A Thing or Two about Pregnancy Part 2

There is always a reason behind everything that happens in our daily lives. But what should you do when you cannot find the reason? There is a type of infertility that just happens without a reason, which indicates that the patient has undergone a series of routine gynecological examinations but could not find any problems.

The patient's menstruation arrives regularly, the ovarian function is healthy, both fallopian tubes are not obstructed, and there is no inflammation in the pelvic area. In addition, endometriosis, uterine adenomyosis, and uterine polyps are also all ruled out. The AMH value falls between 2-6, which is within the normal range.

AMH, is the abbreviation for anti-Müllerian hormone. The value of AMH can be evaluated by blood test to assess the patient's remaining ova reserve. 

The normal AMH range for women of reproductive age is between 2-4.

 If AMH<1, it means the patient's ovarian function is almost exhausted. 

If  AMH>6, the patient is then assumed to be diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which can hinder the pregnancy process.

Western medicine has the following conjectures about unexplained infertility:

1. The patient's cervix may undergoes inflammation, making it difficult for sperm to pass through.
2. The function of the fallopian tube may be low.
3. The sperm and ova  just can't pair up and despise each other.

The clinical treatment is to use medication and injection to initiate ovulation, then extract the concentrated sperm of the husband and inject it into the uterus of his spouse. With the assistance of progesterone to help the fertilized ovum implant. The procedure has a success rate of about 15%.

After introducing the Western medical perspective and treatment of unexplained infertility, let's observe this disease through the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). We have the so-called "Eight-principle differentiation," which includes yin-yang, exterior-interior, cold-heat, and deficiency-excess. Combined with the five Zang organs and six Fu organs, six Evil qi. Palm Pulse and tongue diagnosis help we Traditional Chinese Physicians to determine what problems a patient has.

Perhaps an infertile patient often experiences back pain, which worsens during menstruation, with her palms and soles of the feet feeling heat, especially in the afternoon. Her tongue is quite red with less or none tongue coating on it, and the her Palm Pulse is Thin and Stagnated. We would then conclude that the patient has a Kidney Yin Deficiency and treat it with Sheng di huang, Shan zhu yu, and Du zhong.

Or perhaps this infertile patient often experiences dizziness, fatigue, and sleepiness while during working hours. Her voice is low, and her menstrual period lasts a long time, with small amount of  blood dripping continuously. Her tongue is pale red with thin white tongue coating, and her Palm Pulse is Deep and Thin. We would then conclude that the patient has a Deficiency of qi and blood and treat it with Dang gui, Huang qi, and Gin shen.

Unlike Western medicine, using devices to conduct detailed examinations to confirm the functionalities of organs, we Traditional Chinese Physicians tend to utilize "whole person healthcare" and integrate all  symptoms that appear on the patient's body to give a diagnosis.

It's hard for us to give out an exact physiological value like AMH, but we focus on the patients as the subject rather than individualized organs to determine whether their current status is excessive or deficient compared to themselves. Balance is our treatment goal, it is about supplementing the deficiency and reducing the excess.