Chinese medicine has many causes and treatments for infertility but the diagnosis is based on pulse and tongue diagnosis, and comprehensive medical history. There are 12 energy channels or meridians through which precise acupuncture points are located. The pulses of these meridians are felt at the western “radial” pulse level, and various imbalances can be ascertained to come up with a working diagnosis of the cause of the patient’s problem. Some of these causes may include what traditional Chinese medical doctors would call: “kidney” deficiency, blood deficiency, blood stasis, stagnation of liver “chi”. (The “kidney” in Chinese medicine, has much more to do with hormone production, endocrine function, immune function, growth and reproduction and ability to achieve homeostasis. “Chi” has to do with basic life force energy).

Some of the herbs used in treatment for infertility include: deer antler, lycium fruit, cuscuta, epimedium, cistanche, psoralea used as kidney tonics, while bupleurum, peony, leonorus, persica, salvia, carthamus, tang-kuei, corydalis, lindera, cyperus are used for liver congestion problems and blood stagnation. These herbs are just a few examples, while in reality traditional herbal formulas are used to fit the individual constitution according to the diagnosis by the 12 pulses.

For example, one patient comes in with infertility, who also has headaches, menstrual pain, insomnia, and back pain. Her pulse diagnosis is primarily kidney yin deficiency , and liver congestion. Her herbal formula, a 2000 year old traditional formula called “rheumannia 6” which nourishes the kidney “yin” and also will include herbs such as bupleurum, peony, cyperus, and salvia to decongest the liver and “move the blood”. There are virtually over 200 different herbal formulas which can be used for infertility, but they are combined differently for each individual person.

These diagnoses may be given for males or females, and the Chinese medical doctor also looks at the myriad of other symptoms that the patient has, so that he or she may treat the whole body, and thus, get to the root of the problem. In other words, 2 patients may both come in with the infertility problem of non-ovulation, and they would get completely different formulas of acupuncture and herbs. One patient may also have stomach problems, and the other may also have endometriosis. It would depend upon their pulse and tongue reading for their differential diagnosis to which prescription of herbs and acupuncture points they would get.

It has been proven in China that herbal prescription and acupuncture points can clear up infertility problems such as too thin seminal fluid, low sperm activity, impotence, pus in semen, deformed sperm, non-ejaculation, pre-mature ejaculation, low sperm count, seminal emission, non-ovulation, not enough to too much hormones such as prolactin, estrogen, progesterone, loss of sex drive, fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes, tendency for miscarriage, failure to achieve implantation.

Chinese medicine also is very effective for psychological causes of infertility. There are five emotions which also correspond to the 12 energy channels or “meridians” which are being treated. For example, anger, depression, frustration is connected with liver imbalances, worry connected to spleen, fear, connected to kidney; sadness connnected to lung, and overexcitement connected to heart imbalances. Thus, when a male patient has impotence due to depression, if the liver imbalance is treated, he will recover from both his depression and impotence.

In summary, it would be wise to benefit from the 3000 year old system of medicine which has proven to be very effective for not only infertility, but for balancing the whole body and treating other health conditions as well.