Treating Fertility with Traditional Chinese Medicine
Evidence suggests that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used since 11AD to support fertility. In addition to being effective in aiding natural conception numerous studies, conducted in the past 9 years, have shown that acupuncture can improve the outcome of modern reproductive techniques primarily In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI).
TCM is effective in treating many conditions related to female and male fertility including:
Irregular menstruation
Anovulation
PMS
Endometriosis
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Blocked fallopian tubes
Ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids
Hormonal imbalances
Low sperm count, quality, and motility
Unexplained fertility
TCM and Natural Conception
Acupuncture uses the body’s own energy to stimulate production of hormones and endorphins bringing the body back into balance. This not only helps to optimize conditions for fertilization and implantation but additionally strengthens the overall physical and emotional health of the individual.
It is recommended that individuals are seen for acupuncture 3-4 times per month for at least three menstrual cycles. This is a general guideline and of course some couples become pregnant in a shorter time frame while for others it can take considerably longer.
Acupuncture and Assisted Reproductive Therapy (ART)
In recent years as both acupuncture and ART have become more widely used acupuncture has been found to improve the outcome of IVF empirically and in clinical trials. There are several reasons for this:
Increased blood flow to the uterus improving ovarian response with production of better quality eggs
Increased thickness of uterine lining and uterine receptivity
Reduce uterine contraction at implantation
Improved sperm count
Improved sperm motility, and structure (morphology)
Hormone regulation
Reduced stress and improved relaxation
Strengthened immune system
Reduced rate of miscarriage
Women that have gone through IVF in combination with acupuncture report less severe side effects to the drugs compared to IVF with no acupuncture.
Acupuncture has been shown to increase pregnancy rate during IVF from26% to 43% with only two treatments: one before and one following embryo transfer. It stands to reason that incorporating acupuncture treatment earlier in the process will only enhance the likelihood of conception and full-term pregnancy. Treatment frequency during IVF and IUI depends of the individuals condition and the stage of the reproductive therapy, with frequency increasing during the week of retrieval and implantation.
In June of 2009 the results of a study carried out at the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Center in Colorado Springs, USA studied 114 women undergoing IVF. Half of the women were treated with acupuncture before and after embryo transfer while the control group did not receive acupuncture.
51% of the women that had acupuncture became pregnant compared to 36%in the control group. 8% of those receiving acupuncture miscarried compared with 20% in the control group.
The women that received acupuncture had a lower rate of ectopic pregnancy and were 23% increase in live birth rate compared to their counterparts in the control group
WolfgangE. Paulus et al. Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate inpatients who undergo assisted reproductive therapy. Fertility andSterility. April 2002. 77(4) 721-724
Pei Jian etal. Quantatative evaluation of spermatozoa ultrastructure after acupuncture treatment for idiopathic male infertility. Fertility andStreility. July 2005. 84(1) 141-147
Chang Raymond et al. Role of Acupuncture in the Treatment of female infertility. Fertility and Sterility. December 2002. 78(6) 1149-1153
Stener-Vicotrin Elisabet et al. Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture. HumanReproduction. 11(6) 1314-1317
A Natural , Comprehensive Program for Resolving Infertility
Infertility
Cultivate the soil before planting the seed.
While infertility may appear to be the core problem, it is actually the manifestation of a deeper underlying imbalance. Through our approach of creating a healthy and fertile body, we correct the imbalance and leave it to the body to do what it was created to do: live in vitality and fertile. Our overall goal is to prepare the body for conception and pregnancy.
Architect will tell you that the foundation is the most important aspect of a building or a home. Much like everything in life, the key to successful conception is also a strong foundation. While it is important to live a healthy lifestyle once you have conceived, it is even more important to do so during the 3 months leading up to conception, since this period will determine the health of the sperm and egg that will eventually become your child.
There exists a Chinese parable about “ cultivating the soil before you plant the seed”. This parable with respect to infertility is one of the cornerstones of our approach. It can be better appreciated by using the following example.
[ You have a very health plant growing in a healthy pot of nutrient rich soil. You also have an unhealthy-sickly looking plant that is shriveling up in poor quality overly dried soil. You switch the two plants from their respective pots and you place the shriveled plant in the healthy, moist soil and you maintain the soil by watering and adding nutrients to it. You place the healthy plant in the dried up soil and you neglect it so the soil remains dry and lacking nutrients.
What do you think would happen to the two plants?
There is a good chance that the healthy plant will begin to shrivel and die in the poor soil and the sick plant will recover in the nutrient rich soil. We learn from this story that the health of the plant is dependent on the quality of the soil. At our centre we concern ourselves with cultivating your soil. We do this by creating a healthy and optimum body environment in each person.]
Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) employs a broad spectrum of treatment modalities including herbs, acupressure, acupuncture, bodywork and dietary adjustments. One of least commonly advertised uses of TCM is in the field of infertility. Successful treatment of infertility dates back in China Dynasty (589 CE). Chinese medicine provides a noninvasive, holistic approach to reversing infertility and has a surprising success rate of sixty percent among infertile women; a very high number, considering that many women discover TCM late in their search for infertility solutions.
Traditional Chinese Medicine treats infertility using a combination of specific herbs and the TCM therapy to strengthen and regulate organ functions, primarily the production of hormones, an essential component to fertility. In addition, by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, Chinese herbs and TCM therapy serve the fertility process by restoring a deep relaxation in the mind and body.
Many women seek a single herbal approach for treatment of their infertility – for instance, they take Ginseng. We do not agree with self-diagnosing and self-prescribing which often leads to loss of time and effort and in some cases could be harmful (for instance, one does not use ginseng when experiencing lots of anxiety, sweating at night, hot body sensations, etc. because it can lead to further depletion). One herb is not sufficient to make up for the health deficits of a modern woman who in her late thirties is trying to get pregnant. Many herbalists and health professionals who understand all the possible infertility causes use up to four different herbal patent remedies (each having up to 10 herbs) for the four cycles in the month. As a woman gets older, many different organ systems need a tune-up.
It is our goal to have you conceive naturally, if possible, without the use of IVF (In Vitro fertilization) and other artificial reproductive techniques (A.R.T). We recognize, however, that there are couples, which without the use of ART, they would not be able to have a child of their own. For those who are unable to conceive without the use of ART, it is our focus to prepare your body so your chance of success is significantly increased.
Over the past several decades, extensive research on the benefits of Chinese medicine has confirmed what’s been known for thousands of years: these alternative treatments offer effective solutions to a wide variety of causes of fertility problems.
Chinese medicine can help improve the success rate of ART or IVF in the following ways :
Improve the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs
Regulate the menstrual cycle (and its hormones) to produce a large number of follicles
Increase blood flow to the uterus and increase the thickness of the uterine lining
Prevent the uterus from contracting and therefore provide a better environment for the embryo to implant
Chinese medicine techniques stimulate the body’s natural healing potential by treating root causes of dysfunction, rather than just symptoms
A recent study of various herbal treatments to correct luteal phase defects in a woman’s hormonal cycle produced pregnancy rates from 33 to 56 percent – far higher than the success rates achieved with Western therapies.
Another study found that 76 percent of women treated with TCM therapy and herbs for fallopian tube obstruction were able to conceive.
The World Health Organization (WHO), the health branch of the United Nations, list more than 40 conditions for which TCM therapy is effective and infertility is one of them.
Chinese medicine, used along with Western therapies, minimizes negative side effects and accumulated toxicity from invasive procedures and drug therapies
Chinese medicine may be used to strengthen and balance one’s general health so that ART or IVF procedures are more effective.
Stress and Unexplained Infertility
TCM recognizes stress and emotional imbalance as one of the reasons for being unable to conceive, which typically coincides with a Western diagnosis of unexplained infertility. TCM recognizes a pattern imbalance caused by emotional stress and has a treatment protocol to reverse this process.
Here are a few common effects of stress:
Stress can affect the hypothalamus, which affects a women’s ability to ovulate
Stress leads to the adrenals borrowing more progesterone to make more adrenal hormones therefore chronic stress can lead to lowers progesterone levels.
Stress can increase cortisol levels, which can blocks progesterone receptors and interfere with the embryo implanting into the uterine lining
Stress can increase prolactin levels and interfere with ovulation
More Detail :
In Chinese medicine, body, mind and emotions are an integrated whole with no beginning or end, which the internal organs are the major sphere of influence. The emotions become causes of diseases only when they are particularly intense and , most of all, when they are prolonged over a period of time, especially when they are not expressed or acknowledged.
The link between stress and disease and how stress affects the delicate balance of the hormonal system:
“ Hormone production is intimately affected by psychological stress. Women have always known that emotional stress affects their ovarian function and their menstrual cycles. Excessive stress may even inhibit menstruation. The body’s hormonal system is inextricably linked with the brain centres where emotions are experienced and interpreted. In turn, the hormonal apparatus and the emotional centres are interconnected with the immune system and the nervous system. These are not four separate systems, but one super system that functions as a unit. It is impossible for any stressful stimulus, chronic or acute, to act on only one part of the super system.
What happens to one will affect all “
TCM has recognizes for thousands of years that stress has an effect on health and reproduction, and more recently so has Western medicine. Current research has documented the benefits of TCM therapy for stress relief.
Reproductive Enhancement with TCM
TCM therapy and Herbal medicine function to restore balance to the energies of nature contained within us. Traditional Chinese Medicine would suggest that we look at the processes in nature and make parallels with the internal processes of change occurring within us. An ancient Chinese master described the energies of nature contained within us:
• The first energy, the Fire Energy, is like the sun, always warming the body/ mind/spirit, bathing you with love. Experience this manifestation of nature within you as the urge to love, and express that love.
• The Earth Energy is like the soil, always giving to the body/mind/spirit, providing you with nourishment. Experience this manifestation of nature within you as the urge to nurture, and express that nurturing to yourself and your loved ones.
• The Metal Energy is like the gem, always sustaining to the body/mind/spirit, endowing you with strength. Experience this manifestation of nature within you as the urge to be strong.
• The Water Energy is like the spring, always refreshing to the body/mind/spirit, forming you and your relationships in change. Experience this manifestation of nature within you as the urge to change.
• The Wood Energy is like the tree, always supportive of the body/mind/spirit, seeding you in growth. Experience this manifestation of nature within you as the urge to grow.
Reproduction requires all of these “Energies” which can be translated into “Processes” to be in balance for conception to occur.
FIRE may be thought of as your body’s thermoregulatory center and thyroid functioning..
EARTH is the effective functioning of your digestive and metabolic systems.
METAL may be considered as your basic defensive and immune systems.
WATER is your genetic constitution and reproductive capacity.
WOOD is the process of renewal and regeneration.
We will help you balance the disharmonies which have been preventing conception.
It is very common for couples today to feel like “it is getting too late; we must employ severe measures”. While its true that the average couple waits until later in life to conceive, TCM may help “turn back the reproductive clock”
You are not alone. Approximately one in six to ten couples experience problems with fertility. Innumerable women grieve the loss of a potential child once a month, and lose a little more hope with each period. We believe that we can give you reason for optimism.
TCM has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more women are waiting until they are in their mid-thirties and older to start a family. It is undisputed that women starting their families later in life have more difficulty becoming pregnant, and many couples spend up to RM 20,000 on attempting to conceive – with no guarantee of success. TCM offers rate of success for far less money.
Preconception - Planning for a Health Baby
The health of the parents before and at the time of conception, and the mother’s health during the early stages of her pregnancy have an influence in the health of the baby.
The effect of the mother’s nutrition prior to conception and during pregnancy on the health of her children in later life. His early conclusions are as follows : “it looks as though getting it right at the beginning may be a key to good health throughout life”. Ensuring optimum health in both parents in the period leading to conception (as well as in the mother during pregnancy) can do a great deal to enhance fetal growth and to minimize the risk of fetal abnormalities.
Although ovulation should occur monthly, the recruitment process begins about 100 days before the actual time of ovulation. So the quality of the egg to be fertilized is highly dependent upon the health of the body and hormonal system during those 100 days of recruitment. This is consistent with the TCM approach of treating a woman for at least 3 full menstrual cycles in order to regulate her cycle. In essence, the health of the baby is dependent on the quality of the egg and sperm, which is actually determined during the 3 months prior to conception. It is consistent with the Chinese expression about “cultivating the soil before you plant the seed”
TCM stresses the importance of the parent’s health in general, and specifically at the time of conception, in determining the health of the child. If the parents conceive when too old (biologically vs chronologically), or in poor health, the constitution of their child may be weak. Getting it right during the preconception period can help “turn back your reproductive clock”
Please talk to us for further treatments information and details.
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