TCM treatments to increase your chances of conceiving

Alice was a patient of mine in her mid 30’s,an athletic woman but with a history of frequent miscarriages. She was able to get pregnant four times; sadly though, each of these pregnancies ended up in a miscarriage around the first trimester.

Alice was determined to do whatever it takes to have a child. Her medical history showed that she suffered from low energy, mild depression, and an eating disorder. However, she assured me, that she was now eating well although this did not result in her gaining weight. Alice was diagnosed by a Chinese medicine professional in Walla Walla of suffering from sinking Spleen Qi.

Your internal organs, in Western medicine, are considered solid materials that have certain physiologic functions. They reside in a specific spot in your body. In Chinese medicine, however, these organs are viewed as symbolic systems of functioning, and are associated with the different energetic, emotional, and physical processes in your body.

In Chinese medicine, your Spleen has a specific function which is to transform the food you eat into nutrients, blood, and energy. The spleen also has secondary functions like holding things in and up. When the Spleen fails to perform these secondary holding functions properly, it can lead to sinking or prolapsed organs, chronic diarrhea, easy bruising, and frequent miscarriages. These symptoms are usually accompanied by a sense of heaviness or bearing downward, mental depression, and fatigue.

An acupuncturist can utilize various tools that can help address sinking Spleen Qi. He/she would first need to perform acupuncture to move energy upward and strengthen the Spleen. Next, the practitioner may recommend different kinds of herbs that can help move mobilize things upward. The frequently used herbal formula known as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang is known to boost the body’s ability to hold things up by strengthening the Spleen. Lastly, dietary therapy is recommended to help strengthen your digestion and your Spleen. Your acupuncturist may be able to recommend foods that are excellent for your Spleen as well as foods that you should avoid.

In the case of Alice, her digestion and Spleen have been compromised due to her eating disorder. I recommended that she eat foods that her stomach could easily digest as well as acupuncture in order for her to gain some weight. I also prescribed an herbal formula that can boost her Spleen’s holding power. In just a quick time, Alice became pregnant again and since my treatment of her involved the strengthening of her Spleen qi, she was able to deliver a bouncing baby girl.

Before she gave birth, she obviously was able to make it through her first trimester of her pregnancy without suffering a miscarriage. After the first trimester I started to reduce the number of her treatments.