Infertility Treatment

Last year I wrote a blog post about caffeine and the negative impact on fertility. Many of my clients inquiry how does caffeine affects fertility, which is a tough question to answer from a Western medicine perspective. Last year two studies were published on caffeine and how it influences cells and hormone levels.

Let’s take a step back – several years ago a large research study followed nurses focusing on their consumption of caffeine and if they had problems conceiving. […]

For years I have been educating women about FSH. My belief has been that high FSH does not indicate an inability to conceive. I have seen numerous women conceive with FSH even when it’s high as 40. When a client comes for the initial consult, the high FSH conversation comes up. From a Chinese medicine view, high FSH indicates an imbalance of hormones, but not the “end of your fertility days”. I have always wonder how many women conceive […]

The following article appeared in Time magazine. If you are on anti depressants please discuss this article with your doctor, as there is a correlation between miscarriage and anti depressant intake. There are other modalities, such as acupuncture and Chinese herbs to help with depression and anxiety around infertility.

Pregnancy is often fraught with complications, not least for women suffering from depression while carrying a child: new research suggests that women who take antidepressant medications during pregnancy may have […]

milkmilkVisited an acupuncturist to improve your fertility? In the treatment process I bet you have been told by your practitioner to remove dairy products from your diet. From a Chinese medicine view, the majority of fertility clients present with damp/phlegm and dairy enhances the buildup of this energetic issue. Yes, dairy includes yogurt, milk, butter and cheese.

What is phlegm/damp? Chinese medicine observes how energy flows and issues that block it. One of the major energy blockers is damp/phlegm […]

For years I have been encouraging women to look beyond their diagnosis of Premature Ovarian Failure. High FSH and the poor response to follicular stimulating drugs are the most common symptoms of POF. Often women get this life altering diagnosis after visiting their reproductive doctor or completing a cycle of IVF. This diagnosis is nothing more than a diagnosis. It does not indicate if you can or cannot get pregnant – though many doctors would disagree with this statement. From a Chinese medicine view point it simple indicates the women’s body is out of balance. […]

One of my clients sent me a link to a wonderful short video about fertility and the “what if’s” of the journey. This video is fabulous. It asks all the right questions and opens a new avenue of thought. Through all of the pain and grief comes power to view life out of the box. The video asks...

Well Ladies I was introduced to an amazing website dedicated to pictures of the cervix. It shows a daily picture of the cervix from day 1 of menstruation through ovulation and up to the day of the new menstrual cycle. It’s amazing how the cervix changes from day to day and prepares for ovulation. Many of my clients check their cervix as part of the information to help them conceive. Yet, they often feel confused trying to figure out what a “high and soft” cervix feels like. This website provides a visual pictorial that can […]

This week I am posting about fructose. One component of the dietary changes I recommend to fertility clients is consuming less sugar. Many of us understand sugar is a dietary no no, but few of us realize how powerfully negative it can be in our bodies. Fertility books recommend women to completely remove soda from their diets, yet finding out the reasoning behind it is unclear. One study found a clear link between infertility and the consumption of soda. The incidents of infertility increases as women consume more soda. Thus a woman who drinks […]

The following snip it is of a much longer article which grabbed my attention. Currently research is investigating the possibility of removing cells from an embryo and growing a twin from the cells. Researchers believe the high tech procedure will offer poor responders and older women with good quality embryos a larger pool of potential embryos for freezing and future transfer. Modern science is providing couples with a new tool to succeed in achieving pregnancy. It will be interesting to watch the outcome.

Volume 93, Issue 2, Pages 423-427 January 15, 2010
Human embryo twinning with applications in […]

So many of my clients define themselves by the number they are given by Western medicine.  This number game involves age, FSH, antral follicle count or AMA results.  Number readings can feel like a heavy burden in this journey to conceive. One of my clients, K. experienced the number game.  She wanted to reach out to other women in the number game and convey her experience.  At one point during her treatment process, she realized numbers are just numbers and don’t indicate failure or success.  The power of moving beyond the definitions of a number representing fertility or how much […]