Year over year, more couples are turning to Chinese medicine as a way to support and enhance their fertility whether just starting to try and get pregnant or if they have turned to help from Western Medicine. But just how does Chinese medicine positively impact fertility? Let’s take a look at some of the benefits.
- Hormonal Regulation
- There are a number of key hormones that need to be in proper balance in order for an egg to grow, ovulate, be fertilized, and for a menstrual cycle to be a normal 28 days. Lots of things can throw these hormones off including stress, medications, diet, and lifestyle factors, to name a few. Chinese medicine seeks to restore harmony in the body, while helping all of our organ systems function properly. As these systems start to better communicate with each other, hormone levels begin to regulate. The body is always seeking to balance itself.
- Improve Blood flow to the Pelvic Cavity
- This has huge implications. Blood flowing to the pelvis feeds everything. The better the quality of blood and blood flow, the better the quality of eggs, sperm, and the lining in the uterus to which the growing embryo attaches and burrows in. In an IVF or IUI cycle, improving the quality of blood flow to the pelvis can help with the response to stimulation medications, especially where there has been a poor response, or a thin uterine lining causing a cancelled cycle.
- Improving Sperm Quality
- Chinese medicine has lots to offer in the case of low sperm count, volume, motility (how they swim), and morphology (how they’re shaped). Typically, 2-3 three months of treatment can often push low numbers into normal ranges. For more information on how Chinese medicine specifically addresses male factor fertility, check out this blog post.
- Reduce Stress
- The stress experienced when going through infertility is akin to the stress someone experiences with a devastating health diagnosis, and while nobody going through infertility wants to be told to just relax, they do want to escape the fear, anxiety, and sadness that goes along with their challenges. Acupuncture has been well documented to down-regulate the nervous system out of fight or flight into a calmer rest and digest state.
- By Being a Guidepost
- While this piece isn’t strictly a part of Chinese medicine, and is certainly not a substitute for the guidance of a board-certified physician, an acupuncturist with specialized training in Eastern and Western fertility treatments has a broad knowledge of protocols used in fertility clinics, and can often explain why your doctor chose the treatment they did. Sometimes having a bridge of understanding can help you feel more empowered during a time when you might feel like that power has been taken away.
How is your fertility journey going so far? Just starting? Needing a little more support? Schedule your free 15-minute consult with one of our providers and let’s talk about how we can help you.
Molly Kubinski, L.Ac. (FABORM)