Poor sperm quality – Research

Jerng 2014 (SR of 4 RCTs)(1):  Acupuncture increased the percentage of sperm with rapid progression, and sperm contraction; no participants experienced adverse events. The current evidence showing that acupuncture might improve poor semen quality is insufficient because of the small number of studies.

There have been a number of small trials over the years, with promising indications for acupuncture in improving various sperm characteristics. A systematic review in 2015 included 12 studies with 2177 patients. Acupuncture was found to be superior to medication, or superior when combined with it, for sperm concentration and quality and response rates but the quality of the studies was poor (2)

References

  1. Jerng UM, Jo JY, Lee S, Lee JM, Kwon O. The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for poor semen quality in infertile males: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian J Androl. 2014 Nov-Dec;16(6):884-91.
  2. He Y, Chen CT, Qian LH, et al. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2015;21(7):637-645.