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Traditional Chinese Medicine for Infertility

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dates back approximately 5,000 years and has been used to treat infertility and miscarriage as early as 200 A.D. Using a combination of acupuncture, herbs, massage, diet, and exercise, TCM treats the root causes of a condition, balances disharmonies, and alleviates a patient's symptoms. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently acknowledged the ability of TCM to facilitate healing in many diseases, and nearly one quarter of the world's population still turns to TCM for their primary health care.

TCM stems from ancient Taoist philosophy which views a person as an energy system in which mind and body are deeply connected, each influencing and balancing the other. An individual's emotional experiences, eating habits, work habits, work and living environment, personal habits, and social environment are all factors that contribute to overall health or illness. The belief is based on the concept of yin and yang - opposing energies, such as earth and heaven, winter and summer, and happiness and sadness. When yin and yang are in balance, you feel relaxed and energized; but they can negatively affect your health when out of balance.

Practitioners also believe that there is a life force or energy in every body, known as qi (pronounced "chee"). In order for yin and yang to be balanced and for the body to be healthy, qi must be balanced and flowing freely through energy pathways in your body called meridians. When there's too little or too much qi in one of the meridians, or when the flow of qi is blocked, you become ill.

According to TCM, the inability to conceive does not necessarily imply infertility; it simply means an imbalance in one's optimum reproductive health. Traditional Chinese practitioners believe reproductive imbalance is caused by one or more of the following syndromes:

1. A "deficiency" syndrome prevents the hormonal system from properly influencing the sexual and reproductive functions. This is said to be a weakness of the "kidney and liver."
2. A "stagnancy" syndrome prevents the sexual and reproductive organs from functioning despite normal hormone levels and normal ability to respond to hormones. This is said to involve a stagnancy of "qi and blood," which restricts circulation to the tissues involved.
3. A "heat" syndrome, which causes the affected organs to function abnormally. This type of syndrome can produce abnormal semen quality in males, while gynecologic infections can cause female infertility by blocking the passages, changing the mucous membrane conditions, or influencing the local temperature.

• Establishing a regular menstrual cycle
• Rebalancing hormonal functions, decreasing elevated levels of FSH and encouraging ovulation
• Increasing endometrial lining
• Increasing and regulating beneficial cervical fluid
• Unblocking fallopian tubes
• Decreasing stress levels
• Strengthening the immune system
• Increasing the libido

• Improving sperm motility
• Improving semen volume
• Improve sperm quality (morphology)
• Decreasing stress
• Increasing the libido

After a TCM practitioner diagnoses a pattern of disharmony, treatments for fertility generally involve weekly acupuncture appointments and daily consumption of an herbal formula. Diet modifications, exercise, and massage may also be recommended.

Acupuncture

Qi meridians are accessible through 400 different acupuncture points on the body and, based on the problem you're experiencing, different combinations of points are stimulated using needles of varying lengths. Placing these solid, thin needles on certain locations around the body unblocks the meridian obstructions and restores the flow of energy. The needles are left there for 20 to 60 minutes, during which pulsating electrical current may also be applied to the needles to enhance the treatment (called electro-acupuncture).

Western medical experts believe that the needles stimulate the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain, promoting the body to heal itself and reduce pain. Another hypothesis is that changes to the central nervous system during acupuncture alter the regulation of blood pressure and flow, as well as body temperature.

Traditional practitioners believe that acupuncture is useful in treating infertility because it helps regulate your body's system, increases blood flow to the reproductive organs, and stabilizes pituitary and ovarian hormone levels, all of which increases ovarian function in women and sperm production and motility in men. The improved circulation to the ovaries means healthier eggs, and the increased blood flow to the uterus increases the health and thickness of the uterine lining, which helps it retain and nourish a fetus to full-term. It is also thought that acupuncture helps women to relax during modern fertility treatments.

Several studies have shown acupuncture to increase the success rate of IVF treatments, and to lower the rate of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Receiving acupuncture treatments before and after IVF embryo transfer may increase the chance that the embryo will be implanted successfully and reduce the chance of miscarriage. The effectiveness of IVF drugs and procedures may also improve if acupuncture is done about once a week in the month or two leading up to the start of IVF and then continued regularly during the whole cycle.

Herbs

Chinese herbs are used to correct the underlying imbalance in order to restore normal body function. More than 150 different herbs are regularly used to treat infertility, and practitioners mix together up to 30 different herbs to create the perfect concoction specifically designed for the individual patient. Depending on the problem you may ingest the herbs in the form of pills, tablets, granules, or decoctions (teas).

In Chinese clinical studies, daily or periodic use of herbs usually resulted in restored fertility within three to six months. In the U.S., however, the dosage of herbs is usually lower, so it is estimated that pregnancy can be achieved within six to twelve months.

In the U.S., Chinese herbs are considered traditional foods, not drugs; as a result, they have not been formally tested for safety or efficacy. If you are undergoing IVF or other traditional fertility treatment, don't take any herbs without the consent of your reproductive endocrinologist. In addition, if you suspect you are pregnant, stop taking any herbs immediately, as some may be harmful to the fetus. It is generally considered unnecessary to take herbs during pregnancy; however, women with a history of miscarriage or who are deemed high risk for miscarriage may wish to take certain herbs.

Diet and Exercise

The Chinese believe that diet is one of the three sources of qi (the other two are heredity and environment) and the foods we eat directly influence the excesses and deficiencies in our bodies. They view diet as an extension of herbal medicine and believe it is a way to increase qi, moisture, and blood, and to aid organ function.

According to traditional TCM practitioners, diet is based on the five elements (fire, earth, metal, water, and wood) and eight guiding principles (internal/external, heat/cold, deficiency/excess, and yin/yang). They believe foods have yin and yang, warming and cooling, drying and moistening properties; and as a result, certain foods are beneficial to certain people, depending on who they are and their present condition. For instance, eating salads (cool, moist, yin food) is not recommended for a person who has generally a low basal body temperature (BBT). Conversely, meat such as lamb (warm, yang food) can help a "cold" barren uterus.

In addition to diet, TCM includes a form of exercise called qi gong, which is believed to optimize the flow of qi in the body. Qi gong is not considered a direct therapy for infertility; however, it may be useful for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression many people diagnosed with infertility experience. Qi gong incorporates posture, movement, breathing, meditation, visualization, and conscious intent in order to cleanse or purify the qi.

Tui na Massage

Tui na massage is a complete system of body alignment using acupressure, stretching, and gentle manipulation to restore balance and harmony. It is both a treatment as well as a preventative therapy, and can enhance and hasten the effect of herbs. In addition, the practitioner's sensitive hands can detect significant diagnostic information, and touch adds a deeply compassionate level to the act of healing. The liniments and oils used in massage also provide an additional channel for herbs to work.

Massage affects not only the physical body but also the qi body and the mental body (emotions, thought, and spiritual faculties). Since both mental and physical health depend on a smooth and abundant flow of qi, massage can effectively treat all three levels. Tui na seeks to establish a more harmonious flow of qi through the system of meridians, allowing the body to naturally heal itself. It is closely related to acupuncture in its use of the meridian system.

If you are undergoing modern fertility treatments and wish to begin TCM, tell your reproductive specialist. It's beneficial to find a TCM practitioner who is affiliated with a modern medical center so your reproductive specialist and TCM care providers may work together.

To find a TCM practitioner in your area, go to the American Association of Oriental Medicine Website or The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.