It is well known that advanced female age is an important factor in low pregnancy outcomes. As a woman progresses through her reproductive years, her ovarian reserve diminishes, with an approximately 50% decrease in fertility rates in women attempting pregnancy at the age of 40 onwards, and a two to-three-fold increased risk of miscarriage. Common causes for a much reduced conception rate in women aged 40+ with her own eggs are:
1) diminished egg quality and quantity with poor endocrine readings such as high FSH or low estrogen levels.
2) Less frequent monthly ovulations or reduced cervical mucus secretions.
3) Reduced blood perfusion to the ovaries and uterus.
The question often comes up in the clinic if Chinese medicine can help when there is a suspected poor egg quality evidenced by a high FSH reading. While it cannot turn back time and improve egg quality in an older woman, Chinese medicine (which has to include the prescription of Chinese herbs) can improve the growth of the dominant follicle within an ovary as well as improve the environment an egg matures in, and thus indirectly influence its maturity and quality. Chinese medicine can improve the thickness of the endometrial lining (and thus the endometrial receptivity to the embryo), increasing the chances of a successful conception and pregnancy. Research as well as clinical experience has shown that both Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture can improve ovarian and uterine blood flow, regulate the endocrine hormones FSH & LH (luteinizing hormone), increase estrogen and progesterone and normalize both the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.
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