Chinese proverb

‘Before ever planting a seed you must cultivate the soil’.

WHY TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?

Chines medicine is centuries old and has a long tradition of improving fertility in both women and men.

The core ethos is the idea that the body’s life force/energy ‘Qi’ flows through our bodies via channels called meridians. When a couple or female has difficulty conceiving, we look to the balance the four organ systems commonly responsible for fertility: Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and Liver.

The goal of treatment is to maintain and restore balance in the body, creating harmony by balancing out the opposing forces of yin (the passive) and yang (the active). Stimulating acupoints helps to balance the flow of Qi and Blood throughout the body, allowing better self-regulation of bodily functions related to fertility such as hormones, blood flow and ovulation cycles.

In fact, modern research has shown that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can

  • restore reproductive balance by influencing endocrine, immune and nervous systems, as well as aiding in blood circulation.

  • can reduce stress hormones associated with infertility, helping to increase hormone balance.

  • can restore ovarian function by improving blood flow to the ovaries and increasing egg production.

  • can stabilize hypothalamic function and improve gonadotropin release, which leads to improved ovarian activity.

  • can reduce defects in sperm quality or structure, helping improve sperm count as well as motility and shape.

    Traditional Chinese medicine can boost both natural fertility and can assist women and couples undergoing Assisted Reproductive Therapies such as IVF.

    Source: Xu JY, Zhao AL, Xin P, Geng JZ, Wang BJ, Xia T. Acupuncture for Female Infertility: Discussion on Action Mechanism and Application. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Jul 4; 2022

how treatment works

In an ideal world we would love to start working with you to prepare your body at least three months before you start trying for a baby. However, we realise that many people are unfamiliar with the benefits of Chinese medicine for fertility, and as such you may have found us well into your journey.

In our initial consult, we undertake a complete investigation in your, (and if applicable, your partner’s) fertility and health history so that we can better diagnose the condition. If you have tests, ultrasounds and other investigations it is a good idea to send these to us before your first appointment.

Treatment is personalised and guided completely by your Chinese medicine pattern. Therapies are likely to include cupping, moxibustion, acupuncture and herbal medicine, as well as dietary and lifestyle advice. Herbal medicine is also routinely prescribed in fertility support.

Regular treatment is key. We suggest weekly treatments for at least 2-3 months working with your natural cycle, or to regulate your cycle if you experience amenorrhea or irregularity.

For those undergoing ART/ IVF, we work with your cycle and scheduled procedures including in preparation for your next round, during stimulation, before egg retrieval, before and after implantation and during the ‘wait’.

Tyring for a baby can be stressful. We find our clients comment on their renewed ability to manage stress and anxiety, and their sense of peace following treatment.

Fertility: We can help with

  • Supporting Natural Fertility

    Regulation of your menstrual cycle, hormone imbalances, luteal phase defects, gynaecological disorders, women’s health conditions, unexplained infertility, pelvic pain, herbal medicine to support fertility.

  • IVF Support

    Preparation for commencement, treatment at stimulation phase including managing pharmaceutical side effects, treatment at egg retrieval, pre/post implantation, stress and anxiety management.

  • Male Fertility

    Improving sperm quality and motility, supporting stress and mental health, treating underlying health issues, sexual dysfunction, herbal medicine to support sexual function.

IN FOCUS:

Male fertility

Did you know that sperm quality has been rapidly declining in the world since the 1940s? In fact, taking sperm count as a measure, we see a drop of 45% just in the last 30 years. This means that a 30-year-old man today, has only about one quarter of the sperm as compared to his grandfathers. The motility of sperm has also rapidly declined, and abnormal morphology (shape of sperm) has increased.

Believed to be due to a range of environmental pollutants, lifestyle factors, stress and modern diets, male fertility can play a part in as much as 40% of cases when a couple are having difficulty conceiving.

Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine has been found to:

  • improve semem quality, concentration and motility, which resulted in increased pregnancy rates (Feng et al., 2022; Zhou et al., 2019)

  • regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis and boost the function of Sertoli cells and Leydig cells (Zhou et al., 2019)

  • improve the micr0-circulation of the testes and reduced inflammation (Zhou et al., 2019)

  • effectively treat varicocele, increasing sperm motility and concentration (Ishikawa, 1996; Kucuk et.,al, 2016).

  • decrease the level of anti-sperm antibody (Zhou et al., 2019).

Sources:

Feng J, He H, Wang Y, Zhang X, Zhang X, Zhang T, Zhu M, Wu X, Zhang Y. The efficacy and mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of male infertility: A literature review. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Oct 18;13:1009537.

Ishikawa, (1996). Effects of guizhi-fuling-wan on male infertility with varicocele. Am J Chin Med, 24(3-4):327-31 (ISSN: 0192-415X).

Kucuk EV, Bindayi A, Boylu U, Onol FF, Gumus E. Randomised clinical trial of comparing effects of acupuncture and varicocelectomy on sperm parameters in infertile varicocele patients. Andrologia. 2016 Dec;48(10):1080-1085.

Zhou SH, Deng YF, Weng ZW, Weng HW, Liu ZD. Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Remedy for Male Infertility: A Review. World J Mens Health. 2019 May;37(2):175-185.