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Prevent Miscarriage with Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Herbal Formula
Infertility Treatment with Traditional
Chinese Medicine in China
(Published on
RESOLVE Mid-Atlantic Region, summer 2006)
By Yun
Brown, PhD, LAc
(acupuncture2008@aol.com)
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
has been used for 2,000 years in China. TCM uses acupuncture and
Chinese herbal medicinals to treat diseases and disorders based
on the theory of Yin-Yang balance and many years of natural
life observation. It has a long history of use in treating
infertility, promoting hormonal regulation and follicular
development, and improving semen quality. In this article,
we will review four clinical trials of treating luteal phase defect
(LPD) and recurrent miscarriage in China from 2004 to 2005.
Treating Luteal Phase Defect with
TCM in amount or duration, or both, affects approximately 15% of
the population of childbearing age. [Editors' note: A luteal
phase is the time in a woman's cycle between ovulation and
menstruation when a fertilized egg travels from the fallopian
tube and into the uterus for implantation. For more information
on lutealn phase defect, please see the RESOLVE website,
www.resolve.org ].
Supplemental progesterone therapy
before implantation and continued into early pregnancy may help
couples experiencing LPD to achieve a successful pregnancy
outcome. But administering progesterone does not cure LPD. The
following clinical trials tested acupuncture and TCM decoction
(or herbal mixture) as a cure for LPD. Overall, participating
couples experienced an 88% rate of ovulation and the rate of
pregnancy was 53-56%.
Clinic Trial One:
60 patients of LPD treatment with
Traditional Chinese medicinal decoction,
Jing-Ping Xu, New Journal Of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
November, 2005, 37(11), 69-70
Sixty infertility patients with
luteal phase defect were treated with herbs to tonify the kidney
and regulate the menstrual cycle. Before treatment, the
patients’ progesterone levels were less than or equal to 32 nmol/L.
(Progestron levels at 16- 48 nmol /L are considered LPD). After
treatment, 53 of the patients had progesterone levels of 48 - 61
nmol/L. The pregnancy rate in the total group was 53.3%.
Clinic Trial Two:
Controlled study on acupuncture in
treatment of endocrine dysfundmal infertility,
Yang Jiruo, Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion May 2005, 25 (5),
299 300
Two hundred and forty infertility
patients were randomly divided into groups treated with
acupuncture (n=160) or clomiphene (clomid) (n=80). Participating
patients were between the ages of 22-36, and had reported
infertility for 2-8 years or more. In addition, they were
evaluated according to the World Health Organization
Infertile Sterile Diagnostic Standard. All patients basal
body temperature (BBT) are single-phase within 3 months meaning
they are not showing an increase in temperature associated with
ovulation and have low progesterone levels (less than 5ng).
The acupuncture group started their
treatment on menstruation cycle day 12th, continuing for 10
days. Major acupuncture points were: Guilai (St 29), GuanYuan
(CV 4), ZiGong (EX- CAI), Zhongji (CV 3), HeGu (LU 4), SanYin
Jiao (Sp 6), ZuSanLi (St 36).
The Clomiphene group took 50 mg of
Clomid orally beginning on menstrual cycle day 5, for 5 days.
The results of this study show that
out of 160 acupuncture patients, 142 (or 88%) had a bi-phase BBT
(or increase in basal body temperature that indicated ovulation)
and an increase in progesterone greater than l0 ng/ml
corresponding to the onset of ovulation, or the phenomenon of
becoming pregnant. For the clomiphene patients, 58 out of 80 (or
72.5%) experienced ovulation. The pregnancy rate was 65.0% in
the acupuncture group and 45 % in the clomiphene group.
Miscarriage Treatment with Shou-Tai
decoction
Recurrent miscarriage is a
devastating reproductive problem. Twenty to forty percenr of the
women with recurrent miscarriage are suffering from luteal-phase
defects (LPD).
Miscarriage associates the
recurrent deficiency of progesterone secretion by the corpus
luteum. LPD can cause both follicular and luteal phase
abnormalities.
Following clinical research on 200
pregnant patients who have experienced a previous spontaneous
miscarriage, Dr. Kashanian indicates in Gynecologic and
Obstetric Investigation, Jan 20, 2006 "A prior spontaneous
miscarriage is a risk for the next pregnancy, and the risk of
abortion and intrauterine fetal death will increase. Therefore,
careful prenatal care is mandatory."
In China, Shou-Tai decoction is the
first choice to prevent threatened miscarriage and habitual
miscarriage. The main ingredients are: Herba Taxilli; Colla
Corii Asini; Radix Dipsaci; and Cuscutae Semen. According to Dr.
John Chen's book, Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology,
these four ingredients can be used for uterine bleeding
during pregnancy, to support pregnancy, and to prevent
miscarriage.
Clinic Trial Three:
Threatened miscarriage treatment with Shou-Tai decoction (58
patients),
Yue-Chan Liu, Academic Journal of Guang Zhou Medical College,
Sep. 2004, 32 (3), 91-92
In this study, 58 patients between
the ages of 20 and 36, who have a history of one or two
miscarriages take Shou-Tai decoction every day until the
symptoms of threatened miscarriage disappeared. After treatment,
38 patients are cured of their symptoms and maintain their
normal pregnancy and 15 patients have less bleeding while
maintaining a normal pregnancy. Total rate of efficiency is
91.3%. Through follow up, the babies do not appear to be
affected by the decoction, and there are no deformities.
Clinic Trial Four:
Shou-Tai decoction treat 105 patients of habitual
miscarriage
Hua Feng, Henan Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nov. 2005, 25
(11),-49
In this clinical trial, 158
patients ranging in age from 26 to 36, most with a history of 3
to 6 miscarriages are divided into two groups. 105 patients are
assigned to the treatment group and 53 patients are in the
control group. The treatment group takes Shou-Tai decoction and
the control group takes a progesterone injection of 125mg, once
a day and an HCG injection 500u, once every other day. These
therapies continue until the patient is past the miscarriage
date of the last pregnancy.
The results of this study found
that patients taking the Shou-Tai decoction had better success
preventing miscarriage than the progesterone/HCG combination
group. In the treatment group, 99 of 105 patients (or 94%)
maintain their pregnancies and have a live birth. In the control
group, 40 of 53 patients (or 75%) maintained their pregnancies
and have a live birth.
By reviewing these studies, I hope
to show how acupuncture and TCM decoction have shown positive
outcomes when treating LPD infertility and miscarriage.
Yun Brown Lac. can be contact at
acupuncture2008@aol.com
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