Acupuncture and in particular Chinese Medicine is a proven technique for increasing conception rates.   Massachusetts is one of 16 states that require insurance companies to cover ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) which is a cost we all incur.  The cost for a single IVF cycle is at minimum $10,000.  The goal of ARTs is to have a baby, but ignores the health of the mother and father.     Read the rest of this entry

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a female endocrine disorder where too much androgen hormone (testosterone) is being made in relations to estrogen. It affects up to 10% of all women. It is thought that improper insulin regulation is a common cause and shows up in girls as young as 9 years old through post menopausal women. PCOS is one of the main causes of infertility, but PCOS is a symptom of an underlying endocrine imbalance not the reason for the infertility.

Common symptoms of PCOS include:

• Irregular or no menstrual periods (for women of reproductive age)
• Irregular ovulation, with or without monthly bleeding
• Acne
• Excess hair growth on the face and body
• Thinning scalp hair
• Accumulation of un-ruptured follicles on the periphery of the ovaries (mislabeled as “cysts”, often called polycystic ovaries)

It is not necessary to have all of these symptoms to have PCOS. In fact it is not necessary to have “polycystic ovaries” to have PCOS. PCOS manifests itself differently in each woman.

I believe that Chinese Medicine is the best medicine on the planet to deal with PCOS and any hormonal imbalances. Using acupuncture, herbs and nutrition we can regulate the hormonal levels sometimes within a few cycles.

There have been a couple of recent studies which show what has been known clinically for 2000 years. Below are some of the articles written about the studies:

• Acupuncture and Exercise Relieve PCOS In this 16 week study from 2009 the once a week acupuncture group had fewer menstrual irregularities and a significant drop in testosterone. Here is another article regarding this study.
• Acupuncture relieves PCOS better than exercise alone - In this similar study to the one above the acupuncture group had more menstrual regulation and a higher drop in testosterone than the exercise group.

In addition these studies only used acupuncture and exercise. There was no dietary intervention or herbal medicine used as treatment. Once we add in these modalities the success rate increases dramatically!

So if you have been diagnosed with PCOS absolutely consider using Chinese Medicine as a treatment modality.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

The definition of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is three or more miscarriages prior to 20 weeks gestation. However even one miscarriage takes it emotional toll. Even though the statistical chances of carrying a baby to term are much more favorable than having another miscarriage it is probably better to take the necessary preventative health steps before trying to conceive again. In Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine recurrent miscarriage shows that there is an underlying imbalance, either with the mother or father. This imbalance is a reason the pregnancy is not taking hold and should be corrected. Yes if your only goal is to have a baby then you can use IVF. But for the sake of the baby’s health and your health during pregnancy and postpartum it is wise to correct the underlying imbalance before getting pregnant.
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The definition of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is three or more miscarriages prior to 20 weeks gestation. However even one miscarriage takes it emotional toll. Even though the statistical chances of carrying a baby to term are much more favorable than having another miscarriage it is probably better to take the necessary preventative health steps before trying to conceive again. In Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine recurrent miscarriage shows that there is an underlying imbalance, either with the mother or father. This imbalance is a reason the pregnancy is not taking hold and should be corrected. Yes if your only goal is to have a baby then you can use IVF. But for the sake of the baby’s health and your health during pregnancy and postpartum it is wise to correct the underlying imbalance before getting pregnant.

The cause of miscarriage are multifaceted. Read the rest of this entry

A recent study showed that uterine lining health may be more important than egg quality in creating a healthy birth weight baby and carrying to term. (Click here for the Time article about this published research). This was a large study out of Baylor that reviewed over 300,000 IVF cycles with specific interest in birth weight and gestation. What they found was that IVF cycles that stimulated the uterus (which is the majority) had lower birth weight and less chance of carrying to term than ones that were unstimulated such as donor egg, surrogate or frozen transfer.

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A recent study has shown that women who are the most stressed have the least likely chance to conceive.   Basically stress plays a huge role in conception which is why so many people that try and try to conceive cannot.   Then they go away on vacation and get pregnant.  We’ve heard these stories many times and I and others believe this is true, but the recent study has now given it more credence.

In this study they checked a marker of stress called alpha-amylase.   It is an enzyme made in the mouth that helps us digest carbohydrates.   But it has also been shown to increase during times of Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) dominance – meaning the flight or fight stage we’ve heard about.   Researchers use this marker for determining the stress response in the body because it is easy to measure and it is quick to respond.    Women who had the most trouble getting pregnant had higher levels of alpha-amylase than women who conceived.
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There has been a lot of research about maternal diet and health of offspring recently, but diet is important during pre-conception as well. There have been links to gluten sensitivity and infertility, vitamin D deficiency and infertility, and now there was a study just released that showed a Mediterranean diet can help boot conception rate in couples undergoing IVF.

Fertil Steril.2010 Feb 18
The preconception Mediterranean dietary pattern in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment increases the chance of pregnancy.
Vujkovic M, de Vries JH, Lindemans J, Macklon NS, van der Spek PJ, Steegers EA, Steegers-Theunissen RP.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Chinese Medicine which includes acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition can often treat conditions concerning poor egg quality. Often when a woman is labeled with poor egg quality they have other signs of poor circulation such as cold extremities, low energy and maybe skin conditions. Most often the cause does not lie with the eggs, but the overall health of the body and poor circulation to the uterus and ovaries.

The quality of the eggs depend on the DNA and the environment in which they are developing. The lifecycle of an egg is upwards of 150 days, but the 3 months prior to ovulation is the most critical time of cell division. During this critical time we want to increase blood flow to the ovaries and work on getting supportive nutrition to the body. This may include herbal medicine and nutraceuticals such as minerals and vitamins if necessary. We also want to make sure we aren’t causing additional inflammation in the body (and thus preventing reproductive blood flow) by eating foods which are causing immune reactions.

Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs which can thereby provide more blood flow to the ovaries and improve egg quality over time. With any fertility treatment strategy besides using Chinese Medicine (acupuncture, herbs, shiatsu) we always want to make sure nutrition is sound. Nutraceuticals such as powerful antioxidants like ubiquinol and alpha lipoic acid can help reduce an inflammation response. Blood tests can uncover and food sensitivity issues.

In addition to the services we offer your home treatments of castor oil packs on the abdomen are used to increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. Self massage and visualization are also important tools and we will provide information and resources on these techniques.

Each patient will follow a different treatment protocol based on their Chinese Medical Diagnosis. Some women conceive naturally after a couple of months of treatments for poor egg quality. But many go on to have a successful IVF or IUI as the chances of conceiving improve greatly after a treatment protocol.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

TEHRAN, Iran—Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation significantly improved certain semen parameters in a recent study published in The Journal of Urology (2009;182(1):237-48). A total of 212 infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia were randomly assigned to receive 300 mg/d of CoQ10 orally or a similar placebo regimen during a 26-week period, followed by a 30-week treatment-free phase.

Significant improvement in sperm density and motility was evident with CoQ10 therapy. Using the Kruger classification sperm morphology evaluation revealed an increase in the percent of normal forms in the CoQ10 group. A positive correlation was found between treatment duration with CoQ10 and sperm count as well as with sperm motility and sperm morphology. The CoQ10 group had a significant decrease in serum follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone at the 26-week treatment phase. By the end of the treatment phase the mean +/- SD acrosome reaction had increased from 14 percent +/- 8 percent and 15 percent +/- 8 percent to 31 percent +/- 11 percent and 16 percent +/- 10 percent in the CoQ10 and placebo groups, respectively. However, further studies are needed to draw a final conclusion and evaluate the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on the pregnancy rate.