Rejuvenate Your Fertility with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, it is often said that there is no such thing as “infertility.”  That is because TCM is founded on a theory of balance. One's inability to conceive is considered an imbalance that needs to be rectified, not a matter-of-fact condition of infertility.

Generally, the TCM practitioner treats the body’s root imbalances and the body’s symptoms are thereby alleviated. This theory applies to fertility as much as to any other condition.  A woman’s natural balanced state, from the time she begins menstruating to the time she begins menopause, is a state of "potentially conceiving."  A deviation from this state—an imbalance in TCM theory—does  not necessarily imply “infertility;” it simply means a shift from one's optimum reproductive health.

In Yin and Yang theory, any extreme contains a kernel of its opposite.  For example, even the shortest day of the year contains the moment the days start getting longer.  While your reproductive health may be at its weakest at the time of your first treatment, your initial visit may be your first step toward a state of rejuvenated fertility.

Nuts and Bolts: Your tailor-made treatment
You are an individual. No person’s imbalances are identical to those of anyone else.  Using TCM diagnosis, I will determine your body’s current imbalance at your first visit.  This will include looking for certain physiological changes on your tongue, taking your pulse, learning your complete health history, and asking many questions about your body and habits.  Once your imbalance is determined, I will proceed with a treatment of acupuncture and Chinese herbs tailor-made for your body.  If it appears your diet, exercise habits, and lifestyle are contributing to your imbalance also, I will make relevant suggestions there as well. 

Ready to Conceive
Your acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments, will start working right away to get your body back to its optimum balance and ready for conception.  Typical changes you may sense quickly include: reduction in the stresses that interfere with ovulation, regulation of menses, and a general feeling of good health.  More subtle changes may eventually include a normalization of the hormones that regulate ovulation and allow an egg to be released, an increase in uterine blood flow improving chances of a fertilized egg implanting, or an improvement in ovulation cycles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, to name a few.  All together, TCM will work to get your body in a healthier and more balanced state which will better lend itself to conception. 

Male Factor Infertility. It takes two . . .
Chinese medicine theory applies equally for male factor infertility. A man’s low sperm count, poor motility, morphology, or sexual dysfunction can all be linked to the body’s imbalances and treated with great success.

A Success Story ...
"To say that I credit Jennifer Moss with the birth of my beautiful daughter is really not much of an overstatement.  After years of amennorhea due to a very athletic lifestyle and long-term birth control pill use, I had spent over a year trying various synthetic hormone treatments with my ob/gyn to try to get my cycle going again, with no success.  I had just been referred to a fertility specialist for my first appointment and was daunted by the "menu" of increasingly invasive procedures that my husband and I faced to try to conceive, so I decided to try Chinese medicine with Jennifer Moss as an intermediate step. 

The results were nothing short of miraculous.  Within four weekly treatments, my cycle was back and within eight treatments, I was pregnant.  I could not believe my eyes when the two little lines showed up on the test early one Saturday morning!  Thirty eight weeks later, our daughter was born."

More Success Stories
For More San Francisco Bay Area Success Stories about Acupuncture and Fertility: CLICK HERE.

IVF and other Assisted Reproductive Therapies
Many couples today are employing the assisted reproductive therapies of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Intra Uterine Injections (IUI).  A common and effective practice of TCM today is to have an acupuncture treatment immediately before and immediately after IVF. Studies have shown this practice to increase the number  of resulting pregnancies by as much as 50% as compared to IVF treatments that did not employ TCM concurrently. 

IVF and other assisted reproductive therapies are very expensive and emotionally draining.  By contrast, TCM alone is a fraction of the cost and generally promotes good emotional health.  Given that stress alone can be a significant roadblock to getting you pregnant, I recommend that couples try TCM for several months before even trying assisted reproductive therapies. 

If you have already begun IVF treatments, you should begin your course of TCM therapies right away. This will ensure the significant emotional and financial investment you've made in your IVF therapy is given the best possible landscape for success. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IVF!

Ask Jennifer:
How long will I have to take treatments? 
Typically 3-6 months, 1-2 weekly visits. However, treatment terms inevitably vary patient to patient.

Can acupuncture help male factor infertility? 
Absolutely!  Even if your male partner has not had a Western diagnosis of fertility-related problems, TCM treatments which contribute to his good health will produce a more complete system of  readiness for conception.

Is it ok to do IVF at the same time?
Yes it is. If you haven't started IVF yet, however, it is recommended you begin your TCM treatment first. Click here fore more information on IVF.

Modern Western Diagnoses Treated with TCM:
Advanced Maternal Age
Amenorrhea
Anovulation
Elevated FSH Levels
Endometriosis
Hormonal Imbalances
Immunologic Infertility
Luteal Phase Defect
Male Factor Infertility
Ovarian cysts, Polycystic Ovaries
Recurrent Miscarriage
Tubal Blockage
Unexplained Infertility
Uterine Fibroids

Advantages to Fertility treatment by TCM:
Safe
Cost-effective
Non-surgical / Non-invasive
Chemical free
 

Contact Information
Jennifer Moss, MS, L.Ac.
415 Spruce Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
Call Today: (415) 244-4412