It has been my contention for many years that every woman deserves a chance to become a mom if that is her desire.
Many women are told that because they have low AMH or high FSH that their chances are greatly diminished and that donor-egg is the best route to take. Though there is a place for donor egg for many women, it is also not the only option which should be explored.
These two markers (fsh/amh), indicate a women's ovarian reserve. Just because a woman has low ovarian reserve doesn't mean that she cant conceive naturally, or with IVF using her own eggs. Obviously, if a woman is in premature ovarian failure or in perimenopause, donor egg is the best option, other than adoption.
The real cause of infertility in patients with low ovarian reserve is not how many eggs she has, but the diminished quality of the eggs she does have. When a woman has low ovarian reserve, this is usually accompanied by poor egg quality. The whole purpose of using donor egg is to get a good quality egg.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used for 2500 years to treat infertility. The primary mechanism-of-action of acupuncture and herbal medicine is to improve that which needs improvement whether egg, sperm or lining. At this point we know this system of medical intervention (TCM- Traditional Chinese Medicine), does, in fact, work. There are many studies available which prove this. Take a look at the research here: https://www.berkleycenter.com/documents/research.pdf.
If you have had multiple failed IUI's and/or IVF's it is probably as a result of poor egg, lining, or sperm quality. Of course there are many other reasons for "infertility", but the ones I've mentioned are prevalent.
My recommendation is this: if your menstrual cycle is regular and you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to become pregnant, or, if you experience chronic, recurrent miscarriage, try several months of acupuncture and herbs before doing donor egg. Isn't it worth one more attempt?
We offer free mini consults so we can better understand your case and to find out if acupuncture is right for you. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Please call now to schedule your no cost mini consultation.
Warmest wishes,
Mike Berkley, L.Ac., FABORM
212-685-0985