About Fertility and Chinese Medicine
We provide services to both men and women trying to conceive, whether they are in the process of IVF, IUI or wanting to use a natural approach to balancing the reproductive system to increase their chances of conception and delivery of a healthy baby.
We aim to assist women who are:
Preparing their bodies for pregnancy.
Using ovulatory – stimulating drugs to produce follicles
Preparing for in-vitro fertilization (IVF)
Preparing for intrauterine insemination (IUI)
We aim to assist men who may want to:
Increase the quality and quantity of their sperm counts
Improve sperm morphology and motility
Prepare their bodys ability to produce healthy sperm to Produce healthy children
During Pregnancy, Chinese medicine can:
Help support the pregnancy
Alleviate nausea and vomiting
Treat back aches, carpal tunnel, and other discomforts
Lessen fluid retention, especially in legs and ankles
Alleviate gastric reflux
Stress management
Correct breach presentation
Promote labor when the baby is ready
Women preparing their bodies for pregnancy
Today, many women are having difficulty conceiving. Some commonly known causes are poor egg quality, amenorrhea, anovulation, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), poor nutritional status, obesity, endometriosis, fibroids, and tubal blockage. Yet many women never know the medical reason for infertility. At our center we will evaluate your body’s energy balance based on Chinese medicine which includes assessing your diet, environment and overall lifestyle. The beauty of Chinese medicine is that the we assess your state of being with both the more obvious signs and symptoms commonly recognized in Western medicine as well as more subtle signs recognized in the system of Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine has helped many woman successfully conceive and have families. A couple planning to use Chinese medicine and lifestyle change to promote conception and a healthy birth should be prepared to use this system for about 6 months.
Ovulatory-stimulating Drugs (ie.clomid)
Clomid will stimulate the ovaries to produce follicles. The use of acupuncture may enhance the action of the medication as well as promote the maturity and health of the follicles.
IVF/IUI
Many couples opt to use in vitro fertilization (IVF). In fact, many of our patients did not realize that Chinese medicine could assist them to conceive until they have reached the stage of IVF where they learn of the increased success rate of IVF with acupuncture. Studies have shown that acupuncture increases the success rate of IVF by 50%. We estimate our success rate is higher than this.
Chinese Medicine may increase the success rate of intrauterine insemination (IUI. The success of IUI is dependent on several factors. The quality of the egg will determine whether you will conceive and carry the baby to term. The quantity of eggs that mature will increase your chances of becoming pregnant . Once the egg is fertilized it has to be implanted in your uterine lining. Acupuncture can enhance the maturation of healthy eggs and promote implantation of the fertilized egg or eggs in the uterus to promote a viable pregnancy. We suggest at least 3 months of chinese medicine to support the development of healthy follicles to help promote successful IUI.
Men
The infertility issues which affect men are low sperm count, poor sperm motility and abnormal sperm morphology. Men can be born with a weak reproductive system or have a weakened sperm development through poor lifestyle habits and suspect environmental exposure. For example, according to one Danish study (Lancet 1994;343:1498.), it was found that members of an organic farmers association who ate pesticide-free food produced double the average quantity of sperm than farmers exposed to pesticides. Tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, excessive emotional and mental stress, poor nutrition, drugs (recreational as well as prescription drugs), and lack of exercise also contribute to unhealthy sperm presentation in men. All of these factors can be discussed with patients under treatment consideration.
Each sperm takes up to 75 days to mature. Therefore it is recommended that men as well as women should allow at least 3 to 6 months to re-establish balance in their reproductive system. At our Center we recommend diet, lifestyle, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine, (as appropriate individually) to optimize mens reproductive system to produce healthier sperm production.