In recent years, more and more couples are addressing the issue of natural conception. The number of "infertile" men and women is growing exponentially and after a visit to the doctor, unfortunately, they often get the impression that without the help of assisted reproduction, they will never get the baby they want.
Therefore, in this article we would like to reflect on how infertility is defined and explained by Western and traditional Chinese medicine, how they look at the causes and how they approach treatment differently.
Statistics show that infertility is affecting more and more couples. Previously, the causes were mainly found on the part of the woman. However, this has changed significantly in recent years. Today, it is reported that 40% of fertility problems are on the woman's side, 40% on the man's side and 20% are the fault of both partners. What is alarming is that this situation is getting worse.
Factors such as delaying pregnancy to a later age, environmental factors, and increased exposure to chemicals that can negatively affect reproductive health are most often cited as causes of infertility. In addition, poor quality diet, poor eating habits, overwork, excessive stress, etc.
Mental state can very significantly affect fertility. Stress, anxiety and depressive states can interfere with hormonal cycles and affect the chances of getting pregnant. Mental health support, including therapy and relaxation techniques, is key to increasing the chances of successful conception.
Fertility problems can have many causes that vary by gender. In women, these include hormonal imbalances, problems with ovulation, blocked fallopian tubes, or problems with the uterus such as fibroids or endometriosis.
In men, the most common causes are reduced sperm quality, ejaculation problems, or hormonal imbalances. In addition, age, genetic predispositions, lifestyle and the health of both partners.
It is reported that the average ejaculate contains 100,000,000 sperm, with less than 20% abnormal forms. If these values decrease or the number of abnormalities increases, the fertilisation capacity decreases.
Traditional medical approaches include various hormone therapies, surgical interventions and assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF. IVF is often used when other methods fail and involves egg retrieval and sperm fertilisation under laboratory conditions.
In the words of Chinese medicine and a simplified view, we can divide the causes of fertility problems into three groups:
We will discuss each cause in detail below.
The kidneys are the main organ responsible for our ability to conceive. We write it with a capital L because we mean Kidneys according to Chinese medicine, which includes something different than Kidneys according to Western medicine. It is the entire Kidney system, which includes the bladder or the emotion of fear. The kidneys are an important reproductive organ for both men and women. They form the material energy base of our body. They are the source of Qi, Yang, Yin and Jing essence energy.
The so-called quality of the essence stored in the Kidneys is essential for functional reproduction. It is also sometimes called reproductive essence.
Essence is what we get from our ancestors. It determines whether we will be healthy or sick, how we will behave in certain situations, or how old we will live.
Essence is also the source of Tian Gui, which is a special substance that is involved in the formation of semen, the formation of eggs, and also participates in the formation of menstrual blood. Tian Gui is also called "heavenly water". The quality and strength of the kidney essence is therefore essential to the ability to conceive.
Furthermore, the kidneys are the source of the Yin and Yang of the entire body. The Yin stored in the Kidneys forms the material base of our organism (the essence is part of it). It helps to nourish and moisturize our organism. The Kidney Yang are such pebbles of our organism. They warm it up and are the activator of most physiological functions. They create a spark that is important for conception.
The second organ important for conception is the liver. The liver is mainly important for the female reproductive system because it stores and distributes blood. And menstruation and blood are closely related to the ability to conceive.
If blood is scarce, difficulties occur that have a negative impact on fertility. For example, when there is insufficient blood, the endometrium does not recover sufficiently after menstruation, which compromises the ability to conceive; furthermore, the flow of blood slows down, which can result in blood stasis that results in blockages that prevent pregnancy. In addition, Liver blood is closely related to Yin and Kidney essence, so that both are usually treated simultaneously.
However, blockages in the reproductive system are also a major problem, limiting the mechanism of Qi energy flow and thus the ability to conceive. They can arise from various causes: cold in the uterus, slowing down the flow of Qi in the reproductive tract, as stasis after various gynecological procedures. Often they manifest as so-called blood stasis in the form of fibroids, cysts, polycystic ovaries or endometriosis.
Also important for fertility are the so-called extraordinary pathways. You probably know that each organ has its own pathway in which Qi energy flows and on which acupuncture points are located. So we have 12 regular pathways and in addition to that we have extraordinary pathways which have different functions. They often serve as so-called reservoirs of Qi energy. Here we should mention 3 extraordinary pathways that are essential for the ability to procreate and also for the menstrual cycle:
More and more couples are entrusting themselves to the care of traditional medicine. Chinese medicine offers seemingly simple but effective solutions. Herbal mixtures and acupuncture are aimed at improving overall health and promoting fertility. Studies suggest that these methods can improve egg and sperm quality, and even increase the success rate of IVF procedures.
Perhaps we are all aware that many health problems are self-inflicted, caused by our lifestyle, which is not always healthy. And this is no different for fertility problems.
However, due to the fact that the quality of the kidney essence has a big influence on fertility, then how our parents and our ancestors lived will also have a big influence here. Which, unfortunately, we have no control over.
But at the same time we "destroy" the essence by our lifestyle. Too much work, too much stress and excessive energy expenditure often results in our organism reaching into its reserves, and these reserves are made up of the essence.
Men deplete their essence, for example, by frequent sex, women by menstruation and childbirth. However, the most important thing is the quality of the essence of both parents. Therefore, if a man and a woman want to have a healthy offspring, they should get into the best possible condition before they conceive. In ancient China, a man and a woman spent at least one year intensively preparing to conceive a child.
You should know that it is not only the overall physical and mental condition before conception, but the time of conception also plays a role. According to Chinese medicine, it greatly influences the condition of the conceived child. Therefore, it was not recommended to conceive a child during a storm or other extreme weather fluctuations, or at a time when one was under great stress. And certainly not if under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
If you have any health imbalances, you should definitely work on correcting them first and then consider conceiving.
Food composition and diet are also important for the ability to conceive. For women, the diet should match the menstrual cycle. After menstruation it is necessary to replenish the blood, so drink broths from turkey bones, or eat eggs or other proteins.
To support ovulation, the Yang of the kidneys should be replenished, so black sesame or walnuts or try the vital Cordyceps mushroom.
After ovulation you need to strengthen Qi, so a good quality, regular and varied diet consisting of good quality real food is essential.
There is no need to avoid fats as these are essential for the production of cholesterol, which is important for the formation of estrogen and progesterone.
Thin women who have less fat in their bodies often have problems with a lack of female hormones, but overweight women have a problem with the so-called moisture in the body, which can also be a problem for fertility.
Another important factor for successful conception is a sufficient amount of quality sleep. Ideally, sleep 7-8 hours and go to bed as early as possible before midnight. This is because at night the cleansing and regeneration of the body takes place. In addition, in sleep the Yin energy is replenished, and therefore the blood is also replenished.
Choose a physical activity that does not exhaust you and is pleasant for you. Intense sport "eats" the blood and weakens the Kidneys. The body needs to move, then the Qi energy and blood move, and blockages do not occur so easily.
So for the ability to procreate, it is not enough to just have enough essence and blood in the body, it needs to move as well.
Surely you have heard stories of women who dealt with their problems with conception very intensively, then went on vacation or went to psychotherapy and everything suddenly came naturally.
Emotions are important for our organism. They help to balance the different energy movements. But if they are excessive, repressed or prolonged, they can cause various health imbalances.
Chinese medicine recommends keeping a calm mind - start meditating, practicing yoga, Tai JI, Qi Gong. All these have a beneficial effect on conception.
Pregnancy is a period of Yin, i.e. a woman must be well nourished, have enough blood and strong Kidneys.
Top executives who are always busy, always have a full diary, work from sight to sight, exactly such women then often have trouble getting pregnant.
For women, the frequency of sex does not play a major role. The amount of sexual intercourse does not affect the level of essence. On the contrary, frequent sex helps mental and physical relaxation. Furthermore, women should have an orgasm during intercourse if they want to conceive. Orgasm in this case increases the chances of quality conception.
For men, on the other hand, frequency is very important, especially the frequency of ejaculation. Modern approaches say that a man should ejaculate as often as possible so that the semen is constantly renewed and of good quality. On the other hand, Chinese medicine advises not to waste too much semen, i.e. not to ejaculate too often, because semen is formed from Tian Gui fluid and the latter from essence, so by ejaculating frequently we lower our level of kidney essence.
Here again we recall the basic rule of Chinese medicine: everything in proportion. Not ejaculating often enough can lead to Liver stagnation and frustration.
With age, the frequency should decrease in order to maintain health and to try to live to a long age.
We must not forget the traditional herbal recipes that have been used for centuries to promote fertility.
There are many more herbal recipes that can be used for fertility problems. I have selected only the most used ones.
According to Chinese medicine, women who are under stress for a long time suffer from liver stagnation. This stagnation is often involved in blockages in the reproductive tract. It is often the primary cause of fibroids or cysts.
In these cases, the herbal recipe Xiao Chai Hu Tang (you know it by its English name Shackle Breaking) is recommended. This recipe is practically suitable for all somatization of stress, for everything that is aggravated by stress. Typical symptoms are feeling tense anywhere in the body, inability to relax, and also premenstrual syndrome.
If you are dealing with fertility issues, it is definitely a good idea to see a traditional Chinese medicine therapist. He or she will usually welcome it if you have also been through the ringer of Western medicine. This will help him or her in diagnosis and also rule out more serious problems. For women, it's a good idea to take your basal temperature for at least a couple of months before your visit - this is also a very valuable diagnostic tool for the therapist.
Milan Schirlo
