Acupuncture treatment for infertility due to low antimüllerian hormone levels

Abstract

Antimüllerian hormone (AMH) is produced in the ovarian follicles. The levels of the hormone on a blood test show woman’s ovarian reserves which determine the capacity of the egg cells in the ovaries needed for conception. We report a case of a 33-year-old female diagnosed with the primary infertility for 3 years due to unsuccessful natural conceiving. The patient had regular menstrual cycle with duration of only 1 day. The patient’s blood test indicated an insufficiently grown follicles needed for conception, low AMH levels (0.94 ng/mL), and high androstenedione (458 ng/mL) levels. The patient underwent 32 treatment cycles, one treatment every week, over a period of 1 year. After the treatment with acupuncture and infrared lamp, her menstrual cycle was lengthened to 4 days, and the blood analysis showed normally grown ovarian follicles up to 20 mm with good quality and normal hormone levels. According to the theories of the traditional Chinese medicine, this state of the health arises from obstructed energy Qi flow in the liver meridian. This obstruction is created due to some lifestyle changes, which in turn, interrupts the blood flow in the uterus and ovaries and contributes to an imbalance of the hormones. During this treatment, acupuncture points located on the Spleen, Bladder, Heart, Liver, Large Intestine, Gall Bladder, and Du Mai meridians were used.