settings (hertz / frequencies) are chosen and viola, small electrical currents travel from the machine, through the needles, and into the body. If you want to see one in action, I’ve got an e-stim video right here on TBYW TV.

How does electroacupuncture work?

Our nervous system uses electrical signals to run our bodies. From endocrine function to muscle contractions, from cell function to circulation. It’s all electric.

And although acupuncture with needles alone absolutely influences the electricity in our bodies, it’s not a big shock (sorry — couldn’t resist!) that electroacupuncture is an even stronger way to give the nervous system a message. This means EA often, but not always, delivers bigger results than acupuncture needles alone.

I like to think of acupuncture points as tiny thermostats on your body. Acupressure is like turning the thermostat dial a degree or two. Acupuncture is like five or six degrees. Electroacupuncture is more like ten. So it’s no surprise that many modern acupuncture studies that show the clearest statistically significant benefits are looking at electroacupuncture.

Scientifically cool things research on EA has shown.

[All citations are listed at the end of this post.]

Study title: Electroacupuncture promotes central nervous system-dependent release of mesenchymal stem cells.

What does it mean? Stem cells are a kind of “starter cell” that can turn into other types of body cells. Many folks have heard of embryonic stem cells, which are the stem cells in embryos that literally turn into every type of cell in a human (pluripotent). Mesenchymal stem cells are slightly more limited stem cells (multipotent) that our body produces — mostly from bone marrow. Once produced, mesenchymal stem cells can move through the blood stream and help heal and regenerate all sorts of cells and tissues. Electroacupuncture on certain acupuncture points has been proven to stimulate their release. Cool!

Study title: The synergistic effect of electroacupuncture and bone mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on repairing thin endometrial injury in rats.

What does it mean? This study damaged the uterine lining of rats with acetate and then compared uninjured uterine linings with damaged untreated linings, damaged linings treated with stem cell therapy, damaged linings treated with electroacupuncture, and damaged linings treated with BOTH stem cells plus EA.

The stem cell plus EA treatments worked best, and were almost as good as the healthy linings!. But a super cool side note is when you compared just EA with just stem cell therapy. They were close to the same! So if you’ve got lining concerns and stem cell therapy isn’t an option, consider EA alone. And if you’ve got lining concerns and stem cell therapy is an option, consider adding electroacupuncture to make it even better!

Study title: Underlying mechanisms of acupuncture therapy on polycystic ovary syndrome: evidences from animal and clinical studies.

What does it mean? This study showed that acupuncture, especially electroacupuncture, had a positive influence on ovulation rates, pregnancy rates, insulin resistance, negative emotion, sexual hormone disturbance, and lipid metabolism dysfunction in people with PCOS. And since 10% of people with ovaries have PCOS, and not ovulating regularly is a big problem if you’re TTC, this is great news!

Study title: Electroacupuncture therapy in inflammation regulation: current perspectives.

What does it mean? Although this study is full of lots of neuro-chemical and immune system abbreviations, it essentially reviews some of the many ways we currently understand EA influences immune and inflammation functions. Some of these ways include:

Increasing dopamine, natural opioids, and vagus activity
Improving blood perfusion
Regulating blood clotting and platelet levels
Balancing various interlukens, natural killer cells, cytokine, and macrophage levels
And more

This is a great thing for fertility because we now understand excessive inflammation can impede implantation, harm ovarian and sperm function, lead to recurrent pregnancy loss, and more.

Study Name: Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture.

What does it mean? This is arguably the OG fertility acupuncture study. And guess what!? It’s actually about electroacupuncture! This study showed that after eight sessions of EA, people who were diagnosed with measurably poor blood circulation to their uterus and ovaries (technically called a high PI) had significantly improved blood flow for 10 to 14 days after the last treatment. This is great for many things — from getting nutrients, hormones, and fertility medications to the ovaries, to building a better uterine lining. There have been several spin-off studies looking at things like PCOS (see above), diminished ovarian reserves, and low IVF response. Newer studies have also suggested that this treatment works best in the follicular phase when estrogen is dominant.

But, is electroacupuncture ever bad?

Sometimes a person doesn’t like the sensation of electroacupuncture and it feels like too much. After all, sometimes turning a thermostat up five degrees is more appropriate and way more comfortable than turning it up ten. Bigger isn’t always better. We should never miss the person at the heart of a treatment.

I once worked with a woman who came to me after her IVF clinic told her she had the worst pelvic blood flow reading (PI) they’d ever measured. I was her 3rd acupuncturist as her first two had failed to improve her results. When I asked what her first two acupuncturists had done during their treatments she told me electroacupuncture. When I asked her where they were doing the acupuncture she pointed at all the “right” points. But when I asked her how she liked the treatments, she said she didn’t like them at all and they completely stressed her out.

So I didn’t do any e-stim on her at all. Instead, I worked on education and treated her with nervous system calming techniques and points she thoroughly enjoyed. When she redid her doppler blood flow study her PI score was in the totally normal range. Never miss the forest for the trees! If a person doesn’t find EA relaxing, then I’ll stick with other options and get just as good of results.

There’re also some Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns of imbalance where other types of extra stimulation on acupuncture points makes more sense than EA. Warming acupuncture points with moxabustion (moxa), or releasing tension with cupping or gua sha, give a body a stronger message using heat, suction, or scraping. The best treatments are always the most customized treatments.

Here’s the EA takeaway.

Electroacupuncture (EA) can be a powerful tool to improve fertility — as long as you find the treatments appealing and your acupuncturist combines the legit research with your unique preferences, patterns, and needs.

Remember!

EA can generate stem cells to renew many types of tissues
EA can help regulate immune function and inflammation
EA can improve pelvic circulation and blood flow to the ovaries and uterus — especially when blood flow is poor
Every EA study uses specific acupuncture points and specific EA machine frequencies and settings — point selection and machine settings matter
Be sure your acupuncturist is up to speed on exact methods and has the right equipment to get help you get your best results
Never prioritize a one-size-fits-all approach or protocol over a nuanced and more personalized approach
Many people love EA and find it super relaxing — but if you don’t, honor that!
When doing truly holistic medicine you’ll always get better results when you combine good data with whole-you care

If I’m lucky enough to be your acupuncturist, come on in and let’s see if EA is right for you! No matter where you are and who you see, I hope this post gives you great info to explore.

Warmly,

Nicole

STUDY CITATIONS

Electroacupuncture Promotes Central Nervous System-Dependent Release of Mesenchymal Stem Cells — Stem Cells, May 2017

The synergistic effect of electroacupuncture and bone mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on repairing thin endometrial injury in rats — Stem Cell Research & Therapy, Aug 2019

Underlying mechanisms of acupuncture therapy on polycystic ovary syndrome: Evidences from animal and clinical studies — Frontiers in Endocrinology, Oct 2022

Electroacupuncture to Improve Endometrial Receptivity and : in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome — Medical Acupuncture, Dec 2021

Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture — Human Reproduction, 1996

Ovarian blood flow responses to electroacupuncture stimulation depend on estrous cycle and on site and frequency of stimulation in anesthetized rats — Journal of Applied Physiology, Jul 2006