Years ago, acupuncture was seen mostly as a fringe-y alternative therapy that your one hippie aunt always raved about. But today, the practice is gaining weight in the medical community, as a growing number of studies show that it has real, research-backed health benefits. It’s being used to treat pain, to ease stress, and even to reduce seasonal allergy symptoms. One exciting new area of acupuncture research is fertility.
Roughly 1 in 6 couples in Canada have trouble getting or staying pregnant, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. There’s no one cause for fertility issues, or one specific fertility treatment that works for all people. But more and more doctors are recommending acupuncture as a possible complementary therapy.