Chinese Medicine Can Help Couples with Fertility Problems

Sharon Moore November 29, 2011

Traditional Chinese medicine brings a new hope for couples having fertility issues. On a very recent study made by the researchers from Adelaide University, it was found that couples who make use of the traditional Chinese medicine are twice more likely to get pregnant than those who are relying western drugs.

The Study

To arrive at the results, the researchers studies 8 clinical trials, studies, and case reports to compare the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with that of the western drugs. They also observed 1,851 women who have fertility problems. On the review of the clinical trials, the researchers found that there’s a 3.5 increase on pregnancies to those who are going through TCM than those who aren’t. Such increase happened in just four months. On analyzing another report of 616 women, it was shown that 50% of the respondents who used TCM got pregnant while on those who used IVF treatments, only 30% became successful in having a baby.

According to Dr Karin Ried, the head researcher, TCM is more effective on women than in men. According to TCM practitioners, the study difference of the results between men and women is due to the careful analysis of menstrual cycle. According to them, assessing the quality of the menstrual cycle of the woman is vital to the success of the TCM treatment.

What Makes TCM Much Better?

Dr Karin said that one in every 6 couples is affected by infertility issues. And even though the concept of infertility has been a subject of many studies in the past and in the present times, 20% of infertility issues are still left unexplained. Aside from being a great way to resolve fertility problems, the traditional Chinese medicine is way cheaper than the IVF treatment. According to Ipsos Mori research, there are about 6 million people in UK who chose to receive TCM over the western drugs for pregnancy. The popular In Vitro Fertility treatment costs about £3,000 to £5,000 per treatment cycle in United Kingdom which makes it very much difficult for many couples who still have many financial things to settle. Usually, there’s a need for at least 3 cycles. Dr Ried suggested the integration of TCM and contemporary medicine to minimise the financial and emotional strain on people. In addition, the TCM is said to be less stressful than the IVF.

There are various traditional Chinese medicines that are used by couples having fertility problems. One of which is acupuncture.

You can view the original Daily Mail article.

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