Treating Infertility
Planning a family is one thing, but unfortunately for many couples the arrival of a little bouncing baby can be a long and challenging journey presenting many highs and lows. Infertility is a common condition impacting millions of couples all around the world.
Western medicine has achieved great breakthroughs in infertility therapy especially with the development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) including in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a wholistic view of infertility that complements the western medical approach, playing an integral part in helping young couples become parents. Acupuncture, in particular, has been helping women with fertility, pregnancy and giving birth for more than 3,000 years.
Western medicine focuses more on measuring hormone levels to achieve pregnancy. Acupuncture offers a safe drug-free treatment option focusing on balancing emotional stress and using TCM pattern diagnosis, during the many stages of preparing for pregnancy, making it to full term as well as during the post pregnancy stages.
In TCM we understand that the Liver is the organ system responsible for a woman’s menstrual cycle. Should the Liver function be compromised, symptoms manifest such as heavy menstrual bleeding and clotting, irregular cycle, the absence of a cycle, headaches and cramps during the cycle, and pre-menstrual tension (PMS) all of which can disrupt fertility. From a TCM perspective, the priority is to rebalance the woman’s Kidney and Liver functions and assist other organs to function better.
As well as addressing specific organs and energy pathways of the body, TCM embraces health wholistically – body, mind and soul, therefore a TCM practitioner would also treat a woman’s emotional condition. Trying to fall pregnant for some couples can be an emotional rollercoaster, resulting in stress, anger, worry, frustration, nervousness, anxiety and even feelings of fear. These states of mind can also have a negative impact on the Liver and Spleen, Kidney and Conception Vessel functions and consequently fertility. It can become a vicious cycle, as they say.
So, what is the best approach to falling pregnant?
Acupuncture and herbal formulations can help restore Liver function and help balance the body and its emotions by building the body’s energy (Qi). These treatments can work hand in hand with the western approaches to fertility. TCM protocols assist by supporting IVF treatments, decreasing possible side effects from hormonal therapy and increasing the chance of pregnancy.
References
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2. Isoyama D, Cordts EB, Bentes De Souza Van Niewegen AM, et al. Effect of acupuncture on symptoms of anxiety in women undergoing in vitro
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