FAQ4 acupuncture infertility

5) What criteria is used when prescribing herbal medications?

As discussed earlier, the herbs are used to correct an imbalance found in a patient. If a patient was found to have "Kidney (Adrenal ) Yin" deficiency, herbal formula "Liu Wei Di Hung Tang" is used to supplement the condition, and vice versa.

The best time to take herbs is when a patient is preparing herself to be in a perfect or optimal balance to conceive on their own or for future IUI or IVF. It may take 1 to 3 or even 6 months to turn the condition around. However, there are times when herbs are taken even during the IUI or IVF cycle if there is still a severs imbalance.

6) Does the FDA regulate herbal medications the same way they regulate pharmaceutical drugs?

No. FDA treats herbs as food supplements. But, it regulates the labeling of the herb and as to not allowing any claims of treating any medical conditions.

7) Are there any reasons someone should not take herbal medications?

Yes. If a patient is determined by the practitioner to be in a good balance, then there is no need to take any herbs.

8) What is the industry (herbal medicine) success rate in treating fertility?

Here are a few reports of clinical studies conducted in China on the effectiveness of herbs for female infertility:

1. For thin uterine lining- 44 cases, within one year 22 or 50% were pregnant.

2. Prolonged or over growth of uterine lining- 54 cases, 41 or 75% pregnant.

3. Endometriosis-118 cases, 38% pregnant.

4. Anovulation- 120 cases, after one year 89 people have normal ovulation and 64 women were pregnant that is 53%.

5. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)-76 cases, 36 women were pregnant with in one year. 47% pregnant.

6. Tubal blockage- 77 cases, 56 women were pregnant, 72.7%.

7. Immulogical case- 18 cases, 7 women were pregnant, 39%.

8. Inflammation of Pelvic Cavity- 38 cases, 29 women were pregnant, 76%.

In China, there is greater cultural awareness and general acceptance and experience with the use of Chinese herbs. The patients often seek out herbal treatment even before seeing an OBGYN. They are often willing and eager to start their herbal treatments at younger age. Such treatment involves boiling a pot-full of raw herbs twice daily and drink down 2 cups of strange-tasting decoctions daily for weeks and months at a time. For these reasons, the success rates may be higher than that in the U.S. whose patients often start the family building at later years.

There are 3 tiers or groups of infertility patients defined as following:

· Tier-1 includes the general population with infertility under the treatments provided by their gynecologist. ( In China, it is with this group of patients most of the studies were done and reported.)

· Tier 2 include the group of the patients failed to conceive and are under the care of a reproductive endocrinologist.

· Tier 3 include all the patients that were not successful after several IUI or IVF attempts and seek help from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as last resort before considering donor eggs or adoptions.

In U.S. practitioners often receive patients in what I called tier-2 and tier-3. Thus the success rate will be inherently less compare to that reported in China.