PCOS is one of the most common causes of infertility in women, affecting six percent of pre-menopausal women and 90% of all women with irregular menstrual cycles. PCOS is a disorder of the endocrine system which causes an imbalance of hormones secreted in a woman’s ovary needed to fully mature her follicles into eggs. The follicles may start to mature and build up fluid but no one follicle becomes large enough to be released for ovulation. Since no follicle becomes large enough and no egg matures or is released, ovulation does not occur and the hormone progesterone is not made. Without progesterone, a woman’s menstrual cycle is irregular or absent.

Furthermore, the remaining undeveloped cysts secrete male hormones called androgens, which also block follicular development, causing follicles to degenerate and making ovulation unlikely. This process is thought to be a result of an altered feedback mechanism within the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis which controls hormonal secretion in the body. Causes are unknown. Common symptoms include:

Excessive hair growth
Irregular or infrequent periods
Abnormal levels of insulin
Late or absent ovulation
Excessive weight gain
Acne and/or oily skin
High prolactin hormone levels (hyperprolactinemia)
Prolonged premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms
Polycystic ovaries or enlarged ovaries containing more than 12 follicular cysts
Skin tags, which are small pieces of excess skin around the armpit or neck area

In the 1990’s a study in Europe was conducted on anovulatory women with PCOS. This study showed that using electro acupuncture could restore ovulation in 33% of the test subjects. It, also, showed that acupuncture reduced many of the endocrine indicators of PCOS, including follicle size, LH, FSH, and Testosterone.

Chinese medicine is a safe, effective, drug-free and natural approach to restore optimal function of the hormonal and sympathetic systems and to rebalance the nerve and blood supply to the ovaries. Many patients experience restored ovarian function and pregnancy by following Nurture Acupuncture’s nutritional advice, herbal recommendations, and by receiving reproductive organ massage monthly. Each part of the protocol is customized for each patient to treat PCOS and to improve overall patient health.

Acupuncture increases the blood flow to the ovaries to nourish the developing follicles and create better egg quality and stronger embryos. It also normalizes the function of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis to regulate and improve the body’s natural hormonal production which in turn improves ovarian function and egg quality. And, acupuncture relaxes the body and reduces stress levels (elevated stress can prohibit conception by blocking blood flow to the reproductive organs and causing an imbalance in hormonal production, thus resulting in irregular menstrual cycles, lack of ovulation, high FSH levels, poor ovarian production, and diminished egg quality).

Chinese herbs build strong, nutrient-rich blood for the ovaries which will better nourish the developing follicles and create better egg quality and stronger embryos. The herbs also normalize the function of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis to regulate and improve the body’s natural hormonal production which in turn improves ovarian function and egg quality. And, Chinese herbs nourish the spleen, liver, and kidney systems which are responsible for our reproductive health.