Dr. Christine Cui 2018-Oct-30

What is DHEA?

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a steroid hormone produced by your body’s adrenal glands. It’s located just above the kidney. DHEA hormones are responsible as precursor to male and female sex hormones (ie. estrogen and testosterone). It may also improve brain function, protect the heart and has anti-aging properties.

There is no doubt that DHEA has many benefits for the body. Those benefits include:

1. Improve fertility rate
2. Protect the heart
3. Improve brain function, hence better memory
4. Boosts estrogen and testosterone levels
5. Lower insulin resistance
6. May help in losing weight
7. Improves sleep
8. Protects muscles
9. Relieve pains from menopause
10. Improve bone health

Many people choose to take DHEA supplements so that they can improve their sex drive, increase pregnancy rate and even losing weight. However, before you take these supplements it is important to know what the side effects are.

For your information, if you need to take DHEA supplements in Australia, it is a prescription-only medication and therefore you will need to consult your doctor.

Side effects of DHEA

The side effects of taking DHEA supplements include the following:

• Hair loss for women
• Facial hair in women
• Disruption in women’s menstrual cycle
• High blood pressure
• Fatigue
• Oily skin and acne
• Anxiety or depression
• Might cause cancer, such as prostate cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer

The recommended dosage for women is 25 milligrams per day whereas for men it could be up to 50 milligrams. Taking more than 50 milligrams is strongly not recommended as this will increase the chance of getting cancer. You need to understand that there is another way to increase DHEA levels than taking supplements.   Acupuncture can definitely enhance the level of your DHEA.

Acupuncture and DHEA

Considering the side effects above, it is recommended that you should try to improve DHEA hormones by doing traditional approach such as Acupuncture. Acupuncture in conjunction with Chinese medicine may improve kidney function and release DHEA hormones naturally. This may also affect fertility level in couples.

What can Acupuncture do in relation to DHEA?

Acupuncture may help women with high FSH or low AMH levels and also had multiple miscarriages due to chromosomal abnormalities.  This means that the level of DHEA will increase and also help improving egg quality in women.

Furthermore, IVF acupuncture treatments have also been proven to improve fertility levels and increase numbers of eggs retrieved and fertilised.  It is recommended to do IVF Acupuncture treatments 3- 4 months prior to an IVF cycle.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine may support the maturation of female eggs. It may help the eggs develop by increasing the blood flow to the pelvic region, uterus and ovaries.  Hence; acupuncture may improve fertility in couples and increase the chance of live birth.

Acupuncture may reduce stress and improve quality of sleep which results in balancing male and female hormones as well as better eggs quality.  It usually takes around three months for you to see the change in FSH and egg quality.

Acupuncture may also reduce the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Many have testified that acupuncture in combination with Chinese medicine may relieve symptoms such as hot flashes and reduce stress level.  It may also help to regulate your menstrual cycle and improve kidney system in your body. It is recommended to take acupuncture for at least once per week.

In conclusion, DHEA is significant in improving fertility in couples as well as to protect your heart. However, due to the side effects of taking DHEA supplements, it is strongly recommended that you should try Acupuncture first before taking any supplement.