Fertility

Fertility

“When faced with infertility, we can draw upon (the mysterious female’s) life-giving potential. This spirit wants to give life, to be healthy, to bear children; our job is simply to help our bodies do what they were meant to do.” (Randine Lewis, PhD, The Infertility Cure)

TCM has a long tradition of treating menstruation and fertility. Gynecological and fertility treatments have been documented in texts of the Shang Dynasty (!500 BCE.) to The Book of Mountains and Seas and The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (475 - 221 BCE.). Today, clinical experience and trails inform the practice of TCM.

TCM fertility treatments are for menstruating women who wish to become pregnant either naturally, through IUI or IVF.

Regulate the Menses

This is a broad treatment principle. It means that when regulated, the Qi & Blood in the menses will flow freely and the woman will be be fertile. Adjustments are tailored to treat your individual presentation and all phases of the cycle which are: menstruation, follicular, ovulation and luteal.

In each phase described below, your individual phases could be short or prolonged, excess or deficient, cold or hot, dry or damp and can lead to fertility issues.

During the 5-7 days of menstruation, your treatment will promote the free flow of your uterine lining. Your menstrual blood is a physical substance from your internal body and so, it is regarded as a reflection of the overall health of your menstrual cycle. If your menstrual blood is pale or dark red, has large clots or you experience spotting, herbs are tailored to treat these signs specifically.

If you experience PSM symptoms such as irritability, pain, constipation, diarrhea, oedema, nausea, changes in appetite, nose bleeds, mouth sores, vaginal irritation, dizziness, depression, clumsiness or muscle aches, these are signs indicating what is happening with your entire cycle and need to be addressed.

During the 12-14 days of the follicular phase, your treatment will promote Yin. Yin energy dominates this phase of the cycle which is calm, still, nourishing and preparing for the journey to come. In this stage there is follicular growth, estrogen production (which also begins to grow your uterine lining), yin fluids (cervical mucous), All these natural processes are promoted and if necessary, we clear night sweats and moisten vaginal dryness.

During the 12-48 hours of ovulation, the stillness of Yin will transform into movement of Yang energy. The estrogen produced by the follicle triggers a release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone triggers the release of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) which releases the egg so it can travels down the fallopian tube. In TCM, acupuncture and herbs work to promote this smooth flow of hormone release and egg movement.

The next 12-14 days are the luteal phase and are become Yang dominant. The follicle that released the egg becomes the corpus luteum and releases progesterone. Progesterone is Yang in nature and it thickens the uterine lining and holds blood in place. Insufficient Yang/progesterone is linked to spotting. If there is pregnancy, the embryo will release human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to increase progesterone and the thickness of the uterine lining. This is the hormone that appears on a positive home pregnancy test as early as 10 days after conception.

Sperm Quality

From a TCM perspective, male infertility is treatable with acupuncture and herbs. Herbs will be chosen based on whether you need to improve the overall health of sperm, poor morphology of sperm, increase sperm count, increase testosterone levels, improve sperm motility or to sperm viscosity. Ideally, you will have had a sperm and semen analysis to help determine the quality of your sperm. Low sperm count due to stress typically responds very well to acupuncture and herbal treatments.

Other signs that will help us reach a diagnosis include low back pain, seminal emissions, frequent urination, dizziness, cold scrotum and lower abdominal pain.

You may also be asked to take nutritional supplements to improve overall health.

Egg Quality

A majority of women over age 35 who are having a hard time conceiving or have tried IVF without success, will have been told that it is due to egg quality.

The DNA and integrity of chromosomes contained within a woman’s egg is fixed and it is a fact that neither current medicine nor acupuncture can change or alter their contents. However, there is more to an egg than DNA. The environment in the ovaries has an impact on egg quality.

Age is a known factor which decreases circulation to the ovaries. In order to mature and become quality eggs, they need good blood supply, oxygen, nutrients, hormones and sufficient mitochondria. Mitochondria are the parts of an egg cell that require oxygen and produce energy. When fertilized, the egg must supply the embryo with sufficient energy for implantation.

Acupuncture is known to increase circulation, and this is even true for micro circulation to the ovaries. This increased circulation brings oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the local environment of the eggs. Eggs that consume more oxygen while in the ovaries form better quality embryo’s.

The principle is simple: when you treat the environment, you can influence the outcome. The eggs that implant successfully are able to do so because of the energy their mitochondria produce, rather than maternal age. Therefore an increase in circulation will increase the oxygen available to an egg, giving it more energy to pass on to the ovum for implantation.

In this way, we can influence egg quality without changing the chromosomes.

Miscarriage Recovery

TCM places great importance on a woman’s recovery after miscarriage. Acupuncture is commonly used to ease the emotional aspects of miscarriage which can vary from casual to devastating as well as recover from a D&C. Building up your Qi and Blood during this time can help your mental, emotional and physical body recover.

TCM Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbs are designed to help your body produce the proper level of hormones on its own. In other words, they stimulate hormone secretion, rather than add hormones directly to the body. Herbs that can help regulate the menstrual cycle, improve circulation and therefore egg quality and can take 6 months or at least 3 months to improve fertility. For many people, this is difficult as time is precious. During a consult, we will discuss your case in detail and provide guidelines for you specifically.

Disclaimer

In medicine, nothing is guaranteed and this is the same in TCM. While we can do everything we know based on diagnostics, herbs and medical tests, a full term pregnancy is never guaranteed. When taken as prescribed, and in the absence of serious medical conditions, Classical Chinese fertility methods achieve healthy, optimal pregnancy 75% of the time.

A study published in the UK in 2008 notes that acupuncture within 24 hours before and/or after IVF improved fertility rates by 65%.