| "Planting Seeds: Chinese Medicine for Infertility" Many baby boomers who postponed having children until their late 30s or early 40s are now finding it difficult to get pregnant as they approach the upper reaches of their fertile years. Studies have demonstrated that over the age of 40 almost 50% of women will experience infertility. Anyone having trouble getting pregnant on their own or undergoing fertility treatments knows how stressful it can be. Between ovulation indicators, hormone shots, side effects of medication, expense and uncertainty of the process, both men and women can become overwhelmed. What can be done to enhance fertility? There is a growing body of evidence that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps promote fertility and enhances outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Today, more than half of the budget for the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is devoted to the study of Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture influences many hormones, including those that effect fertility. Studies have shown many of the effects of acupuncture are mediated by endorphins, naturally occurring opiates in the central nervous system that effect pain perception, neuro-transmitters and have neuro-modulatory functions. The endorphins influence the control of a wide variety of hormones through the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis. The stimulation of endorphins through acupuncture also helps to decrease the physiological stress response. That is why many people feel relaxed after an acupuncture treatment. Research on this mechanism has also shown that acupuncture may increase the success of embryo implantation by improving the quality of the enodometrial lining. While one can exercise to get a "runner's high" to effect endorphins, specific acupuncture points have been shown through MRI research to effect specific organs and glands. In addition, Chinese herbal medicine can regulate and strengthen reproductive aspects of the body. Alicia M. says, "I was undergoing my fifth IVF and was recommneded by my fertility doctor to get acupuncture treatments during my IVF cycle and right before and after embryo transfer. I produced more follicles than I ever have before and I got pregnant!" For Alicia and others involved in the process of IVF there has been a great deal of interest in acupuncture based on a study by Paulus et al appearing in the April 2002 issue of Fertility and Sterility. German researchers announced that they had increased the success rate of women undergoing IVF by nearly 50% using acupuncture before and after embryo transfer. Chinese Medicine provides a safe and effective way to enhance fertility. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition and lifestyle changes can help many gynecological disorders that contribute to infertility such as: anovulation, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, PCOS, irregular menstruation and amenorrhea. For men, Chinese Medicine helps improve low sperm count and motility. When embarking on fertility it is important to get a thorough evaluation from an OB-Gyn. The marriage between western and eastern medicine can make many happy babies. -Denise Wiesner, L.Ac. and Alex Berks, L.Ac. | 
