Fertility & Pregnancy

Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples. Western medicine offers several options for aiding in the chances of pregnancy. 

• IUI inserts a thin tube into the uterus to release sperm.

• IVF harvests eggs at the end of stimulation. It is then placed in a lab dish with sperm to be fertilized. The practitioner then transfers one of the fertilized eggs (embryo) into the uterus to begin life. 

• ICSI is similar to IVF but instead directly injects sperm into an egg to be fertilized and then transferred into the uterus.

• ART allows donor eggs and/or sperm to be placed into a surrogate and will then carry the child to term to give birth to your baby.

From a TCM perspective, infertility is a little different for men and women. 

For women the main systems to be imbalanced are the Kidney, Liver, Spleen and Heart. There may also be a lack of yin, yang, blood and qi. Stress can cause Liver qi stagnation. This action can be seen from a Western side as cortisol levels rising, and thus redirecting the blood flow towards the brain and muscles and away from reproductive organs. An irregular diet can damage the bodies spleen energy and create a potential for irregular ovulation. 

For men, the main systems of imbalance tend to show up in either the Kidney yang or Liver. Low sperm counts can be attributed to poor dietary habits and high stress levels. The Liver system may get backed up and stagnant if these habits continue for prolonged periods of time, leading to impotence.