by Mary-Elizabeth Meagher
In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that one in five women experience infertility, and another one in four women suffer complications that result in miscarriage. These statistics can feel overwhelming to those who want to be parents but find it a challenge to conceive or sustain a full-term pregnancy.
The need for reproductive medicine intervention is more common now than ever before. The centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) state that 6.7 million women have an impaired ability to become pregnant or carry a baby to term. The percentage of married women that are infertile is 6% in the United States alone. Couples are desperate to conceive and in their desperation are looking to reproductive and alternative medicines for a safe and effective treatment. Chinese medicine is one of those alternatives that future parents are investigating. With recent studies being published out of Britain, Sweden, and Germany, indicating that acupuncture can be beneficial as an assistive reproductive technique (ART), Chinese Medicine (CM) now finds itself at the forefront of the infertility scene. Traditional Chinese Medicine has always had a strong grasp on women’s issues, including infertility. A main concept in CM with regard to fertility is the concept of constitutional strength. The blunt nature of CM information is sometimes hard to hear but is frequently full of common sense. For example, the concept of age and fertility is challenging from conventional reproductive medicine and in CM is exceptionally important as well. The health of the parents (both parents) at the time of conception plays a huge part in the ease of conception. Chinese Medicine dictates that hopeful parents should take one full year to become clean in mind, body, and spirit before attempting to become pregnant. This includes clean (healthy) eating (abstaining from alcohol), appropriate exercise, and meditation upon the intention to create life. It is a purposeful progression in mind, body, and spirit and one that builds upon the foundation which is set by the couple.
In America, everyone is moving at what seems to be the speed of light and with that in mind, another important concept in CM is that of overwork and excessive physical work (exercise). Overwork is defined as long hours without adequate rest and includes an irregular diet. Excessive physical work including exercise, sports, and excessive sexual activity can cause difficulty in conceiving later in life. Chinese Medicine also has a strong conviction in regard to what is termed pathogenic factors. One of the most prolific of these in Chinese medicine is the pathogenic factor, cold. It is believed in Chinese medicine that cold can easily invade the Uterus and thus create an inability to conceive. If you think about it, it would be hard to bake bread in an oven that didn’t have the ability to become warm. This concept always reminds me of the cliché phrase..”a bun in the oven”. This concept of cold also relates to the excessive consumption of cold or iced foods. This can also lead to cold in the uterus which as we know makes conception really difficult.
In women, the natural process of menopause, with its subsequent decline of hormones, is sometimes an easy process—but, frequently, not. Often, in fact, the resulting side-effects are less than desirable. Loss of libido, or sexual desire, is one side-effect that makes life more difficult to deal with. This can lead to misunderstanding and confusion for both partners. Of course, menopause is not the only reason for a decreased libido, however. Declining sexual desire can be due to emotional issues, post-childbirth trauma, breastfeeding, menopause, drug reactions, stress, negative body image, relationship conflicts, hormonal imbalances and physical responses such as pain or inability to reach orgasm.
Here is the good news, though. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help boost a slumped libido. In Chinese medical theory, decreased sexual desire is described as an imbalance in the flow of energy or Qi (pronounced “chee”) or deficiency in the amount of vitality and energy in each organ system. An organ system includes the traditional organ, its energetic nature and its associated meridian (channel the Qi flows through).
Once the specific pattern of imbalance is identified, acupuncture points and, sometimes, herbal formulas are chosen, and the treatment is applied. By stimulating these acupuncture points, various changes in the body’s biochemistry will occur. These changes are directed to balance the body-mind connection and strengthen the patient’s sexual health. Acupuncture can also be used to enhance or alter several other sexual health conditions in both men and women.
Infertility is a common buzz word in the media today. Couples of all types are desperate to conceive and in their desperation are looking now to alternative medicines for an effective treatment. Chinese medicine is one of those alternatives that future parents are investigating. With the recent studies being published out of Britain, and the past Swedish and German studies indicating that acupuncture can be beneficial as an ART, assistive reproductive technique, Chinese Medicine now finds itself at the forefront of the infertility scene. Traditional Chinese Medicine however has always had a strong grasp on women’s issues, including infertility. Most of the focus in the research studies has been on acupuncture as a sole treatment however TCM, is a complete model of Medicine of which acupuncture is only one modality within.
This article is written to illustrate some of the foundational concepts in TCM that are the causes and progression of infertility.
Infertility is a common buzz word in the media today. Couples of all types are desperate to conceive and in their desperation are looking now to alternative medicines for an effective treatment. Chinese medicine is one of those alternatives that future parents are investigating. With the recent studies being published out of Britain, and the past Swedish and German studies indicating that acupuncture can be beneficial as an ART, assistive reproductive technique, Chinese Medicine now finds itself at the forefront of the infertility scene. Traditional Chinese Medicine however has always had a strong grasp on women’s issues, including infertility. Most of the focus in the research studies has been on acupuncture as a sole treatment however TCM, is a complete model of Medicine of which acupuncture is only one modality within.
This article is written to illustrate some of the foundational concepts in TCM that are the causes and progression of infertility.
