CONDITIONS
At TCM Health Center, our experienced acupuncturists can significantly increase your chances of conception by applying the diagnostic and treatment approaches of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to your symptoms. Each patient's medical history and symptoms are analyzed according to TCM pattern diagnosis, and a treatment plan is chosen based on the pattern analysis. Following are a list of medical conditions which can cause infertility, with a short description of the TCM approach to each condition. Please be aware that while we are using the common Western medicine names to discuss these conditions because that is how most people know them, TCM Health Center always diagnoses and treats patients according to TCM principles.
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Female Infertility and:
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Male Infertility and:
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FEMALE INFERTILITY
Infertility due to Irregular Periods: Regular menstrual cycles are good indicators of normal ovulation. When ovulation proceeds on a regular pattern, this is reflected in regular menstrual cycles. Women who have irregular periods often find it difficult to conceive. In Chinese medicine, irregular periods are sub-classified into early periods, late periods, light periods and heavy periods. The common patterns for infertility due to irregular periods in Chinese medicine are liver qi stagnation, kidney deficiency, blood heat, and blood stasis. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Amenorrhea: In our practice, we have encountered many young women who have a complete absence of menstruation. Each has her own unique story, but the most frequent causes of amenorrhea seem to be a history of eating disorders or long-term use of birth control pills. The first step towards conception is to restore normal ovulation and menstrual cycles. It is not easy to achieve that goal in a very short period of time, so we normally recommend a three-month course of acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age who present with diminished or absent ovulation, excess androgen activity, or polycystic ovaries. Polycystic ovarian syndrome may manifest as weight problems; lack of regular ovulation; irregular, few or absent menstrual cycles; excessive amounts or effects of masculinizing hormones; pain during sexual intercourse; excessive or inceased body hair or male-pattern baldness; and prolonged periods of PMS-like symptoms. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a leading cause of infertility. In Chinese medicine, "phlegm accumulation" is the main pattern for most patients. Clearing lower-burner phlegm is the main strategy to treat these patients. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a condition of infection and inflammation of the upper female genital tract, usually beginning as an infection in the vagina and cervix which invades the internal reproductive organs. The most common cause of PID is sexually transmitted diseases. Typically, infection spreads from the cervix and along the fallopian tubes, causing inflammation. The lining of the tubes becomes red and swollen, narrowing the canals and preventing fertilized eggs from reaching the uterus. Chinese medicine sees infections and inflammatory conditions as "damp heat accumulation." Once the acute symptoms of heat, inflammation, etc. have been brought under control, Chinese medicine focuses on restoring as much normal function as possible by nourishing yin blood deficiency. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Cervical Dysplasia: Cervical dysplasia is an abnormal growth of tissue in the cervix which is generally diagnosed by a Pap smear. It is most often found in women between 25 and 35 years of age, but can occur in younger and older women. Cervical dysplasia has been linked to the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV), also called genital warts. It is more common in women who have had many sex partners or who began to have intercourse before age 18. In addition, cervical dysplasia has been associated with cigarette smoking and too little folic acid in the diet. Because cervical dysplasia causes abnormal uterine lining and abnormal cervical development, it interferes with normal conception. The Chinese medicine pattern diagnosis of patients with cervical dysplasia is most often "damp heat obstruction in the lower burner." In our practice, we treat this condition with Chinese herbs and acupuncture. BACK TO TOP
Uterine Fibroids and Infertility: Fibroids are very common - they are benign tumors of the uterine muscle. The size and location of a fibroid are important in assessing its effects on reproduction. Small fibroids, or fibroids growing within the uterine wall or on its outside surface have little impact on fertility. However, large fibroids which bulge into the uterine cavity can cause a significant impact on reproductive function. Fortunately, this is the least-common type of fibroid. Some types of fibroids can be effectively treated with Chinese medicine, resulting in a successful pregnancy. The fundamental patterns involved with fibroid-related infertility are blood stasis, qi stagnation, and phlegm. BACK TO TOP
Infertility Caused by Endometriosis: Endometriosis is one of the most common conditions in women who have difficulty conceiving. The endometrium is the tissue that lines the inside of the uterine cavity. Endometriosis is a disease state in which some of this tissue has spread elsewhere - such as to the ovaries, or elsewhere in the abdominal cavity. Statistics indicate that 30-40% of infertile women have endometriosis. Symptoms caused by endometriosis include infertility, pain with menses, pain with intercourse, and premenstrual spotting. In conventional Western medicine, laparoscopic laser vaporization, cauterization, or excisions are the treatments of choice. In our clinic we see women who have undergone surgical procedures for endometriosis and women who have never had surgery, and we have had successful results in both cases. We have even seen pregnancies in women who have had several endometriosis-related surgeries. The main Chinese medicine patterns in endometriosis-related infertility are blood stasis and qi stagnation. BACK TO TOP
Immune Infertility: An important type of infertility is immune infertility in which the woman produces antibodies to her partner's sperm. After conception, the developing embryo is miscarried due to the woman's immune system recognizing it as a "foreign body" and attacking it. Chinese medicine differentiates immune infertility into "damp heat" pattern or "liver invading spleen" pattern. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Elevated FSH: In women, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates production of eggs. Elevated FSH levels impairs the maturation of eggs. We frequently see women with elevated FSH levels coming to our clinic for help. Many of these women had been turned down by an infertility specialist because the condition is considered too difficult to treat effectively. It is well known that the more elevated a woman's FSH is, the lower the probability she will conceive naturally. One of the success stories in our clinic involved a woman who had an FSH level of 16.5. Chinese medicine considers the primary causes for this infertility pattern to be kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency and kidney and liver deficiency. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Premature Ovarian Failure (POF): For some reason, we see more premature ovarian failure infertility cases in the US than in China. POF can be a very upsetting diagnosis, because it means that a woman has stopped menstruating, even though she may only be in her 30's. Sometimes POF can be traced to a chromosomal abnormality in a woman, resulting in defective ovaries. Sometimes women in their 20's and 30's can become resistant to their own natural hormones, resulting in POF. Other causes can be pelvic surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The good news is that Chinese medicine can be very effective for women who have premature ovarian failure infertility. In our clinic, many women conceived naturally after being told by their doctor that donor egg implants were the only option. In Chinese medicine theory, kidney yin deficiency and kidney essence deficiency are the main patterns causing premature ovarian failure infertility. Other possible patterns include kidney yang deficiency, qi deficiency and blood deficiency. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Luteal Phase Defect (LPD): The basic mechanism of LPD involves the body's production or utilization of the hormone progesterone. If the corpus luteum does not produce enough progesterone after the discharge of a mature ovum, the mature egg will not be able to implant properly. If the endometrium does not respond normally to increased progesterone levels, it will not be receptive to egg implantation. Either way, LPD causes recurrent spontaneous abortion and infertility problems. Western medicine treats women with recurrent pregnancy losses due to LPD with oral or vaginal progesterone supplementation. Progesterone supplementation is often used for women undergoing ovulation induction and in vitro fertilization. LPD is one of the most rewarding conditions for us to treat at our clinic because it responds so readily to acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment. We treat this type of infertility through several menstrual cycles with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. We adjust the herbal prescriptions throughout the menstrual cycle. Kidney yang deficiency is the primary Chinese medicine pattern found in most patients with LPD. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Poor Egg Quality: Women who have difficulty conceiving are quite often told by their doctors that they have "poor egg quality." It is surprising to see this condition not just in older women, but also in women as young as their early 30's. In our experience, infertility specialists are most likely to refer their patients to get acupuncture and Chinese herbs for this condition because of the promising outcomes. We have received a number of referrals from infertility specialists to treat poor egg quality. After we have treated these patients with a series of acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbs, their doctors are always amazed at the improvement of their egg quality. Kidney yin deficiency and blood deficiency are the main patterns causing infertility due to poor egg quality in Chinese medicine. BACK TO TOP
Unexplained Infertility: 30% of infertility cases fall into the "unexplained" category. After all the expensive tests are done, it is frustrating to be told, "We know something is wrong, but we don't know what it is." Many infertility specialists believe that a common cause of unexplained infertility is stress and anxiety. In Chinese medicine, Liver qi stagnation is the primary agent causing emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression and stress. Liver qi stagnation is the most common diagnosis in the treatment of unexplained infertility. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have a very good track record for relaxing people and treating pain and stress. Scientific studies done in several countries prove that acupuncture can affect the production of neurotransmitters in the body and can actually increase serotonin and endorphin levels. BACK TO TOP
Reducing Miscarriages: Many women have the ability to conceive easily, but end up having miscarriages. We often see women who have had multiple miscarriages. In China, it has been observed that it is the women who have the highest educational levels and high-paying jobs who have the highest miscarriage rate, whereas women who work on farms tend to have much lower miscarriage rates. This pattern is also seen in the US. Many people believe that stress is the culprit. Even though there are many causes for miscarriage, stress can be a significant trigger. When a woman has a stressful job, and giving it up is not a realistic option, acupuncture can be one of her best choices. Studies have provided credible evidence that acupuncture treatment can reduce both chronic stress and miscarriage rates. BACK TO TOP
MALE INFERTILITY
Poor Sperm Motility and Morphology: A fair number of patients with poor sperm motility and morphology are diagnosed with a varicocele, which is thought to be the causative agent. In Chinese medicine, poor sperm motility and morphology are differentiated into the patterns of kidney yang deficiency, qi stagnation and blood stasis. These patterns are treated with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. BACK TO TOP
Impotence: Impotence is a common problem among men, characterized by the inability to achieve ejaculation or the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. The main Chinese patterns differentiated for impotence are kidney yang deficiency, kidney yin deficiency and damp heat obstruction in the lower burner. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Oligospermia (Low Sperm Count): Oligospermia is clinically defined as having fewer than 20 million spermatozoa per mL of ejaculate, thus reducing the chances of normal conception. Because there are a number of different medical conditions which can reduce sperm concentration, oligospermia has many different causes. It has been our clinical experience that low sperm count can be effectively treated by acupuncture and Chinese herbs. If treatment has been effective, it is easy to see improvement by doing a follow-up sperm count test. There are several different patterns in Chinese medicine which could contribute to low sperm count, and these are differentiated in the diagnosis process. The principle patterns are kidney yang deficiency, kidney yin deficiency, kidney essence deficiency, and damp heat obstruction. BACK TO TOP
Infertility due to Non-Liquefaction of Semen: Non-liquefaction of semen is indicated by a liquefaction process taking more than 60 minutes. Non-liquefaction of semen accounts for up to 42% of cases of male infertility. Three main patterns of non-liquefaction of semen are differentiated in Chinese medicine: yin deficiency with fire flaring; phlegm stasis obstruction; and downward flow of damp heat. BACK TO TOP
Immunologic Infertility: Men can develop an immunologic response, (antibodies) to their own sperm. The causes for this may include testicular trauma, testicular infection, large varicoceles or testicular surgery. Although the mechanisms causing the production of anti-sperm antibodies are still unclear, the antibodies definitely have a negative effect on fertility. Scientific studies found several key areas leading to fertilization which are disrupted by anti-sperm antibodies: penetration of the partner's cervical mucus; binding with the external membrane of the egg; and fusion with the membrane of the egg itself. In Western medicine infertility treatment, the commonest way of dealing with anti-sperm antibodies is to inject sperm directly into the egg (ICSI) instead of using conventional in vitro fertilization. A more controversial treatment involves treating the man with corticosteroids. This treatment can have serious side-effects, including severe damage to the hip joints. The Chinese medicine patterns which are seen in men who have been diagnosed with immunologic infertility include kidney yin deficiency, kidney deficiency, damp heat accumulation, and stasis blockage. The patient's symptoms are differentiated into a pattern (or patterns) and treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbs accordingly. BACK TO TOP
