Fertility and Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine In the Application Of Infertility
By Guest Blogger Carrie Chauhan
In any discussion around fertility, the first thing to clarify is the definition of infertility: trying for a full year to get pregnant without success. Many women or couples put pressure on themselves to follow a schedule and conceive quickly. But conception can be a lot like pregnancy, birth, and even parenting: it isn’t totally under your control and doesn’t always go the way you plan. We can only do our best with the path we are on.
The goal of acupuncture and herbal medicine is to optimize general health, which helps with fertility and conception
In Asian medicine, patterns of disharmony are identified to diagnose what is out of balance. Then needles and herbal formulas are applied, as well as lifestyle and nutritional recommendations in order to restore balance. Chinese medicine aims to find harmony between extremes. Simply put, if someone runs too hot or too cold, or tends toward excess mucous or dryness, the first order of business is to reestablish balance.
When a client asks for help with infertility, it is often recommended to delay trying to conceive. This gives some time to work toward overall health. Sometimes the best acupuncture points or herbal medicines to rebalance, build, or clear, aren’t the best ones to be used during pregnancy. This can be a hard thing amid the anticipation of becoming pregnant. Just like preparing a nursery for the baby, it’s a way of preparing the body for conception. It’s a lot harder to paint a nursery and shop for onesies if you’ve already got a newborn to care for at the same time. Similarly, it’s a lot harder to optimize the environment for a full-term pregnancy when one is already pregnant.
A healthy, regular menstrual cycle is vital to fertility
This means that the period occurs roughly the same number of days apart every month, the flow is 3-5 days without excess cramping or clotting, and that the blood is a healthy red color (not pink, brown or purple.)
It is equally important for men to consider acupuncture and herbal medicine for fertility
In the United States, sperm counts over the last century have fallen, and in some studies these counts have halved over the last forty years. Studies show, as cited by WebMD, that Asian medicine can improve the health and number of sperm.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sperm-count-dropping-in-western-world/ (Kate Kelland, Reuters on July 26, 2017)
https://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20050803/acupuncture-may-improve-sperm-quality
Stress
Facing possible or diagnosed infertility is stressful. Oftentimes, the best first treatments are those that work on clearing stress and bringing some relaxation and ease. Worsley Five Element style acupuncture has an excellent protocol for clearing stress and frustration to address mental and emotional health.
The specific acupuncture points and herbal formulas used will depend on the person, as well as the menstrual cycle. Herbal formulas can be given in four parts, one for each week of the cycle, each having a different focus to best support fertility.
The perfect time to use acupuncture and herbal medicine for fertility is before you are ready to conceive. If you think this is the year you start a family, try it now. Give yourself the gift of going into conception, pregnancy and post-partum times with peak health. An acupuncturist can be a valuable member of the pregnancy health care team.
Carrie Chauhan is a Diplomat of OM. She holds a Master’s in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine from the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture. She is the author of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Beginners Over 100 Remedies for Wellness and Balance. She enjoys Qi gong and Tae Kwon do. To learn more about Carrie and her practice you can find her at www.carriechauhan.com or on Instagram @carriechauhan and @carriechauhanauthor.