Fertility/Pregnancy Blog Series

Over the next few months, our focus on our blog will be fertility and pregnancy. We will be writing a series on the fertility aspect, discussing fertility issues and treatments for them and follow with blogs discussing pregnancy, throughout the nine months and post-partum care. We will be writing from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, along with bringing in Western medicine aspect of these topics.

This first blog will begin with an overview of fertility and infertility with the following blog going into more detail about fertility, infertility, and treatments.

Our reproductive system is an amazing part of our physiology. To study the details of how it works is fascinating! There are so many intricate details that happen so many times each day that allow for our normal reproduction and optimal health. Closely tied to our reproductive system is our endocrine system, which is relied on for the regulation of hormones to allow for menstruation, conception, and many other functions.

Fertility is a broad subject that includes many pieces to it-not only conception. We have so many processes leading up to conception-for both women and men. All of these processes depend on so many things-lifestyle, age, physiology, and many more. Each individual woman and man going through any fertility issue may have one or numerous factors to consider. Our present day health and medical communities offer many practitioners to help with moving through any fertility issue. Also, there is also the option for preparing our bodies and relationships for conception-for some time before even trying to conceive.  By using all resources, it makes learning about fertility and pregnancy a much easier road.

Kokopelli-A Fertility God

                                                                           
Fertility is defined as the natural capability of giving life. Infertility, for a woman, is defined as a medical condition when a woman under the age of the 35 has not conceived after having unprotected intercourse for a year. For a woman over the age of 35, it is not having conceived for at least 6 months with unprotected intercourse. Infertility for a man is defined as not being able to conceive with a fertile woman, possibly due to several factors.

From a female standpoint, and for couples as well, understanding the menstrual cycle is a good place to start to see where possibilities may come up for infertility issues. The menstrual cycle is a series of physiological changes that a woman’s body goes through in preparation for conception and pregnancy. Once a month, the uterus develops a new endometrium (the uterine lining) to prepare for a pregnancy. The endometrium is the site of implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. In any given month, if there is not a fertilized egg to signal for implantation to occur, then the endometrium begins to shed--this process is known as menstruation. Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining which is the menstrual bleeding that occurs for women beginning in their teenage years up until menopause. A menstrual cycle includes four phases:

·      Menstrual phase: usually lasts about 5-7 days at the beginning of each cycle; shedding of uterine lining

·      Follicular phase: usually lasts about 7 days just after menstruation; production of estrogen to nourish and support follicle growth for the maturing egg

·      Ovulation: a surge of luteinizing hormone to signal to the follicle to release the egg, normally cycle day 14

·      Luteal phase: usually lasts about 12-14 days after ovulation; development of the corpus luteum from the ruptured follicle; progesterone and estrogen are produced to support a pregnancy or the hormones can begin to decline and the menstrual cycle starts over again

                                                                                

When we look at the menstrual cycle from a TCM point of view, we are paying attention to the yin and yang aspects of the cycle. We would like to make an important point here, along with examining the menstrual cycle from a TCM perspective, we also take into account the hormone levels, menstrual bleeding, and all aspects of all four phases.  By looking at the yin and yang of the cycle and the symptoms and changes that may arise for each individual woman, we can make a diagnosis of where the root of a disorder is and how it can be treated. Yin and yang are two aspects of each individual we look at and take into account when making a diagnosis and treatment for a patient. Yin and yang represent the foundational energy of the body—the hot and cold, the feminine and masculine, and many other fundamental characteristics. The yin and yang are also associated with various hormones in the body. Yin has more “estrogen-like” qualities while yang has more “testosterone-like” qualities. The following is a TCM view of the menstrual cycle:

·      Menstrual phase: loss of the blood, qi, and yin of the body
·      Follicular phase: replenishing of blood, qi and yin; build these aspects of the mind, body, spirit back to normal levels to allow for ovulation
·      Ovulation: shifting from yin to yang energy, allowing for timely ovulation
·      Luteal: a rising of the yang energy

When we look at a woman’s symptoms, for example, if she has an early ovulation day, then we may look closely at the amount of yin she has and nourish the yin to support ovulation for the next cycle. We can determine an excess or deficiency of the yin by asking questions about digestion, sleep patterns, and many other detailed questions about a woman’s lifestyle. By closely examining the fluctuations throughout any given menstrual cycle, we can determine which hormones may be out of balance. This can help to draw a conclusion of what a disorder may be and where it is stemming from. All female disorders will have some yin or yang imbalance along with some qi and blood imbalance. These are the cornerstones that make up the human body and the functions of the body and all of its’ systems.

Outside of a normal menstrual cycle, many issues and disorders may arise. These include irregular menses, dysmenorrhea, menstrual migraines, fibroids, infertility, endometriosis (please see our blog from March 22, 2011 for details on endometriosis), PCOS (please see our blog from September 11, 2011 for details), PID, menopause, and many other issues. Each disorder has many causes, symptoms, and treatments. We will go into more detail on each of these disorders throughout this series of the blog.

Caroline Jung, Dipl. Ac., MSOM