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About infertility

Infertility is a common condition in the UK affecting one in six women and men. The causes in women may vary. There may be a functional problem, where the hormonal levels are abnormal; ovulation problems (e.g. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome accounts for about 70% of cases of female infertility); there may be an organic reason, such as inflammatory pelvic disease (PID) which causes infertility in 1 in 5 women; or Endometriosis (which accounts for at least 30% of female infertility cases). Over 25% of infertility cases are attributable to male infertility. 'Unexplained infertility' is the most common reason in both sexes, 35% of all infertility cases around the world are classified as 'unexplained'.

Inability to conceive after at least a year of regular sexual intercourse without the use of contraceptives, can be due to causes that lie either in the man or the woman or both. Identification of the underlying causes is the key to successful treatment. Infertility can often occur in women who have a history of conceiving and then losing the baby before the foetus is old enough to support itself outside the womb. Infertility can be either temporary or, in a small percentage of cases, permanent.

Western Medicine View

Conventional medicine offers many sophisticated tests and procedures to investigate and improve fertility and has been miraculous for some couples. However, the difficulty lies in treating individuals where there is a failure to conceive despite the reproductive organs appearing to work well.

Chinese Medicine View

Chinese Medicine can be most effective in treating unexplained infertility. Because Chinese medicine believes every part and function of the body is inter-related, a doctor will assess the entire individual and does not isolate infertility from the bodys other functions such as digestion and circulation, neither does it disregard problems relating to diet and lifestyle. A Chinese medical doctor often gives consideration to small signs and symptoms that western medicine may regard as irrelevant. In Chinese medicine a reason for a part of the system not functioning may lie elsewhere. The most common diagnosis is a combination of Liver Energy stagnation, Kidney Energy deficiency, Blood stagnation, Blood deficiency, Spleen energy deficiency and/or Dampness. In Chinese medicine, the Kidney is the key organ responsible for reproduction.

FOR MUCH MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT INFERTILITY PLEASE READ OUR INFERTILITY GUIDE.

Lifestyle Advice

For personalised advice on diet and lifestyle, please ask the doctor during your consultation. Please be reminded that we offer free online health advice.

-> Click here to contact us using our 'Online Health Advice' Form

Case History

"In August 2004, I was diagnosed as having premature menopause. Prior to that, I had uterine fibroids which were removed in February 2002. After my blood test in August 2004, I was found to be pre-menopause. My GP told me there was nothing that can be done at this point, my hormone levels were all over the place. Even when I asked if there was someone else I could see for a different opinion. He said not in cases like these. My Oestrogen level was less than 100, FHS levels 68.6 and LH levels 34.4."

"All this came about because of the unbearable stress at work. I was experiencing dizzy spells, headaches, sleepless nights and then hot flushes which when they started were relentless and coming in at 30 minute intervals every hour every day for 5 months. I missed my periods. I started gaining weight at an alarming rate. I was feeling depressed, fatigued and had a loss of appetite. By the time Dr. Lily was recommended to me I was in my 4th month with no periods. I went to see a friend of mine who had been seeing Dr. Lily for the same thing and by that time she was pregnant. When I first met Dr. Lily, I was in my 5th month without periods and I was very worried, scared and felt hopeless and was not sure if she would be able to help. Dr. Lily was very friendly, warm and she asked all the right questions as the meeting progressed. I felt relaxed and more willing to give more information. She examined me and explained the treatment she proposed to use on me in clear detail. She also said the recovery time for the ovaries was at least 12 weeks. After only three visits with her the acupuncture and the herb treatment in a 7 week period my system started to function again my periods came back beating the predicted ovaries recovery period of 12 weeks."

"By November 30th, I had another blood test I went to see my GP again to get the results. He was very surprised to see that my wayward body had changed its mind and was behaving normally again the results were that my Oestrogen levels were well over 100, FHS levels 10.7 and LH levels 4.7."

"An incredible improvement to the last test results. The hot flushes had disappeared along with the dizzy spells and everything else that came with it. He asked me what caused the change? I said Dr. Lily and Chinese medicines and her confidence and faith. Now all I need is a good clean sperm and I will be on my way to become a mother."

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'I am 36 years old and have been married eight and half years. As we wanted to have children, we did not use any contraception for years. We tried conceiving naturally for about 5 years but there was no sign of baby. We decided to find out what caused infertility and I then started to go to fertility clinic at St Mary?s hospital. I had several tests and alas cycle monitoring through ultrasound scan. I had laprascopy and Dye and Hysterascopy. Except from the result that the mobility of my husband?s sperm was a little bit low, there was no particular problems found. We were devastated and very frustrated. We decided not to have any further treatments, which were Ovarian stimulation and IVF and try to conceive naturally again.'

'I was referred by one of my friends who is a student of the AcuMedic Centre (the largest and longest-established Chinese medical organisation in Europe) to her teacher Dr. Lily who specialises in infertility problems.'

'Half believe or not (To certain extent I believed) that the herbs would work for my infertility, I made an appointment with Dr. Lily. Her approach was far more holistic and gave me a hope that I could establish a stage of good health before I become pregnant as I used to feel very tired all the time and found myself at a low energy level. I also had a weak digestive system therefore I wanted to improve it through treatment too. She diagnosed me as Qi and Yang deficiency through my tongue.'

'I started the herbs and acupuncture treatment and saw Dr. Lily once for every three or four weeks since then. I found acupuncture treatment was really relaxing but hated the taste of herbs in the beginning. I found gradually my energy was improved and really felt that Qi Tonic and the horrible taste herbs were working for boosting my health condition.?'

'On the 27th October I did a pregnancy test as my period was delayed for 6 days. The result was positive but I could not believe it. On the 3rd November, Dr. Lily diagnosed me as pregnant through my pulse and I was so happy to become pregnant! And now I am in week 18 of my healthy pregnancy.'

'During the course of the treatments, I feared that it could not happen to me even if my health condition would have improved, and thought I should stop the treatments many times. However I am so glad that I did not because I can see my health has really improved and also found very light morning sickness during my present pregnancy.'

'My sister who became pregnant 7 weeks after me and one of my friends who became pregnant 3 weeks after me both conceived naturally but have been suffering from bad morning sickness.'

'Dr. Lily?s holistic approach was extremely beneficial in that it enabled me to gain a sense of power and a determination to improve my health condition. I really appreciate her support and encouragement I have received.'

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'I had a blood test in January 2004 that revealed my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) level to be 58.4 consistent with peri-menopause/menopause. On March 30th my husband and I saw Dr. Ruth Curson of the Assisted Conception Unit at King?s College Hospital. I had been referred to the ACU by my GP following the January blood test result. Dr. Curson advised us that I had at best a 5 percent chance of conceiving and that we should consider alternatives such as donor eggs if we wished to have children.'

'It was devastating news as we both wanted to have children. In previous encounters with my GP I had received a shrug of the shoulders when I had asked the consequences of these FSH level on my fertility and how this might be happening to me at 37 years of age. She said she knew of only one case in her 25 years of practice where a woman has conceived and given birth after experiencing menopausal hormonal levels.'

'I was referred by Dr. Denning to her teacher Dr. Lily in AcuMedic Centre (the largest and longest-established Chinese medical organisation in Europe), who I saw on March 17th. In contrast Dr. Lily's approach was far more holistic and gave me hope that the menopause was not an inevitable outcome and that my reproductive system could recover. I started the herbs and acupuncture treatment on March 17th and saw
Dr. Lily every two or three weeks. My blood test on April 15th showed my FSH levels to be 7.1. I feel the herbs boosted my system both physically and mentally and allowed me to recover my health to such an extent that I fell pregnant almost immediately. My last period was on the 12th April and as I write I am in Week 16 of my pregnancy. In fact falling pregnant was the last thing I expected to happen following Dr. Curson's advice. It wasn?t until I did a pregnancy test on May 30th that I realized my condition. I had seen Dr. Lily on 19th May and she had diagnosed me as pregnant through my pulse. I avoided doing a pregnancy test for fear of discovering that I wasn?t pregnant and that therefore there must be something really wrong with me.'

'Dr. Lily's holistic approach was extremely beneficial in that it enabled me to gain a sense of power and a determination to improve my reproductive health. I cannot overstate the support and encouragement I have experienced in her care at a time of great stress. I also can?t emphasise enough the therapeutic benefit of being allowed to feel more relaxed and at ease about the issues of infertility and ageing: encouragement and hope rather than a counsel of despair.'

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'I came because of 3yr infertility problem. Previously I was told that I had only 2-10 per cent chance of conceiving. IVF did not seem an alternative as my FSH was 22. I was very upset. In 3 months of Dr Lily's treatment I fell pregnant. I am now 28 weeks pregnant with a baby girl.'

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'I came to AcuMedic with infertility problems in March. I was treated very professionally by the the doctors there, who prescribed herbal medicine. It made me feel so much better in myself and highlighted other problems I had i.e. weight, stress, bloatedness, anxiety. I fell pregnant in July in the same year, which I do not feel would have happened without treatment. My body was unhealthy and through taking the herbal medicine I am gradually bringing it back to normal health.'

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'At the age of 38 I got married. My husband and I wanted to start a family straight away. After six months of trying I did not conceive. My instincts told me that something was wrong with me or my husband. I followed my instincts and saw my G.P. She was very supportive and suggested that due to my irregular periods which came when it felt like i.e. every 42-60 days she would work out an ideal time for me to try and conceive. Having done so this did not work either. I then went back to my GP after three months.'

'Prior to this I did some research on the internet about women finding it hard to conceive. Ipurchased a book that an American woman wrote about her issues and she provided sample information about conception. One thing that fascinated me about her conception was Chinese medication. She believed that the Chinese Acupuncture helped her to conceive, having had many miscarriages previously. I asked my doctor about Chinese Acupuncture and she recommended me to Dr Lily who was her previous teacher at AcuMedic in Camden Town.'

'I did not hesitate to contact Dr Lily for an appointment. However, my GP insisted that my husband took a sperm analysis test. This test would prove if the problem lied with him also. Well it did. The results came back and confirmed that 90% of his sperm was bad and we only had a 10 percent chance of conceiving. We were devastated, hence another knock back with our chances.'

'I went to see Dr Lily and she made me feel comfortable talking to her about my issues with conceiving. She took details from me about my husband and my working life as well as other personal details that would assess how she was going to help us with the right Chinese medication. She also recommended me to massage classes and acupuncture on alternative weeks. These remedies made me feel relaxed, and I felt a lot better within myself, hence a lot lighter and less tension.'

'My husband and I took the Chinese medication for seven months approx. After 4 months of Chinese medication my periods started to come monthly hence the 12th of every month without fail. Three months after that I fell pregnant. I was in disbelief as I thought my period was late due to its irregularity starting all over again. At the time of testing I was at work and confided to my colleague about my issues with conceiving and told her I think my periods are becoming irregular again. My colleague persuaded me to buy a pregnancy test kit. I did not. I was too afraid of the results saying negative. Eventually I gave in and took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I was overwhelmed but it did not sink in until I went to my GP for confirmation. I was 10 weeks gone. I couldn?t wait to share the news with my husband. I went home that evening smiling from ear to ear and shared the news with my husband. He was over the moon. We were on cloud nine as the Chinese medication helped to boost his sperm and regulate my period without any major fertility treatment as suggested by our GP.'

'I continued with the acupuncture, the massage classes and the Chinese medication throughout my pregnancy and this helped me immensely. I felt relaxed, healthy and protected from any misfortunes. My GP was in the midst of referring my husband and me to the fertility clinic, but the wonders of Chinese medicine made it possible for us not to attend. This was a big relief to the both of us. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Sunday 28th June weighing a healthy 8lbs 13oz at birth.'

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This patient got married two years ago. He and his wife could not conceive. The following results show analysis of his sperm before and after treatment at AcuMedic.

Before:

DENSITY: 2.1 x 10 /ml (Normal is above 20 x 10 /ml)
MOTILITY: 13 per cent (Normal is above 50 per cent)
ABNORMAL: 100 per cent (Normal is below 80 per cent)
VITALITY: 50 per cent (Normal is above 50 per cent)
MORPHOLOGY: 0 per cent

After treatment at AcuMedic:

DENSITY: 26 x 10 /ml (Normal is above 20 x 10 /ml)
MOTILITY: 35 per cent (Normal is above 50 per cent)
ABNORMAL: 60 per cent (Normal is below 80 per cent)
VITALITY: 75 per cent (Normal is above 50 per cent)
MORPHOLOGY: 30 percent

The couple successfully conceived.