Articles

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Fertility

by Rianna Poskin

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient practice that has been used for over 3000 years. The concept behind the medicine is very simple; restore balance.

The principles are the same to treat an “infertile” couple or to treat a cough or flu. The body is presenting signs and symptoms of a system that is imbalanced and it cannot return to its balanced state until the root cause is determined.

But before going any further, one question needs to be addressed. Is there such a thing as “infertility”?

Dr. Randine Lewis, Author of The Infertility Cure, does not believe in infertility as long as the anatomical structures are present and all reproductive organs are intact. “Many factors can cause a woman to have difficulty conceiving, but once these factors are overcome and a woman’s body is restored to health, conception can occur naturally” (p.9 The Infertility Cure).

A woman’s fertility peaks in her early 20’s and starts to decrease by age 27. With men and women waiting longer to have children it’s no wonder it takes more time to conceive.

Many times the term “infertility” is used when it should be “subfertility”.

Men and women are considered infertile after one year of coitus without conception. It is within this time that the flags start to go up that something isn’t right. There may have been signs and symptoms that presented themselves before but we didn’t listen to what our bodies were saying.

Prevention of any health problem lies in how we take care of ourselves regularly. This stands true to the conception process. It might take longer than one year to right the wrongs of all the years preceding but once those wrongs have been righted there is hope that conception can then take place.

TCM can help with fertility by using the principles of balance. By listening to your body and respecting it, nature will find its way to prepare for conception if it is to take place.

3 full months of preparation time is suggested before trying to conceive. Within these 3 months TCM treatments, yoga, Qi Gong, TaiChi, eating well, herbal medicine and meditation can all be incorporated to restore the inner body to be optimally ready for conception.

Here are just a few of the conditions that can be treated through TCM:

Fertility
Sperm count, quality and motility
Regulate menstrual cycles
PMS
Endometriosis
Menopausal symptoms
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Treat blocked fallopian tubes
Prevent certain causes of miscarriages
Increase libido
PCOS

Education is the biggest component to understanding “infertility” and every other part of your make-up. The more you commit to taking care of yourself the more you can take care of others including the child that is not yet born!