Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) suggests that there are three main causes of infertility: deficiency syndrome, stagnancy syndrome and heat syndrome.
All three syndromes can be treated with Chinese herbs, acupuncture or a combination of both. These traditional Chinese approaches can also be combined with Western medicine in treating infertility.
Evidence of using herbs to treat infertility dates back to around 2,000 years ago. With the cultural importance of family, it is no wonder that TCM has been used to treat infertility for thousands of years.
In a study published in International Review of Neurobiology in 2017, research shows that Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) improved sperm motility and quality, increased sperm count and rebalanced inadequate hormone levels, and adjusted immune functions leading to the increased number of fertility. Further, CHM in combination with conventional therapies improved efficacy of conventional treatments.
CHM also helps with female fertility issues. In a study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in 2015 suggests that management of female infertility with Chinese herbal medicine can improve pregnancy rates 2-fold within a 3–6 month period.
TCM practitioners treat infertility by getting to the deeper, underlying root of the problem, instead of treating the most apparent problem. Like and architect, TCM practitioners believe that the foundation is most important in a “home” or body. Therefore, they strive to balance the “foundation” of the body. Once the foundation of the body is healthy and qi (life energy) flows freely throughout the body, the body should be able to correct the problem of infertility on its own.
In general, the use of Chinese Herbal Medicine typically take around six months to restore fertility, however please note that individual’s condition might defer.
(a) Chinese Herbal Medicine treatment (in the form of Powder, Syrup and Tablet/Pills) based on an overall analysis of the illness and the patient’s condition in conjunction with modern medical diagnosis.
(b) Periodical consultation based on the menstruation cycle.