FERTILITY AND HORMONE REGULATION WITH
ACUPUNCTURE AND CHINESE MEDICINE

Chinese Medicine incorporating both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine is a widely used and popular treatment option for gynaecological and fertility issues. It can be used as a primary treatment or as a complementary adjunct with modern medicine.

The Chinese Medicine diagnostic system particularly lends itself to treating fertility issues when modern medicine is not able explain why you can’t conceive; the term used is “unexplained infertility” or “functional infertility”. While infertility may appear to be the core problem, it is usually a symptom of a deeper underlying imbalance of your organ system.

A recent *study shows that using Chinese medicine over a 4 month period can improve pregnancy rates 2 fold over rates achieved with fertility drugs or IVF, and increases IUI success rates by 50%.

Getting pregnant at
Point of Health:

The Process

  • Assess your fertility (both partners)
  • Assess your lifestyle
  • Assess your dietary factors
  • Evaluate your emotions

Treatment plan:

  • BBT charting
  • Weekly acupuncture
  • Chinese herbal medicine if required
  • Dietary guidance
  • Lifestyle interventions

Treatment aims to:

  • optimise ovarian function, egg and sperm vitality
  • regulate menstruation
  • regulate hormonal imbalances
  • reduce stress
  • regulate immune factors
  • promote weight loss
  • improve digestion
  • improve sleep quality

Some gynaecological reasons to choose Chinese Medicine:

  • Infertility – explained or unexplained
  • Menstrual irregularities –irregular, profuse, frequent or painful
  • Amenorrhoea
  • Premenstrual tension (PMS)
  • Premature ovarian dysfunction
  • Elevated FSH
  • Endometriosis
  • Menopausal syndrome
  • Immunological factors
  • IVF support
  • IUI support
  • Luteal phase defect
  • Male infertility
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
  • Recurrent miscarriage
  • Stress-related hormone imbalances

"After trying for years, a failed IVF and being told by Western Doctors that the likelyhood of me having children was slim to none, I found Dr Coucoumbros. Though her calm and positive care I now have a beautiful bundle of joy and tell anyone who wants a child to visit her as their first not last resort!" ~ Caroline


*Abstract

Objectives: To assess the effect of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) in the management of female infertility and on pregnancy rates compared with Western Medical (WM) treatment.
Methods: We searched the Medline and Cochrane databases and Google Scholar until February 2010 for abstracts in English of studies investigating infertility, menstrual health and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We undertook meta-analyses of (non-)randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies, and compared clinical pregnancy rates achieved with CHM versus WM drug treatment or in vitro fertilisation (IVF). In addition, we collated common TCM pattern diagnosis in infertility in relation to the quality of the menstrual cycle and associated symptoms.
Results: Eight RCTs, 13 cohort studies, 3 case series and 6 case studies involving 1851 women with infertility were included in the systematic review. Meta-analysis of RCTs suggested a 3.5 greater likelihood of achieving a pregnancy with CHM therapy over a 4-month period compared with WM drug therapy alone (odds ratio = 3.5, 95% CI: 2.3, 5.2, p < 0.0001, n = 1005). Mean (SD) pregnancy rates were 60 ± 12.5% for CHM compared with 32 ± 10% using WM drug therapy. Meta-analysis of selected cohort studies (n = 616 women) suggested a mean clinical pregnancy rate of 50% using CHM compared with IVF (30%) (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: Our review suggests that management of female infertility with Chinese Herbal Medicine can improve pregnancy rates 2-fold within a 4 month period compared with Western Medical fertility drug therapy or IVF. Assessment of the quality of the menstrual cycle, integral to TCM diagnosis, appears to be fundamental to successful treatment of female infertility.