- When a couple has been trying to conceive for over a one year without any results, biomedicine refers to this as infertility. 12% to 15% of couples go through this sensitive time.
- One third of couples with infertility, is due to complication from low sperm count, low sperm motility, abnormal sperm, or other male-related conditions.
- The second third of infertile couples is related to women’s health, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, low egg quality, hyperprolactinemia, etc.
- The last third of couples with infertility, is a result of both the male and female, or an unknown cause.
- In Chinese medicine, infertility in men and women can be from blood deficiency, kidney deficiency, stasis of blood, cold in the womb or damp-phlegm.
- A randomized controlled trial, researching the role of acupuncture in improving women’s reproductive functioning, found that the women who received acupuncture conceived within an average of 5.5 weeks compared to 10.67 weeks for the lifestyle adjustement only group, so half the time!
- A powerful acupuncture point used on women is Zi gong xue. It translates to “Palace of Child” the women’s uterus. This point helps regulate menses, regulate and raise qi. For men, Ren 4, the origin gate. This point strengthens and nourishes the Kidneys (Qi, Yin and Yang) and Essence.
- If you want to increase your chances of getting pregnant, some of the lifestyle changes you might want to make include: keeping lower abdomen warm, eating warm soups and bone broths, cease drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.
- Treatment plans depend on how the individual’s body responds to acupuncture. In general 1-2 treatments for 6 weeks is a good starting point.
- Herbal medicines that may be prescribed for women are Evergreen-Blossom (phase 1 through 4) which supports menstruation, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases. For men, Evergreen–Vitality is designed to increase sperm motility and address erectile dysfunction.
By Kayla Forstall and Dr. Guillaume Vincent