Fertility: Chinese Medicine Better than Big Pharma Options
Couples with fertility problems are twice as likely to get pregnant using traditional Chinese medicine as Western drugs. The latest study from researchers at Adelaide University, Australia, reviewed eight clinical trials, 13 other studies, and case reports comparing the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with Western drugs or IVF treatment. The review funded by the Australian government included 1,851 women with infertility problems, says a report in the Journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
Review of the clinical trials alone found a 3.5 rise in pregnancies over a four-month period among women using TCM compared with Western medicine. Other data covering 616 women within the review showed 50 percent of women having TCM got pregnant compared with 30 percent of those receiving IVF treatment. TCM is far less expensive than IVF treatment and less stressful. The overall analysis concluded there was a two-fold increase in the likelihood of getting pregnant in a four-month period for women using TCM compared with orthodox approaches.
The study’s authors said, ‘Our meta-analysis suggests traditional Chinese herbal medicine to be more effective in the treatment of female infertility – achieving on average a 60 percent pregnancy rate over four months compared with 30 percent achieved with standard Western drug treatment.’ The study said the difference appeared to be due to the careful analysis of the menstrual cycle – the period when it is possible for a woman to conceive – by TCM practitioners. It said ‘Assessment of the quality of the menstrual cycle integral to TCM diagnosis appears to be fundamental to the successful treatment of female infertility.’
Health Concerns has several approaches to infertility, which include empirical kidney formulas Fertile Garden, which addresses yin deficiency, Maternal Herbal that addresses yang deficiency, Chiroin used to treat PCOS and restore ovulation, and
Woman’s Balanc® to regulate the cycle.
We also have produced a complementary webinar series on the TCM treatment of infertility. For more information, please see healthconcerns.com.
- 1 Hope, Jenny. Chinese medicine could double the chances of childless couples conceiving. 11/25/11.