How
can Chinese Medicine treat hormonal imbalances?
Many
hormonal problems are due to slight imbalances in
the delicate endocrine system, which may alter a
pathway by which the body produces hormones. A slight
aberration can throw the entire system off so it
no longer functions smoothly. Research has shown
that acupuncture influences these hormonal pathways,
and assists our own internal energies to restore
endocrine harmony.
Acupuncture can assist in correcting and fine tuning
the complex interplay of hormonal signals of the
hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, crucial to
creating a healthy hormonal environment to sustain
implantation and a healthy pregnancy.
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Enhancing
Fertility With Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine can address the following
factors:
| • |
Stress
reduction, relaxation |
| • |
Regulate
hormone imbalances to address luteal phase defects,
amenorrhea, polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, uterine
fibroids, premenstrual and perimenopausal symptoms |
| • |
Improves
ovarian function more follicles and better quality
eggs |
| • |
Improves
ovarian blood flow which increases ovarian response |
| • |
Increases
uterine blood flow to improve endometrial lining |
| • |
Strengthens
the immune system |
| • |
Male
factor infertility: improves sperm count, motility
and morphology |
| • |
Advanced
maternal age, recurrent miscarriage
|
| • |
Decreases
uterine contractility during implantation |
| • |
Decreases
the chance of miscarriage |
| • |
Lessens
the side effects of hormone treatments |
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Improves the outcome of
Assisted Reproductive Therapies
Acupuncture can help improve the outcome of assisted reproductive
techniques by alleviating the side effects of medical
procedures, improving the response to hormonal stimulation
and improving the flow of blood circulation to the uterus
and ovaries, a key factor in the success of assisted reproductive
techniques. Additionally acupuncture can help decrease
uterine contractility improving chances of implantation.
Stress affects infertility and infertility affects stress;
this is the cycle commonly seen among infertility patients.
Nerve fibers connect the brain directly to both the fallopian
tubes and the uterus through the autonomic nervous system.
Prolonged stress leads to imbalance in the nervous system
which can alter the ovary's ability to produce healthy
eggs and hormones and can cause spasms to occur in both
the fallopian tubes and the uterus which interfere with
implantation of a fertilized egg. This nervous system
imbalance may be a major factor as to why less than one
third of patients using assisted reproductive technologies
such as IVF or GIFT become pregnant.
Acupuncture’s powerful calming effects on the nervous
system are employed to alleviate much of the mental and
physical stress induced by these procedures. It has been
well documented that the stress response inherent to the
procedure negatively affects the outcome of ART.
Specific acupuncture techniques are employed to decrease
excessive sympathetic activation and enhance the parasympathetic
system to correct imbalance in the autonomic nervous system.
A recent study published by the American Society of Reproductive
Medicine’s Fertility and Sterility Journal reported
that stress impairs the success rate in IVF up to 93%.
Click
here to read the study.
Most importantly a woman or the couple must be healthy
hormonally approaching the IVF cycle. A positive response
to any assisted reproductive technique will depend on
the patients’ overall endocrine status in the months
preceding the procedure. By working with Chinese Medicine
to stabilize the hormonal system several months (ideally
a minimum of 3 months) prior to IVF the quality of egg
production can be improved while lowering the risk for
miscarriage.
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