07/25/2022
Chinese Medicine & Fertility
When a couple is struggling to conceive, Chinese Medicine may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Most couples may begin to contemplate IVF or see a fertility specialist. Many couples are simply unaware that Chinese Medicine has been responsible for countless successful pregnancies throughout the thousands of years it has been in existence. The treatment approaches of Eastern and Western medicine differ in many ways; Eastern medicine has a holistic view of the entire body, whereas Western medicine tends to have a compartmentalized view, focusing solely on the region that is affected. I’ve helped many women become mothers throughout my years in practice. Many of them simply felt stressed and hopeless in the process, especially when they viewed their timeframe for having a child as limited. Below are a few cases that come to mind:
Case 1:
31-year-old Jenny had been unsuccessful trying to conceive for the past 8 years. She had a lot of health complications, which presented as chronic pelvic and abdominal pain, preventing her from performing many daily activities. Over the course of 6 years, she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, fibroids, polyps, an underactive gallbladder, IBS, IC, acid reflux, and gastritis, resulting in multiple abdominal surgeries. She came into the office for weekly treatments and was given customized Chinese herbs to help alleviate pain, harmonize her digestion and regulate her menstrual cycle. After one menstrual cycle, she found out she was pregnant for the first time. Her pregnancy was high risk because of her health history and amount of pelvic and abdominal pain. Throughout the duration of her pregnancy, she came in for acupuncture treatments to help alleviate her pain and severe nausea and vomiting. At the end of her third trimester, she had a scheduled C-section and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Case 2:
34-year-old Lana had come into the office after being diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. At the time of her first appointment, she hadn’t had a menstrual cycle in over 5 months. She started having irregular menstrual cycles after she stopped breastfeeding her daughter 4 years earlier. At the time of her visit, she also presented with pre-menopausal symptoms, which were causing her a lot of grief in her daily life. She had been told by her MD that neither IVF nor other assisted fertility treatments would result in any pregnancies and that she shouldn’t attempt to try because she was not ovulating. The following day after her first treatment she started her menstrual cycle. She had continued treatments weekly and was given customized Chinese herbal formulas, which were modified as her presentation and symptoms changed. In addition, she was monitoring her basal body temperature daily. Over the next few months, her pre-menopausal symptoms diminished and she felt like herself again. As she continued her treatments, the time between her menstrual cycles became shorter. 6 months after her initial visit, she was leaving on vacation and was given an extended amount of Chinese herbs to last the duration of her trip. When she returned from her trip she stated that her basal body temperature had remained really high. When looking at the chart, it appeared that she had ovulated while on vacation and the elevated temperature seemed indicative of pregnancy. When mentioning this to her, she didn’t want to get her hopes up. Later that evening she had taken a pregnancy test, and the result read positive. She followed up with her OB-gyne, which confirmed the test result. Based on some additional lab work, she was also given progesterone to help prevent a potential miscarriage. At the end of her third trimester, she had given birth to a healthy baby girl.
Case 3:
Judy, 38 years old, had been trying to have a baby for years. She had gotten pregnant twice in her early 30s, but had miscarried during the first trimester of both pregnancies. She and her husband had gone through a range of tests, all of which were determined to be normal. They decided to undergo IVF, but after 4 cycles she failed to become pregnant. Overall, she was in good health aside from some difficulty sleeping and menstrual-related symptoms of irritability, breast tenderness, and bloating. Chinese medicine was her last hope and she really didn't think that acupuncture could help her, but she needed to know that she had tried everything before giving up. She began weekly acupuncture treatments along with Chinese herbs. Immediately, she began to feel more relaxed and was sleeping better. A month after treatments had begun, she came in for her appointment and was visibly upset. Unbeknownst to me, she had started the adoption process several months prior, since she had basically given up on the idea of getting pregnant. Unfortunately, the adoption had fallen through and the birth mother had decided to keep the baby. We continued treatments and after 2 months of acupuncture, she became pregnant. She was cautiously optimistic in light of her previous history of miscarriages. We continued treatments throughout her pregnancy and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Case 4:
Jen, 33 years old, came into the office because she and her husband wanted to start a family. She had a history of 2 early-term miscarriages over the course of 2 years. A friend of hers had suggested she try Chinese medicine. She was hoping it might be able to help even though she was skeptical. Both she and her husband had seen Western medical practitioners and were both issued a clean bill of health. While discussing her overall health and medical history, she expressed how much stress and pressure she was under. It was disrupting her sleep and she had a handful of digestive issues as well. After a few weeks of treatments, she was able to sleep soundly and she didn’t feel as overwhelmed emotionally. Her digestive issues slowly began to regulate as well. After 3 months of weekly treatments and customized Chinese herbs, she had become pregnant. We continued treatments throughout her pregnancy and she carried to full turn, delivering a beautiful baby girl.
If you or someone close to you is struggling to conceive, consider trying Chinese Medicine. Even if Western fertility treatments are sought out, incorporating Chinese Medicine with them has shown to increase success rates. If you have any questions or want further information, feel free to contact me directly.
