Acupuncture for reproductive disorders.

The use of acupuncture to treat reproductive disorders can produce excellent results. Two proposed physiologic mechanisms for its effects on the reproductive system include an endorphin-mediated mechanism affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal endocrine axis and a direct effect on gonadal paracrine and autocrine control of steroidogenesis. This chapter discusses reproductive disorders from both western and traditional Chinese perspectives, and details the use of acupuncture for the treatment of eight specific categories of reproductive dysfunction.