At BodaHealth, we are always looking for ways to provide safe and effective treatments for our patients, and cold laser therapy is no exception. We have found that laser therapy is gentle, safe and effective therapy to treat a wide variety of health conditions, including reproductive health issues and fertility.
The kind of laser that we use at BodaHealth in Vancouver is a low level laser, or cold laser. It uses low intensity light that’s emitted by infrared lasers and high powered LEDs. These sources gently produce changes deep within your body’s tissues, at the cellular level. Unlike high powered lasers, cold laser therapy penetrates into your tissues without heating up or damaging your skin. The energy emitted by a cold laser is absorbed by your cells, which triggers physiological and biochemical reactions. It increases vascularity and circulation to the treated area, promotes cell growth, and rebalances the chemical processes that are critical to tissue healing and regeneration. The changes triggered by cold laser therapy help to stimulate tissue repair, decrease inflammation, and relieve pain.
Research studies have yielded promising results for the use of cold laser in treating infertility and other reproductive issues. The discovery of using cold laser for reproductive health occurred by accident, by a Japanese doctor treating a menopausal woman with cold laser therapy for lower back pain. The treatments reversed his patient’s menopause, which led him and another researcher to explore the possibility that cold laser therapy may have positive effects on women who were experiencing infertility. In their study, over 20 percent of infertile subjects who had unsuccessfully undergone assisted reproductive technology became pregnant after cold laser therapy.
The effects of cold laser therapy occur deep in your body’s tissues, causing positive changes within your cells. Some of those changes include:
- Increased vascularity (formation of tiny vessels) and enhanced circulation.
- Decreased inflammation through the activation of your body’s immune response
- Enhanced circulation of phagocytes and macrophages, which are white blood cells important for fighting infection
- Increased mitochondrial activity, which produces energy in your cells in the form of ATP
- The generation of new cells
- Softening and resolution of scar tissue
- A reduction in oxidative stress that contributes to accelerated aging
These changes have important implications in the effective treatment of a number of reproductive conditions, including:
Poor Egg Quality
As women get older, the quality of their eggs decline, having a negative impact on fertility. One of the most important effects of cold laser therapy is that it enhances mitochondrial activity to produce more ATP. This means that cold laser can help increase the energetic activity in egg cells at a time when they are normally declining, producing more viable eggs.
Enhanced male fertility
The mitochondrial effects of cold laser therapy may help semen quality, especially enhancing motility.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
This hormonal condition causes affected women to develop several small groupings of follicles in their ovaries. They don’t regularly release eggs, may have irregular periods, tend to have excess male hormone levels and can develop insulin resistance. PCOS is also a common reason for infertility. Researchers have found that cold laser applied to acupoints on women with PCOS resulted in decreased male hormone levels, body mass index and insulin resistance, suggesting it to be effective in the management of this condition.
Endometriosis
Cold laser therapy may offer relief for women who suffer from this painful disorder. Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial tissue grows in the pelvis outside of your uterus, often creating lesions around your ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining your pelvic cavity. While high powered lasers have been used to excise endometrial tissue surgically, cold laser therapy may offer a gentler way to treat this condition. Through its ability to reduce inflammation and regulate cellular metabolism, cold laser therapy may provide effective relief from endometriosis.
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
Cold laser therapy may improve outcomes of ART. It has the potential to be effective both pre and post IVF. A possible mechanism in play is enhanced cellular activity and the improved blood supply to the treated area, increasing oxygen and nutrients that may aid fertility.
Cold laser treatments are both gentle and effective. It can be a great way to support ART treatments and may be combined with acupuncture, herbs, nutritional supplementation, and other therapies. Sessions last for 15 to 30 minutes, and the number of treatments you’ll need depends on the nature of your condition and your health history. In addition, if you’re combining cold laser therapy with ART, the timing of your sessions will be an important consideration to discuss with your practitioner at BodaHealth.
At BodaHealth, our practitioners are committed to supporting you to maximize your reproductive health and fertility. We believe that cold laser therapy is an excellent addition to our array of healing therapies. If you’d like more information about cold laser therapy for reproductive conditions or fertility, please contact us.
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