Since 1995, Golden Gate Fertility Centre has been supporting couples with fertility problems (difficulty in achieving pregnancy naturally, failed IVF/IUI treatments). Our physicians use herbal medications and acupuncture to helps women and men that face such debilitating disease to achieve pregnancy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses a holistic approach to treat diseases, same for subfertility. Our body consist of complex ecosystems that depend on each, any disruption to one system will cause problem in another system, and this disruption will need to be reverse to normal (or to near normal). These systems need to work together seamlessly to create the optimum condition for pregnancy and lead to delivery of healthy baby.

About 1 in 7 couple have fertility issue, and it is a difficulty news to accept especially when couples have desire to build a complete family together. Infertility can be cause by many different things, most of the time there can be combination of causes, rarely a single cause. Common causes of infertility in women includes PCOS, endometriosis, fibroid, pelvic inflammatory disease, scaring from surgery, thyroid problems, premature ovarian failure, diminishing ovarian reserve. About 1 in 4 couples facing infertility unable to find the cause of it even after extensive time and money spent on all investigation, and they end up with disappointment and resentment.

TCM theory do not rebuke the causes listed above, instead, have different and complementary view on top of the causes listed above, especially for those couple where causes of infertility cannot be identified. Energy (Qi), blood (Xie), Ying and Yang are the essence of TCM theory, they are important factors and need to be in perfect harmony with each other for body to function healthily. Liver, Kidney and Spleen are closely related to fertility functions and fertility hormones. It is crucial to find out the exact problem, then with herbal medicine, we can address the root cause of the problems. The herbs can restore the functions of Qi, Xie, Ying and Yang to previously normal (or near-normal) state, naturally, a women ability to conceive will be restore. Talk to our TCM physician to find out more.  

There are also several factors that can affect fertility, these include:
 
Age – fertility declines with age. Do not delay in seeking medical advice when you can’t achieve pregnancy after 1 years trying to get pregnant, time don’t wait for you.

Weight – overweight or BMI over 30 will reduces fertility. In women, being overweight or severely underweight can affect ovulation.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – several STIs, including chlamydia, can cause structural damage to the fertility organs such as fallopian tubes. It can negatively affect fertility potential.

Smoking – smoking (including passive smoking) can reduce chance of conceiving and can reduce semen quality.

Alcohol – the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. Drinking too much alcohol can also affect the quality of sperm.

Environmental factors – exposure to certain pesticides, solvents and metals has been shown to affect fertility, particularly in men.

Stress – Stress is one of a major risk factor we often underestimate. It can reduce the potential to conceive. This is especially true when most women have a busy schedule and is further worsen by the stress of trying to get pregnant. Excessive worrying and excessive exercise can cause hormone imbalance in severe cases it can even affect ovulation and sperm production. It can affect your relationship with your partner and cause a loss of sex drive. A but of Qi Gong, yoga or meditation may help.

Since 1995, we have help more than 2000 couples of all types of condition to achieve pregnancies and delivered healthy babies. The combination of herbal medicine with acupuncture increases your chances of conceiving, but conceiving is only the beginning, keeping your body healthy while your baby is in your womb is important to prevent miscarriage or preterm birth. Do not hesitate to come for our FREE consultation, we will try our best to help you.

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Can TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) help PCOS?

 

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting the ability to achieve pregnancy in affected women, affecting nearly 10 percent of women overall. “poly” means many and “cyst” means sacs that contain fluid and “syndrome” means a group of associated symptoms. Patients usually only find out about PCOS during a clinic visit for their irregular menses, prolong delay menstruation or failing to get pregnant after actively trying for it.
Women with PCOS may or may not have symptoms and may not have all the symptoms at the same time. It is also important to know that women who are overweight or obese are more likely to have PCOS, while it can happen with women with normal BMI. Following are the symptoms of PCOS

     - Infrequent or absent menses. Some women have abnormal uterine bleeding due to prolong absent of ovulation.
     - Excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern – face, back and chest. This is known as hirsutism.

When investigated by doctors, women with PCOS may have pearl string appearance seen in ovary due to the present of multiple cysts on an ultrasound scan. From blood investigation they may also have too much male hormone, testosterone. The LH hormone may also be raised.
The diagnosis of PCOS is based on the fulfilment of 2 out of the 3 Rotterdam criteria. PCOS is also frequently associated with metabolic diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Other medical problem may be seen include Sleep apnea and fatty liver disease.
In the theory of TCM, PCOS is often due to kidney deficiency, excess water, blood stagnation, and Yang deficiency.
For those who are trying to get pregnant, TCM will help to improve the ovarian activity, uterus blood flow and support ovulation for fertilisation. This is done by:

1. Improve kidney function - which influence the reproductive system.

2. Remove excess dampness in the body.

3. Improving blood and Qi circulation to ensure optimal nutrients and oxygen is being transported to both ovaries and subsequently eggs(follicles) and removing excess dampness.

PCOS women who are overweight or obese, there tends to have more dampness present. Combine healthy diet and lifestyle, TCM can improve the PCOS condition and helps body return to normal endocrine function.
Stress is another contributing factor to irregular menses, and acupuncture will helps relax the body and mind and improve the nervous system. Acupuncture has been gaining popularity worldwide especially in the treatment of fertility. Many fertility specialists in the Europe are using acupuncture to improve the IVF treatment success rate. Acupuncture can unblock meridian in the body to improve circulation of qi, energy, and blood flow to the reproductive systems, which boosting fertility in the process. Consistency is the key in any treatment, weekly acupuncture sessions is reported to better improve fertility function than occasional on-and-off treatment.
If you suspect or have been diagnosed with PCOS, it is important to talk to your doctor to understand what western medicine options you have, while also talk to our physicians to discuss your treatment options.
 

Clinical studies of Traditional Chinese medicine have shown that acupuncture is helpful in treating infertility, especially for infertility caused by ovulation and hormone disturbance. It is supported by research that acupuncture can help improve chances of pregnancy in couples who are undergoing IVF. Increasing number of hospital/IVF centres have begun to use acupuncture therapy to complement IVF treatment. Acupuncture is based on the theory of ''Qi'' (energy), by using small needles to stimulate points according to the meridian, thereby achieve therapeutic effect. In China, uses of Chinese herbal medicine along with acupuncture therapy to treat infertility has a long history.

Acupuncture helps fertilized eggs (embryo or blastocyst) implantation.
In 2002, German researchers found that acupuncture significantly increased the chances of conception in 160 women who had IVF treatment. Forty-two percent of women who received acupuncture with IVF treatment were successfully pregnant, compared with 26 percent of women who only have IVF as treatment. Since then, more studies have shown that acupuncture is beneficial for women undergoing IVF treatment. Another German study noted that women who received IVF or embryo transfer with acupuncture in the second half of the menstrual cycle (i.e., the luteal period) had higher rates of pregnancy, both in conception and in continuation of pregnancy. Danish study showed that acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer increases the rate of conception. Contrary to previous believe, acupuncture help improve blood flow to uterus, relaxes the smooth muscle of uterus thus increasing the chances of implantation.  

Acupuncture can improve sperm count and activity in men.
Acupuncture also helpful for male infertility. Regular acupuncture treatments have been shown to increase sperm count in men with fertility problems, improving their sperm vitality, sperm motility, but the effect is not always as significant when use alone, thus it is advice to combine with oral medication to maximize the effect. To increase the probability of pregnancy in a natural way, the more active sperm the better the chances. For couples considering assisted fertility treatment, a study published in 2005 showed that acupuncture does improve sperm quality. Sperm analysis before and after acupuncture treatment in men with unknown causes of infertility was done and found that acupuncture treatment was associated with reduced sperm structural defects and an increase in normal sperm counts. The first step in treating any infertility problem is to find a physician expert in this field. If you have decided to try acupuncture, be sure to go qualified TCM practitioner. At Golden Gate fertility centre, we have 25 years of experience in fertility treatment, working many IVF centres to acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment for their patient. Please do not hesitate to come if for your FREE consultation.

Golden Gate Fertility Center is your hope...  
 
 
Reference:
1. Paulus WE, Zhang M, Strehler E, El-Danasouri I, Sterzik K. Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy. Fertil Steril. 2002 Apr;77(4):721-4. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(01)03273-3. PMID: 11937123.

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