Acupuncture and Female Fertility - Discover Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture and Female Fertility

It is a story that has become all too common these days. Couples around the world are having huge problems falling pregnant, and women are faced with a multitude of treatment options in their quest to achieve pregnancy. A growing number of women are turning to assisted reproductive treatments such as IUI (Intra-Uterine Insemination), IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation) and ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection).

Why Has Fertility Become So Common?

For some women there are questions around the prolonged use of hormonal contraceptives, for others it is their exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals in the workplace in professions such as hairdressing. Others have waited until their late 30s and early 40s and are faced with the natural age-related decline of fertility. A growing number of women in their late 20s and early 30s are also having fertility problems, and a number of studies are now reporting that the impact of environmental toxins in the workplace and home may have previously been underestimated. A multitude of studies have investigated the impact of stress on fertility factors - all reporting on the negative impact of stress on natural hormonal processes.

How Can I Improve My Fertility Naturally?

Many women are keen to avoid medical intervention with achieving pregnancy. Some couples want to avoid the invasive procedures of IVF related treatments which include daily injections, regular blood tests and scans. For some couples, the financial comparison between natural fertility assistance and treatments such as IVF leads them to choose alternative approaches as their first point of call. Some couples wish to increase their chances of a successful IUI/IVF/ICSI cycle and combine acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine into their treatment regimes.

Diet and lifestyle play a big role in helping to address fertility issues. Avoiding soy products is appropriate for most women, as the phytoestrogens can disrupt the normal balance of hormones in the body.

Chinese Medicine treatment - acupuncture and herbal medicine can play a big part of helping a woman to naturally achieve her optimum fertility.

Conditions that can be improved with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Common fertility-related conditions that can respond to treatment with acupuncture or Chinese Medicine include:

PCOS
Endometriosis
Irregular periods
Recurring miscarriage
Blockage of the fallopian tubes
Anovulation (failure to ovulate)

Monitoring Your Cycle

One of the easiest way to gauge the health of your menstrual cycle is to monitor it throughout the month. Charting your basal body temperature (BBT) combined with monitoring your fertile mucous can give you the best indication of your fertility. See this site for complete information on charting your fertile mucous. You can download a BBT chart here.

Ideally, fertile mucous is present for a period of 3-5 days around the middle of the menstrual cycle. Without this mucous being present, pregnancy cannot occur. This mucous is the cervical "plug" and the presence of fertile mucous indicates that the opening to the cervix is unobstructed. The last day of the stringy egg-white mucous coincides with the day of ovulation. This is the optimum day to conceive.

The BBT should be measured first thing in the morning, after 4 hours of continuous rest. Using an ovulation thermometer if possible, the temperature is recorded on a chart starting from day 1 of the menstrual cycle. The temperature during the first half of the cycle (follicular phase) should be around 36.3-36.5 degrees. There will be a slight drop in temperature the day before ovulation, followed by a sharp rise of approx 0.5 degrees around ovulation. The second half of the cycle (luteal phase) should remain 0.5 degrees higher than the follicular phase, with a constant temperature until the beginning of menstruation. Each phase should be approx 12-14 days long.

Signs that your fertility may not be up to scratch: If the follicular phase is too long or too short, if the luteal phase is too long or too short, if the ovulation temperature rise is too gradual, if the temperature fluctuates in either phase. Treatment to address the reason for these discrepancies in your cycle will improve your natural fertility and increase your chances of conceiving naturally.

PCO vs PCOS

A common condition of recent years is PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), with symptoms of unexplained weight gain, increased facial hair, acne (esp on the jawline) and an interrupted menstrual cycle. These symptoms are in addition to multiple cysts that show up on ultrasound - as the term PCOS would suggest. Technically a woman needs to have multiple cysts show up on an ultrasound, in addition to two or more of the above symptoms - hair, acne, weight gain, menstrual disruption. This "syndrome" represents a substantial disruption to the normal functioning of the endocrine (hormone) system and impairs fertility primarily due to the absence of ovulation. Each month, rather than the egg being released by the ovary, the egg remains inside the ovary and continues to be stimulated to grow by the presence of hormones. Month after month of this occurring will leave a woman with multiple "over-ripe" eggs which eventually grow to become cysts. These cysts can damage the structure of the ovary and it is important that PCOS is treated to avoid long term impact on fertility. PCO on the other hand, is now becoming a common diagnosis in the world of fertility. A woman displays multiple cysts on ultrasound, but without any of the other markers that would suggest PCOS. Research has shown that up to 20% of women will show multiple follicles on ultrasound at any given time - the number of follicles can fluctuate from month to month and doesn't necessarily determine that a woman is infertile or unable to conceive normally. It is not guaranteed that women who display multiple follicles on ultrasound will have problems with ovulation.

A high blood sugar environment is usually required for PCO or PCOSto develop. The high levels of blood sugar interfere with the normal signalling of estrogen, FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinising hormone). Abnormal levels of these hormones are responsible for blocking ovulation.

The best thing a woman with either PCO or PCOS can do is to immediately embark on a Low GI diet and regular exercise. Study after study have shown that this is the best way to reduce blood sugar levels - and if followed strictly can have the similar effectiveness as various other treatments for PCO and PCOS but without the side effects. Some studies have found that electro-acupuncture can be effective for the treatment of PCOS.Some herbal medicines can assist with regulation of blood sugar levels and hormone levels. Combine a low GI diet with acupuncture and/or herbal medicine and you have an effective natural treatment for PCO and PCOS. If you have already been prescribed medication by your physician you should tell your Chinese Medicine practitioner before adding acupuncture or herbal medicine to your treatment regime.

Don't Forget - It Takes Two

It is not uncommon for us to see clients in clinic who have been having trouble falling pregnant. The woman is fine, the partner has been given the "all clear". On closer inspection, his "normal sperm" results are often showing a picture that isn't so bright and sunny as you would think. The baseline definitions these days for "normal sperm" are 20 million sperm/mL or more, 50% or more progressive motility, less than 85% abnormal forms, volume between 2mL and 6mL. When looking at their "normal" semen analysis the results are less than amazing and many are borderline (within a few percent) with two or more factors. Even if it appears the fertility issues are due to female factors (endometriosis, PCO, natural killer cells) it is still important to make sure that the other side of the team is in top shape. This will increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, rather than settling for mediocre sperm quality. Read more on male subfertility here.

Environmental Pollution, Stress and Impaired Hormone Function

Every day we are exposed to environmental pollutants that have been shown to interrupt normal endocrine processes. Our endocrine system is primarily responsible for production and regulation of hormone levels.

phthalates and parabens found in shampoos and skin care products
PBDEs found in TVs, stereos, computers, mobile phones and pre-2005 foam furniture: mattresses, couches, carpets.
other anti-androgen chemicals from pesticides and pharmaceuticals. An anti-androgenic substance is one that stops or interferes with the production of testosterone. Little is known about how these compounds interact with each other, particularly in the quantities that most of us are exposed to in the air and in our water. On their own these substances are not enough to cause any serious diseases, but with long-term low level exposure and in conjunction with other compounds it is believed to be a major factor in male infertility and subfertility.

The best was to combat environmental pollutants is to reduce your exposure to the various compounds:

trade your shampoos and skin products for those that don't contain parabens or phthalates. More popular brands such as Alchemy shampoo and conditioners, weleda don't contain parabens and phthalates. Our skin care products go one step further and contain the fewest ingredients possible, and organic ingredients where possible.
reduce your exposure to PBDE compounds, used as flame retardents in electrical equipment such as laptops, mobile phones and televisions, and in furniture made prior to 2007. Read this article for more information.
reduce stress as much as you can. Start meditation, gentle exercise if you're not already do so, take time out each day to do something you enjoy
if you suffer from recurring problems such as thrush or UTI (Urinary Tract Infections) have these conditions investigated to rule out possible complications that may impair your fertility.

Chinese Medicine Treatment

Studies have shown that acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine can be useful in treatment of female infertility and subfertility factors.

improving PCO and PCOS
promoting ovulation
promoting embryo implantation
regulating menstrual cycle
regulating fertility hormones
boosting success rate of IVF by 50%

Chinese Medicine looks for the following main patterns with female infertility and subfertility:

Yin or Essence deficiency

Symptoms include poor egg quality, thin/inadequate endometrial lining, short menstrual cycle (less than 25 days), lower back pain during the period, sweating at night, premature greying, lower back pain, dry eyes. This pattern is caused by living the fast life, inadequate rest, late nights, inadequate nutrition, severe or prolonged illness, long term emotional upset, stress. Excess heat if left unchecked can cause the yin and essence to "dry up" and become deficient.

Stagnant qi/Stagnant blood

Symptoms include painful periods, clotting in the menstrual blood, headaches, tight/stiff muscles, prone to anger/irritability, feels better for exercise. This pattern is caused by stress, overwork, improper regulation of anger and frustration, lack of exercise, tendency to depression or low mood.

Yang deficiency

Symptoms include heavy periods, lower back pain, fatigue, feels cold, pale complexion. This pattern is caused by overwork, chronic illness, prolonged or repeated exposure to cold, inadequate nutrition.

Blood deficiency

Symptoms include dry menstrual blood, dry skin, brittle hair, fatigue, feels cold, pale complexion, insomnia, heart palpitations, tendency to low mood/depression. This pattern is caused by overwork, chronic illness, prolonged or repeated emotional stress, inadequate nutrition.

Response to Treatment

It typically takes 3-6 months for the menstrual cycle to regulate. Improvements can start to be seen within the first menstrual cycle, especially with improvements in pre-menstrual symptoms and pain. Women who are able to adopt dietary changes in addition to their acupuncture/herbal medicine treatment will increase their improvement. Improvements in sleep quality, energy levels and mood are typically the first things noticed - these are all signs that your health is improving and that your pattern of disharmony is starting to resolve.