Fertility
For women, fertility and gynaecology are inextricably linked but I will deal with them separately here as I also treat men for fertility issues.
I see women at every stage of their fertility quest, from 28 year-olds who have just decided to start trying to 43 year-olds who have had 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts and don’t want to stop trying yet. I see many older women who have just met their partner and want to conceive as soon as possible and many women who have had repeated miscarriages. I also see women who are undergoing IVF, whose partners are infertile or who are having egg donation and women with ‘secondary infertility’. Many men also come for treatment for low sperm count or other conditions diagnosed after a sperm test. Sperm quality (morphology and chromosomal) has a huge impact on miscarriage rates and is important for the man to improve his general health and therefore the quality of his sperm. (For private testing, please see www.tdlpatholgy.com)
By far the most common condition is ‘unexplained infertility’. In Chinese Medicine ‘unexplained infertility’ does not exist. There is always an explanation – whether it is stress, inadequate nutrition or because certain tests have not been done, or have not been done properly. Many women do become pregnant once their and their partner’s stress and diet are properly managed but I also ensure that I check over test results and keep you informed of your best options for treatment.
I set up and run the Edinburgh Fertility Clinic Ltd (www.edinburghfertilityclinic.co.uk ). As a team, we work to help couples overcome their fertility problems and support those undergoing IVF or other Assisted Reproductive Techniques. I have established links with IVF clinics nation-wide such as the ARGC in London (www.argc.co.uk ), the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Glasgow Clinic for Reproductive Medicine (www.GCRM.co.uk).
These are the fertility-related conditions I treat regularly:
- Unexplained infertility
- Secondary infertility
- Poor sperm count /quality
- General well-being and support
- Miscarriage or recurrent miscarriage
- Ovarian cysts
- PCOS and other hormonal imbalances
- Menstrual irregularities
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
- Support for IVF & other Assisted Reproductive Treatments
Case study 1, Conception:
Amanda, 29, had irregular and infrequent periods. She came to see me having stopped the oral contraceptive pill eight months previously and she had been taking it for 12 years. She was anxious and stressed about her lack of conception so I reassured her that it was normal for her cycles to take some time to settle down after coming off the pill. She started charting and she found this helped her gain a sense of control over what was happening. Her charts were good with a definite sign of ovulation each month and raised temperatures thereafter (a sign of there being enough progesterone in the body). Her cycles were gradually becoming shorter with regular acupuncture and she also took a batch of Chinese herbs. Although ovulation was sometimes at day 21 of a 39 day cycle she knew when was happening because of the daily charting so could relax and let go of her anxiety. At her fifth treatment she had been diagnosed with borderline polycystic ovaries but by the eighth treatment she was pregnant and has a baby girl!
Case study 2, IVF
May’s mother had taken DES whilst pregnant with May – a synthetic oestrogen which was used to prevent miscarriage but which was later found to have detrimental effects on the reproductive ability of the child as well as an increased risk of cancer. Her mother had had four miscarriages before giving birth to May.
May had been trying to conceive for seven years and had suffered one miscarriage three years previously. Her partner had low/average sperm quality and they had decided to try IVF. In the run-up to the IVF I concentrated on relaxation, calming anxiety and preparing her body for the drugs by strengthening her energy and immune system. May had a lot of period pain and I eased this by using moxa (mugwort) for warming her abdomen leading up to her period – she found this very helpful. During this time she also had one very late period which may have been the result of an early miscarriage. Once the IVF protocol started I concentrated on working with the drugs – quietening cooling her hot flushes, relieving headaches and relaxing during the ‘shut-down’ phase and stimulating her ovaries during the 2nd stage. She produced 9 eggs and 2 were implanted. Two weeks later she was pregnant and has since given birth to a baby boy.