Susan and John are an early thirty something year old couple are trying to have a baby. They were sure that new life would happen quickly. They are both healthy; they eat organic food, and have a good career. So, the first month they tried, they were already picking out baby names and thinking what clothes they would buy if it was a boy and what ribbons they would put in her hair if it was a girl. After about three months of trying to make a baby they decided to ask their regular doctor how long they should “try” before they should start to worry. The Doctor said to wait a year. Susan and John waited a year, nothing happened.
“A couple is usually considered infertile if pregnancy has not occurred after one year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse. This rule does not apply to couples where the female is over 35 or where either partner has a history of fertility-related problems. If you are a woman over 35 and have been trying unsuccessfully for over 6 months, you should consult your physician. If you a woman over 30 with a history of gynecological problems, or if you know that your partner has a low sperm count, you may not want to wait even that long before seeing a specialist regarding your fertility status.” www.americanfertility.com
In America, one out of every five women is delaying having her first baby until the age of 35, a number that is increasing rapidly. Women are waiting later in life to start a family, having a family in their thirties verses their twenties brings forth both advantages and complications. Women are more fertile in their twenties where their body is more adept to being able to have a baby. A healthy woman who is is not on any form of birth control and is engaging in intercourse who is age 30 has a 15% chance of becoming pregnant each month, where woman 35yrs old has a 10% chance. As women delay having babies until their thirties this increases potential health risks for both the mother and the child. Many women notice that their bodies tend to ache more during and after pregnancy in their thirties versus their twenties. A women’s body needs to be supported more during pregnancy in her thirties in order to conceive and after becoming pregnant so that her body and the baby stays healthy through to term and well after.
Infertility issues can be caused by a variety of reasons. Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture is very helpful in increasing success rates in becoming pregnant. Many people have heard about the effects of acupuncture and fertility although what most people might not know is that Chinese herbal medicine has an even greater effect on fertility. In China most people go to a Chinese medicine practitioner for Chinese herbs and use acupuncture to support the herbal therapy.
Chinese herbs have been used for thousands of years to regulate women’s bodies, and to increase their ability to become pregnant. A Chinese Medicine herbalist uses various diagnostic techniques to evaluate a patient’s constitution, once they have been given a diagnosis an herbal formula will be made up for that person as an individual. Two people could have the same disease although they may be given two very different formulas or Herbs. Other ways a Chinese medicine practitioner can help is to offer various nutritional and lifestyle suggestions in order to increase fertility rates.
On average Chinese medicine practitioners increases pregnancy rates up to about 73% in combination with some other sort of treatment like IVF, By comparison, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine reports an Invetro fertilization or IVF success rate of 29.4 percent per egg retrieval, and a delivery rate of about 30 percent. This is significant in that many people may have to go through many cycles of IVF in order to become pregnant.
Women are only half of the equation, men are also increasingly becoming infertile, and there are so many various toxins in our environment that affect sperm production and motility. Chinese medicine is also very well adapted at helping men.
According to the American society of reproductive medicine, about 6.1 million couples in the U.S. roughly ten percent of the reproductive age population will experience fertility issues. The average couple who fall in the age range of 20 to 33yrs with no fertility problems will have about a 20 to 25 percent chance of getting pregnant during each cycle.