• ovulation disorders (particularly polycystic ovarian syndrome) which account for around 20% to 40% of all female infertility cases
• tubal and peritoneal factors which account for 30% to 40% of cases
• endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory diseases
• cervical factors (5% of infertile couples)
• uterine pathologies (15% of couples seeking treatment and up to 50% of infertile female patients)
• systemic conditions including chronic diseases such as chronic renal failure and autoimmune conditions, and infections
• age – the decline in fecundity begins in the early 30s and accelerates during the late 30s and early 40s
• obesity
• unexplained factors.

• azoospermia (no sperm cells are produced)
• oligospermia (few sperm cells are produced)
• misformed sperm cells
• sperm cells that die before reaching the egg
• genetic disease (eg cystic fibrosis)
• chromosome abnormalities (rarely)
• obesity.

Couples generally have to have had unprotected sex for a year before they are diagnosed as being infertile.

These are complicated processes that depend upon various factors, including:

• the health of the man’s sperm
• the health of the woman’s egg
• fallopian tubes through which the sperm can pass to unite with the egg
• the ability of the sperm to fertilize the egg
• the successful implantation of the fertilized egg (embryo) in the woman's uterus
• a strong and healthy embryo
• an adequate hormonal environment in the woman to allow embryo development.

Infertility can be the result if even one of these factors is impaired.

Chinese herbs were first used to treat infertility as long ago as 200 A.D. and the same herbal formulas are still in use today. Chinese medical journals often feature reports of large scale clinical trials exploring the uses of Chinese medicine in fertility treatments and Chinese doctors report a 70% success rate in using herbs to treat both male and female infertility. Many hundreds of different types of herbs are used to make up complex formulas, depending on the particular syndrome presented. In addition, herbal medicine is often used in combination with acupuncture, diet and lifestyle modifications and massage to treat infertility.

Traditional Chinese medicine is also becoming increasingly popular in the west because it has been shown to be safer, a great deal less expensive and even more effective than more invasive Western methods.

This may be, in part, because traditional Chinese medicine treats the whole person, not just the disease, and focuses on re-establishing balance and reducing stress while simultaneously regulating hormones and menstruation. It also recognizes that many cases of infertility stem from functional rather than structural problems.

Acupuncture is just one traditional Chinese medicinal technique that is being used increasingly in fertility treatments, including ovulatory dysfunction, male infertility and improving the outcomes of in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVFET).

According to traditional Chinese medicinal theory, acupuncture regulates the flow of qi (vital energy), blood and body fluids, corrects disturbances, blockages, and dysfunctions of body organs in the body, and restores their normal functions.

The modern scientific proving is that acupuncture may improve ovulation by modulating the central and peripheral nervous system, the neuroendocrine and endocrine systems, ovarian blood flow, and metabolism.

Acupuncture also reduces depression, anxiety and stress and modulates immune function, which may be why it helps improve the outcomes of IVF-ET. For more information about our fertility clinics in Richmond Hill and Markham or any other of our traditional Chinese medicine treatments please call Advanced Acupuncture and Herbs Clinic on 416 399-3888.