Recent studies show that among those trying to conceive, there are more visits to complementary-alternative health practitioners than to primary care doctors.
Whether you are trying to conceive naturally and you choose to use a Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM) to support your conception, or you choose to use it as an ancillary support to Assisted Reproductive Technology, the use of CAM resources could be well worth your time and money.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is a complete medical system that views the person as an integrated mind/body organism, in contrast to focusing on one or more symptoms, the way conventional Western medicine tends to do. Because of this, the use of ancient medical techniques of acupuncture, the accurate the use of herbs, combined with modern procedures, is gaining widespread attention due to increased fertility success.
Using TCM in the treatment of fertility, with or without western medical technologies, can be highly effective in stimulating the body’s natural healing potential. This is one of the top ways to improve fertility. Using TCM to strengthen and balance one’s health can be a significant factor in the success of ART (assisted reproductive therapy), whether it be IVF, IUI etc.
Internal disharmonies that cause infertility
There are a number of internal disharmonies that may render a person infertile (male or female):
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) (women)
- Endometriosis (women)
- Fibroids (women)
- Blocked Fallopian Tubes (women)
- Hormonal Imbalances (women & men)
- Low Sperm Count, Morphology and/or Motility (men)
- Stress (women & men)
- Immune System Imbalances (women & men)
- Egg Quality (women)
There are a few predominant organ systems, according to the Chinese Medicine model, that tend to be key players in the success or failure of fertility. Organ systems in TCM encompass a much broader function than in western medicine, primarily due to the intricate meridian or channel system that links a particular organ with many other parts of the body.
The Kidney’s organ
The Kidney’s organ system is always an important energy system to work with, as reproduction is dependent upon an ample supply of Qi and Essence in the Kidney system. As well, the Liver’s organ system must be balanced if there is stagnation in the uterus such as PCOS or endometriosis.
Considering that the median age that women are having babies is rising, the overall hormonal health and egg quality becomes a significant consideration in fertility. There is a natural decline in Qi and Essence as we age, yet there are things we can do to specifically increase the health of our Qi, such as acupuncture, herbs, nutrition and stress management.
Acupuncture techniques have been proven to regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis that is so necessary to have balanced in order to maximize your fertility success.
Alternative and Complementary Therapies
Why are people using Alternative and Complementary Therapies (62% of Americans use CAM)? The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM.org) has some published statistics:
Reasons for Using CAM: A survey asked people to select from five reasons to describe why they used CAM. Results were as follows (people could select more than one reason).
- CAM would improve health when used in combination with conventional medical treatments: 55%
- CAM would be interesting to try: 50%
- Conventional medical treatments would not help: 28%
- A conventional medical professional suggested trying CAM: 26%
- Conventional medical treatments are too expensive: 13%
The survey found that most people use CAM along with conventional medicine rather than in place of conventional medicine. (Taken directly from the NCCAM.org website)
How to Conceive?
Neither conventional Western Medicine nor any particular Alternative Medicine holds all the answers. Each offers its own unique pieces to a larger puzzle. When we take responsibility for our individual health, when we make conscious choices to create the recipe that works best for us, and when we stop chasing the magic bullet, we empower our own internal healing alchemy to support us centering into our natural state: health and balance.
Your recipe may include any number of ingredients; for instance, ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology), combined with yoga and nutrition. Or, maybe you are trying to conceive naturally, in which case, your recipe has different ingredients, such as Acupuncture, herbs, guided imagery, and meditation.
There is no right or wrong universal formula, just what works for YOU.
How to choose the right method?
Let’s imagine together for a moment. Let’s say you’ve never tried Indian food. You are invited to a nice big juicy Indian buffet. You might try some dishes that your dining mates recommend, and you might try other things because of how they look or smell.
When you begin eating your various choices, you will find that you really like some, while others you might not like as well. If you determine that you really don’t like something, you just decide you won’t choose it again. In general, you don’t make yourself or the particular dish “wrong” for that, it just is. The guy on your right-hand side might love the dish, everyone is happy.
Because you’re at a buffet, you can try a little bit of everything and determine what you enjoy most. You might even decide you don’t really care that much for Indian food altogether as a cuisine. No problem, because next door is an Italian buffet to try for lunch tomorrow. The point is that there are choices for you to make, and that your choice may be different from someone else’s.
So, if you are interested in using CAM, I encourage you to explore what works for you, because most people find this out through trial and error in just the same way as when they are at a buffet.
Body balance
The most fundamental thing got you to know about Complementary and Alternative Therapies is that they tend to strive for understanding of the deeper roots of why things are out of balance. At this depth, true healing is invited in. I offer for your consideration on your journey to conceive, the following highly reputable CAM options:
- Chinese Medicine
- Acupuncture
- Herbs
- Qi Gong
- Hypnotherapy
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Massage
- Energy Psychology
- Nutrition
- My Fertility Success website
In general, benefits to using CAM therapies might include:
- Relaxation and stress relief
- Strength and flexibility
- Regulating the hormones
- Reduce the side effects of ART medications
- Increase circulation to reproductive area (ovaries, sperm and uterine lining)
- Support the function of the ovaries for higher egg quality
- Strengthens the immune system
- Increase chance of conception** (see the research summary just below)
- Decrease chance of miscarriage
Just so you know just how impressive CAM can be in assisting with trying to conceive, consider the following study:
Fertility and Sterility® Vol. 77, No. 4, April 2002 © American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Objective: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) by comparing a group of patients receiving acupuncture treatment shortly before and after embryo transfer with a control group receiving no acupuncture. Results: Clinical pregnancies were documented in an impressive 42.5% of patients in the acupuncture group (34 of 80 patients) who received ART combined with acupuncture, whereas the pregnancy rate was only 26.3% (21 out of 80 patients) in the control group who received ART without acupuncture. These are highly statistically significant results. Conclusion: Acupuncture appears to be a useful tool for improving pregnancy rate before and after ART.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of what CAM methods may be able to do for you in trying to conceive and in giving birth successfully to a healthy baby boy or baby girl.
Lora M. is the director of Fertility Health Services in San Diego, California and is the author of the different books and audio CD series. Lora’s work is marked by a ready warmth and deep empathy for all those she serves. People from all walks of life have benefited from her keen ability to help them connect with their deepest selves — and experience their fullest potential for health, happiness and wholeness.