Nicole brings both a high level of expertise and compassion to her fertility treatment. Her own experience with fertility issues led her to hone her skills by attaining specialty board certification in Oriental reproductive medicine to better help her patients.
Traditional Chinese Medicine may be used either in conjunction with Western infertility treatment or as an alternative treatment to help regulate and enhance fertility. Both treatment strategies have research to support effectiveness.
The following problems are treated:
- Unexplained infertility
- Autoimmune infertility
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Recurrent pregnancy loss
- Low progesterone / luteal phase defect
- Irregular menstruation
- Amenorrhea
- Endometriosis
- Male factor – low sperm count and low sperm quality
- High FSH or “poor responders” to IVF, poor egg quality
- Side effects associated with western fertility medications
How Does it Work?
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine may assist with modulating the systems of the body that regulate fertility, the neuroendocrine system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and may help induce ovulation, regulate menstrual cycles, prevent miscarriage and improve fertility indicators such as cervical mucous and uterine lining. According to research, acupuncture may increase pregnancy and live birth rates when combined with in vitro fertilization. Chinese herbal medicine was found to be more effective than drugs and assisted reproductive technologies in one retrospective study. Acupuncture has been found to increase blood flow to the uterus. Acupuncture can also enhance a person’s sense of well-being and relaxation by increasing endorphins and reducing the “fight or fight” stress response. Traditional Chinese Medicine wisdom holds that when the vital energy and essence of the person’s body and mind are balanced and nourished that fertility function is optimized.
(For a more in-depth look into TCM strategies to treat fertility issues with case examples, see my article: Integrative Fertility Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine: An Effective Approach.)
