Fertility

Fertility

Ten Ways Chinese Medicine Enhances Fertility.
Acupuncture's benefit for a range of fertility-related issues is consistently demonstrated in studies, including a 2002 landmark study in Fertility and Sterility, (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) where pregnancy rates were 43% with acupuncture and 26% without it.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can:
1. Improve ovarian response -- better egg production
2. Increase ovarian and uterine blood flow -- better ovarian response
3. Help prepare the uterine lining -- increased implanation rates
4. Improve sperm count, motility, and morphology
5. Lessen the side effects of hormone treatments
6. Regulate hormones of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads
7. Decrease reproductive immunologic reactions
8. Decrease uterine contractility at implantation
9. Resolve stress to promote relaxation
10. Reduce the incidence of miscarriage

Acupuncture can be used alone or as an adjunct to other fertility enhancement procedures and can be employed at any stage of the feritlity process, inclucing during an IVF cycle.
The Diagnosis of Infertility is a Myth
As long as the anatomical structures are present, a medical diagnosis of “infertility” is often a fallacy.
Many factors can cause a woman to have difficulty conceiving, but once these factors are overcome and a woman’s body is restored to health, conception can occur naturally.

Factors Causing Infertility include long-term poor nutrition, elevated stress levels and advanced maternal age. Our reproductive systems are made up of organs and hormones that must work together seamlessly so conditions will be right for pregnancy to occur. When the health of the body is restored, a woman’s reproductive system will do what it was designed to do naturally: conceive and carry to term a healthy child.

Western medical approaches range from fertility drugs, such as Clomid, to surgery to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). For resolving structural problems such as blocked fallopian tubes western medicine is the only method of treatment. Chinese Medicine's multi-faceted approach includes acupuncture, herbal therapy, nutrition and exercise systems such as Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga. However, TCM is remarkable for treating infertility problems when there is no anatomical abnormality. TCM would treat infertility issues related to hormonal balance, stress, menstrual problems, low sperm count and age-related factors.
A diagnosis of infertility may include:

High FSH
Poor Egg Quality
Hormone Imbalances
Luteal Phase Defect (LPD)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (POS)
Endometriosis
Uterine Fibrosis
Unexplained Infertility
Stress and Infertility
Tubal Obstruction
Anovulation or Amenorrhea
Autoimmune Infertility
Secondary Infertility
Male Factors
Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)

Acupuncture treatments can successfully restore balance to the body. And when combined with Chinese Herbal Medicine, acupuncture has shown promising results in treating infertility. Changes women have experienced include:

less menstrual irregularity
balancing of hormones
stress reduction
reduction in anxiety
improved sleeping habits
higher energy levels

Men can also benefit from acupuncture, as treatment often invigorates the sperm, enhancing both the count and motility.
In addition to being relatively painless, one of acupuncture's biggest advantages is that it produces no harmful side effects such as potentially risky multiple births or ectopic pregnancies. And there are none of the side effects of fertility drugs.

Chinese Medicine Increases Effectiveness of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Acupuncture is obviously improving the success rates of high tech reproductive medicine. Just how acupuncture does this is evidenced by many studies:

A woman's response to hormonal therapy can be dramatically improved by acupuncture because acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs.

Acupuncture has been shown to regulate hormone levels by moderating the release of beta-endorphin levels in the brain, which improves the release of gonadatrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland, and estrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.

Acupuncture reduces stress and a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system response.

Acupuncture has been speculated to moderate cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin levels in the uterus, reducing uterine motility to improve implantation rates.

In 2002, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine reported that in a study of 114 women who were receiving in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), half were given acupuncture before and after the embryo transfer while the other half received IVF only. The outcome was impressive; of the women who received IVF and acupuncture, 51 percent became pregnant as opposed to 36 percent of those who received IVF only. In addition, the miscarriage rate in the acupuncture group was only 8 percent as opposed to 20 percent in the control group.

So how long does this take?
In general, when we talk about treating any condition related to menstruation or fertility in women, the standard course of treatment will take at the least three months of consistent treatment. This is especially true with couples who are still trying to conceive naturally. Unfortunately, one or two treatments of acupuncture, or one week on herbs, will do very little to enhance fertility. Women who undergo IVF or artificial insemination however may still benefit from fewer treatments, although again, one or two treatments are not going to do it. The protocol used in this clinic for patients undergoing IVF treatments is to have them begin weekly treatments as soon as possible before the actual transfer and usually the patient should expect to have at the very least one month of regular treatments. Beginning about one month before embryo transfer acupuncture is done twice weekly. Then, the actual day of the transfer we treat the mother-to-be both before and after the procedure to try to ensure optimal conditions for embryo implantation. Some women elect to pursue Chinese herbal therapies along side IVF treatments. Some western doctors feel comfortable with this and some do not, so it is a personal decision that varies patient to patient. According to Chinese doctors acupuncture may increase IVF success rates by up to 35%. However, when acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapies are combined and performed by a fully licensed and trained practitioner, the success rates can be increased by as much as 60%.

And what about the men?
Issues with male fertility can also treated with both acupuncture and herbs. In my experience however, men are less willing to be treated leaving the burden to their female partner. Sometimes when there are problems with sperm quality fertility specialists will inject a single sperm into an egg cell during an IVF round (a process known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection). Couples are then led to believe that even with poor sperm, an ideal and healthy pregnancy can still be achieved. Many men decide against TCM treatment because this procedure (IVF) gives then an "easy out" so to speak. Oriental Medicine believes that by far the best results come when both the male and female partners receive treatment of some sort - either acupuncture or herbs, or both. The couples that consistently get pregnant in a shorter period of time are those where both partners receive some sort of TCM treatment.

What now?
Please also remember that the mind is a tremendous tool for wellbeing. In my experience some sort of relaxation therapy is one of the best treatments for infertility, especially in younger women where nothing seems to actually be wrong. Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga are systems which provide exercise and relaxation as well as stimulating energy. A moderate diet and lifestyle are extremely important as well. If you are interested in TCM treatment either as a primary or adjunct therapy for fertility issues the good news is that TCM professionals can be found almost everywhere today. A fully trained practitioner of TCM will have professional training in both acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.