Center for Complementary Medicine

We hear a great deal about how Western reproductive medicine has helped women conceive, and some of the modern techniques used are truly amazing. Research shows that young women using IVF techniques have between a 20 and 30 percent chance of conceiving(at a cost of at least 10 thousand dollars per attempt). The chances fall to less than 10 percent for a woman at age thirty nine, and only 3 percent for women at age 44. On average, women go through seven cycles of Assisted Reproductive Techniques(ART) before they either conceive or quit, spending thousands of dollars in their attempts to have children.

Recent research has irrefutably proven that by combining Oriental Medicine techniques and knowledge, the percentages of conceiving and bringing a fetus to term rises dramatically!

In contrast to modern infertility science, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has addressed infertility long before the Christian era began. The earliest records of gynecological writings are found in inscriptions on bones dating from the Shang dynasty (1500-1000 B.C.E.). The TCM approach to infertility is not based on ideas about how to treat infertility, it’s based on EXPERIENCE. Today, elements of TCM, such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and dietary prescriptions are being tested and proven effective in clinical trials throughout the world.

In 1996 a groundbreaking study conducted in Sweden and published in Fertility and Sterility reported that acupuncture reduced constriction in uterine arteries, thereby increasing the blood flow to the reproductive organs. This effect was found to improve dramatically the outcome of ART. Acupuncture is the only known technique to directly increase vascular response. The acupuncture treatments used in the Swedish study suppressed the sympathetic nervous system response at the spinal-cord level, reducing the “fight or flight” response in the pelvis. When the sympathetic response was reduced, blood flow improved to the uterus and ovaries. In all of the women on whom acupuncture was performed, the constriction of the uterine arteries was lessened by 21 percent after eight treatments, dramatically increasing their blood flow.

There is no such thing as Infertility. It is a myth. There’s only Imbalance. As long as the anatomical structures are present, a medical diagnosis of infertility is often a fallacy. Many factors can cause a woman to have difficulty conceiving, but once these factors are overcome and a woman’s body is restored to health, conception can occur naturally. Restoring optimal health permits the expression of woman’s natural fertile state.

Rather than looking at infertility simply as a problem with an ovary or a specific hormone, TCM teaches us that fertility is a woman’s natural state from the time of menarche until she reaches menopause. Sub-fertility results from imbalances within the network of organs, hormones, and energy systems within a woman’s body. These imbalances stop her body from doing what it was meant to do; potentially conceive a child every time her ovaries release an egg. When a woman’s body is restored to balance, the hormones needed for conception and pregnancy are produced the way nature intended. It could be said that the TCM approach to health is more in alignment with the body’s own design. Because TCM focuses on restoring balance to the entire body, it can serve as a valuable adjunct to Western medical technology.

I recommend a 4-step approach to treating infertility naturally.

Step One: Discover your “pattern of imbalance” in the body. For our bodies to function properly, all our organs need balance. Women’s monthly cycle is a complex interplay of almost every system in the body. If any part is off kilter by even a tiny amount, it can affect our fertility. For example, most women know hormones play a significant role in their cycle. If there’s not enough estrogen early on in the cycle, the eggs won’t mature adequately. If there’s too much estrogen later in the cycle, the uterine lining won’t develop properly. Many hormonal problems are the result of slight imbalances in the delicate endocrine system. Modern diagnostic techniques may not detect any clinical abnormality or functional problem, yet this undetectable irregularity may be the root cause of your inability to conceive. Most leading factors of infertility can be healed naturally, or at least improved upon, using three elements of TCM: diet and lifestyle, acupuncture, and herbs.

StepTwo: Correct Diet and Lifestyle. Perhaps the most difficult change people are asked to make involves dietary changes. Unfortunately, the common lifestyle in Western society brings inherent fertility problems. Stress, coffee or other stimulants, alcohol, nicotine, sweets, chemicals, hormones, and other byproducts of our affluent lifestyle can all leave deep imprints on our reproductive capacity. Making changes in what, when, and how we eat and drink, as well as adding certain forms of exercise, massage, and metitation can contribute significantly to enhancing our fertility. In general try to eat alkaline rather than acidic foods. Noncitrus fruits, vegetables, sprouts, cereal grasses(wheatgrass, barley grass), help provide the entire reproductive system with the right pH for conception and implantation. Acidic foods(like meat, dairy products, and most grains) produce acidic environments, Acidic cervical mucus may become hostile to sperm, which requires an alkaline environment to survive. Secondly, eat organic foods and hormone-free meats whenever possible. Because besticides, chemicals, and hormones used to treat produce and animal products contain synthetic estrogen-like substances, which occupy estrogen receptor sites and have negative effects on our organ and endocrine systems. Thirdly, try to avoid “cold” foods. This includes ice drinks(sorry jamba juice lovers), ice cream, yogurt, salads(lettuce is very cold energetically), and raw vegetables. TCM is not so much concerned with the nutritional component of foods, but the energetic quality of the food. Cold foods compromise the digestive system, cool the reproductive organs, and inhibit blood flow throughout the body.

Step 3: Utilize acupuncture and self massage techniques. Research has shown that by influencing hormonal pathways, acupuncture assists our own internal energies to restore endocrine harmony. In 200, a landmark study conducted by German researchers investigating the effects of acupuncture on women undergoing IVF. The women in the treated group received one acupuncture session before embryo transfer and one afterward. Ultrasound testing six weeks after embryo transfer revealed that almost twice as many women from the acupuncture group than from the untreated group became pregnant. To me, these results are not surprising. Almost every stage of a woman’s cycle and pregnancy can benefit from the balancing effects of working with the meridians to promote the flow of Qi through the body and to bring the Organs up to the highest level of health. There are 2 forms of self massage that can increase blood flow to the pelvic organs. The first is “femoral” massage. Compres the large artery just beneath the crease in your groin between your thigh and lower abdomen. This is the femoral artery, which comes from the iliac artery. The iliac artery has branches that supply blood to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Hold the pressure for 30-45 seconds. The blood is now backing up and increasing the pressure in the iliac arteries, forcing more blood into the pelvic arteries and flooding the pelvic organs with more blood. Repeat on the opposite side. Perform this femoral massage sequence three times in a row, twice a day, up to ovulation. The second self-massage technique is called “spiraling” as is only done in those with a very strong abdominal aortic pulse. This strong abdominal pulse indicates excess tension being held in the lower abdomen thereby inhibiting proper blood flow to the pelvic organs.

Step four: Herbal therapy has been used for centuries to enhance fertility. Unlike Western drugs, which try to provide chemically based substitutes for the body’s natural hormones, Chinese herbs are designed to help the body produce the proper levels of hormones on its own. Chinese herbs act on the endocrine system by stimulating hormone production, altering the rate of hormone metabolism, or changing the response of hormone receptors. Herbs contain natural energetic substances whose essence gently corrects underlying deficiencies or removes obstructions. The active ingredients are buffered by the whole plant and blended with other herbs, reducing their side effects, unlike western drugs.

In conclusion, if you wish to apply TCM to your own condition, you must give yourself at least three months for the treatments to have full effect. Treament protocol usually requires one treatment per week for 3-6 months depending on the age and health of the patient. Remember, Traditional Chinese Medicine is not a quick fix. Restoring the body to health takes time. Infertility can be cured only when we combine treatment with patience, action with hope, results with a willingness to recognize true healing. With gentle nurturing, you can reclaim the blessing of your fertility.

For a thorough and insightful guide to Oriental Medicine’s approach to infertility read Randine Lewis’ The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies.

Yours in health,

Rick J. Bernard, L.Ac.