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Ivf Clinics Cairns

We are a Chinese Medicine  and Acupuncture Clinic with a special interest in fertility, pregnancy and labour.   We may be able to work in with your fertility clinic – Queensland fertility group.  Cairns Acupuncture and Tanya Galvin may be able to assist your conception and work in with your IVF clinic or your fertility clinic! 0408 054 538.

www.cairnsacupuncture.com.au/home

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Chinese Medical preparation Before In Vitro Fertilization: females

Approximately three months prior to the IVF procedure, it is recommended that the patien receive

acupuncture and herbal treatments to regulate the body’s functions and make Ivf more successful. Sometimes after just these three months, the patient regains a normal menstrual cycle and is able to become pregnant naturally.

Puring the three months preparation time, the main objectives Chinese medical therapy are to:

Improve the function of the ovaries

Acupuncture and Chinese medicinals help to improve ovarian function, allowing for development of better quality eggs and strong, healthy embryos. Chinese medicine can also regulate estrogen and progesterone levels, thereby thickening the lining of the uterus. Research indicates increased blood flow to the uterus can help promote follicular development and also implantation of the embryo.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicinals can help the ovaries respond bet’ ter to the stimulating drugs by producing more follicles and good quality eggs. Many patients using IVF alone are only able to produce a few follicles. Based on clinical experience, we estimate that Chinese Medicine ca help the ovaries at least double the number of follicles as well as significantly enhance the embryo’s quality and quantity.

High FSH levels indicate poor ovarian function. Chinese medicine is High FSH levels indicate poor ovarian function. Chinese medicine is function of the ovaries. Before treatment can begin, the practitioner should check the FSH level in the patient’s medical history. A high number may suggest the lack of ovulation as hormones continue to increase to stimulate the ovaries to work harder. The normal range should remain below ten. Any test reading above 35 may indicate menopause.

Strengthen the immune system & reduce stress

Approximately half of chemical pregnancies miscarry. Therefore, one of the key treatment strategies is to strengthen the patient’s immune system through acupuncture and herbs.

Many patients using IVF drugs experience side effects and high levels of stress associated with trying to get pregnant. Chinese medicine is extremely helpful in reducing stress and alleviating side effects, which helps the patient be calmer and more at ease. Relaxing the patient helps prevent the uterus from contracting, thereby improving the implantation process and preventing miscarriage.

Improve semen quality and quantity

Sperm maturation is a process taking between 70-90 days. It is also important for male patients to prepare for IVF during this time period. Chinese Medicine can help patients improve the quality and quantity of semen. In so doing, the health of the embryo improves, which in turn reduces the risk of miscarriage.

Diet and Lifestyle

In chinese medicine, diet and exercise are seen as important components of maintaining health. Dietary suggestions include a reduction in cold drinks and raw foods as well as limiting the intake of ice-cream, chocolate and coffee. I recommend cooking chicken soup with ginger, beans and vegetables and including this in the diet to help nourish the uterus. I also suggest fish soup with ginger to improve the quantity and quality of semen. In addition, it is important to eat meals on a regular schedule.

Exercise is another beneficial lifestyle change that relieves stess and can improve the health of the body and, increase the chances of getting pregnant. Some traditional Chineses exercises include tai chi, qi gong and meditation.

Another type of recommended exercise is yoga.

Clinical Protocols

Chinese medicine is very successful in treating many gynecological disorders s that accompany and contribute to infertility, such as irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and heavy bleed(metrorrhagia) due to anovulation. Along with physical complications and an imbalance of hormones, these disorders can affect a patient’s abilivy to become pregnant. By treating the root causes of infertility, some patients may become pregnant naturally during the preparation time, for others, the chance of a successful IVF outcome is significantly increased.

The following pages discuss the formulas I have found the most clinically useful for preparing a patient for Ivp for historical perspective and as a reference tool, classical formulas for female infertility.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a diseasewhich patches of endometrial tissue, which is normally found only in the uterine lining (endometrium), grow outside the uterus. Because the misplaced endometrial tissue responds to the same hormones as the uterus, these endometrial implants can grow and can cause dysmenorrhea. The most common clinical symptoms of endometriosis are pain before and during men’ struation (usually worse than “normal” menstrual cramps), pain during or after sexual intercourse (dyspareunia), infertility? And heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding. Other symptoms may include fatigue, painful bowel movements with the menstruation, lower back pain with menstruation, diarrhea and/or constipation, and other perimenstrual intestinal upset.

Some women with endometriosis have no symptoms.

Infertility affects about 30-40% of women with endometriosis and is a common result with progression of the disease.

Endometriosis in the ovaries is treated as if there are tumors. The blood that builds up monthly as in the endometrium lining of the uterus cannot come out of the affected ovary. The ovary then becomes cystic. If surgery is elected and the ovary is taken out, it resembles chocolate* due to its dark color and internal texture. Therefore, such endometrial cysts are also sometimes referred to as chocolate cysts. If the affected ovary is low in function, the eggs are of poor quality. Or> it may not be able to produce any eggs at all.

Endometriosis may also cause the fallopian tubes to stick together and become obstructed. However, there is a high risk of damage to the tubes surgery is done to open them. One option for those who choose not to risk surgery is acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Using the treatment principles of quickening the blood and moving the qi, disinhibiting dampness and promoting urination (to drain liquid from the cyst), endometriosis has a high potential to be absorbed into the surrounding tissues, thus reducing or resolving the inflammation that is causing pain and infertility.

Main Chinese medical pattern discrimination for endometriosis blood stasis. Therefore, during the whole month, the treatment principies should be to quicken the blood and dispel stasis. Yet, the use of too many blood-quickening medicinals can adversely affect the hormone levels- So it is important after the menses to slightly supplement the kidneys, nourish the blood, and fortify the spleen while still moving the qi and quickening the blood, for severe dysmenorrhea, more blood-quickening medicinais can be added just before the onset of menstruation.

Uterine Myomas

tJterine myomas or fibroids are nodules of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue that develop within the wall of the uterus. Most of the time uterine myomas are not dangerous. The masses are benign tumors not associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer. The factors that initiate uterine myoma growth are unknown, but myomas do seem to be affected by estrogen levels, often growing larger during pregnancy and shrinking after menopause. Uterine myomas may or may not cause symptoms. These may include heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, pain or heaviness in pelvic area during or between menstrual periods, swelling of the abdomen, a need to urinate more frequently, and infertility caused by blockage of the fallopian tubes or distortion of the uterine cavity.

In Chinese medicine, zheng jia ^literally, concretions and conglomerations) primarily refer to uterine masses. The two manifestations included in the diagnosis are uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts. Concretions refers to a “true” mass which is hard, fixed in location, and accompanied by localized pain. The disease mechanism behind this disorder is primarily blood stasis. Conglomeration refers to a “false” mass that is movable, comes and goes, has an indistinct form, and cannot be palpated. Conglomerations are mostly due to qi stagnantion. The treatment of fibroids and cysts differs slightly based upon individual etiology.

Heavy uterine bleeding due to anovulation

Heavy uterine bleeding may occur during menstruation (menorrhagia) or in between menstrual periods (metrorrhagia). In many cases, heavy uterine bleeding can be caused by a lack of ovulation, resulting in infertility. With anovulation, the treatment principles are to regulate the hormone levels to encourage ovulation of the ovaries, thereby normalThe four main Chinese medical patterns describing heavy uterine bleeding are spleen qi vacuity, kidney vacuity, blood heat, and blood stasis. Spleen qi vacuity is unable to hold blood within its vessels thus causing heavy uterine bleeding. In kidney vacuity, heavy bleeding is caused by the kidneys not being able to secure the essence which helps form the blood. Heat in the blood forces it to move frenetically outside of the vessels, thus also bringing upon heavy uterine bleeding. Lastly, static blood prevents the blood vessels from constricting, therefore causing continuous, heavy bleeding.

Delayed menstruation

Menstruation is defined as late when the menstrual cycle is longer than 28-33 days for three consecutive months or more. The cycle may be to 40-50 days long. There are four Chinese medical patterns associated with delayed menstruation. They include replete cold, vacuity cold, blood vacuity, and qi stagnation.

Erratic menstruation

Menstruation that comes with an irregular cycle, sometimes early and sometimes late, is considered “without fixed schedule” or erratic. It is important to note that if the menses come consistently early or consistently late, they fall into the categories of early or delayed menstruation. ^hen the menses are unpredictable in cycle, they are erratic. Such irregularity of the cycle is always related to the liver and kidneys because it is the flow of blood and essence that gives rise to the menstrual periods. Factors such as emotional stress or overwork can lead to binding depression of the liver qi and kidney yin and yang vacuity* Both of these disease mechanisms may lead to obstruction in the vessels or depletion of the blood. Therefore, the two patterns associated with erratic menstruation are binding depression of the liver qi kidney vacuity.

Chinese Medical Preparation Before In Vitro Fertilization: Males

The process s of sperm maturation averages 70-90 days. It is, there1 fore, very beneficial that the male receive acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for at least three months prior to starting the Ivf Pr0* cedure. With the help of Chinese medicine, it is possible to improve the quality and quantity of sperm and improve the overall quality of the semen. This, in turn, increases the chances of creating a healthy and viable embryo as well as assists in a more secure implantation.

In Chinese medicine, there are several disease mechanisms that can affect sperm production and quality, such as kidney yang vacuity, kidney yin vacuity, qi stagnation and blood stasis, and damp heat in the lower burner.

In most cases, men with small testicles and low testosterone levels sent patterns of kidney yin and/or yang vacuity. They may also present some spleen ai vacuity along with blood vacuity. Other issues helped some spleen qi vacuity along with blood vacuity. Other issues helped low quality sperm, and impaired movement or motility.

Qi stagnation & blood stasis

If the patient’s diagnosis is seminal duct blockage or varicoceles, the treatment is to course the liver and rectify the qi, quicken the blood and dispel stasis with Huo Jing Zbong Zi {Quicker the Essence 8c plant the Seed Formula.

Damp heat blocking 6c obstructing the lower burner

If the Western medical diagnosis is prostatitis, the accompanying signs difficult urination, painful urination, frequent, urgent but inhibited urination, thick, slimy, yellow fur at the base of the tongue, and a bowstring, slippery, possibly rapid nulse. In that case, the treatment principles are to clear heat and eliminate dampness.