Unexplained Infertility

Unexplained infertility is perhaps the most frustrating diagnosis for those trying to conceive because it does not come with a treatment solution or clear insight into its causes. Although a diagnosis of unexplained infertility can be frustrating you are not alone, as up to 25% 1. of people that show up to medical fertility clinics are diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”.

“Unexplained infertility,” means that there is no medical reason within the realm of modern scientific understanding why you are not able to conceive. In other words, you are ovulating normally, your fallopian tubes work well, you have no pelvic adhesions or endometriosis, your partner’s sperm are healthy but you still cannot get pregnant.

At this point, couples with unexplained fertility are either told to go home and keep trying or they are subjected to different clinical procedures (even though nothing is clinically wrong with them). In today’s society, many of these patients are referred immediately for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Once referred treatment options at these clinics include superovulation, drug controlled cycles, IUI, and IVF.

Other Explanations

Although the scientific tests performed are accurate in showing when the reproductive structures are formed well, they are not as precise at predicting the functions of your uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, sperm, etc. Functional problems that do no show up on these tests are one reason why some individuals are diagnosed with unexplained infertility.

For example, a woman’s fallopian tubes may be shown to be open during a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) but they still might be slightly clogged up with mucus or clog up at a later time thereby preventing the sperm from reaching the egg or the embryo reaching the uterus. This type of scenario could lead to a diagnosis of “unexplained infertility”.

Another common explanation for unexplained fertility is believed to be undiagnosed endometriosis. Endometriosis can sometimes be difficult to detect and due to the high frequency (24-50%) of this disease in those with infertility, it is often suspected as the cause of a proportion of patients with the diagnosis of unexplained fertility.

Other reasons for unexplained infertility include aging eggs, poor functioning sperm that still fall within normal parameters, autoimmune problems, undetectable infections and stress.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

In general, Chinese Medicine excels in the treatment of illnesses or medical conditions that cannot be diagnosed by modern medicine. Unexplained fertility is a good example of this. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are successfully used all over the world to help couples who have been given the diagnosis of unexplained fertility to get pregnant and give birth to healthy babies. In fact, a large proportion of the patients we treat at the Family Fertility Clinic come to us with this diagnosis.

According to TCM, there is no such thing as unexplained infertility. In Chinese medicine, "unexplained infertility" translates simply as impaired reproductive functioning. Therefore, we believe infertility is an indication that your body is currently out of balance.

According to the principles of TCM, all of your objective and subjective symptoms are of significance to the diagnosis. In cases of unexplained infertility, there will be indications where the problems and this will manifest as various signs and symptoms.

For a doctor of Chinese medicine it is very important to ask questions about the various stages of a woman's menstrual cycle to best determine the subclinical fertility problems an individual may currently have. Possible indications of fertility problems include:

o Severe PMS
o Premenstrual breast pain and headaches
o Premenstrual low back pain, loose stools, acne
o Heavy menstrual flow
o Scanty menstrual flow
o Clotty, dark menstrual blood
o Menstrual pain
o Short luteal phase
o Long follicular phase
o Short follicular phase
o Inhibited ovulatory phase

Each of the above indications is a physical manifestation of imbalance in the reproductive system. Reproductive functioning is maximized once the entire body is brought back into balance. This imbalance always stems from an underlying root cause. After our skilled practitioners determine what energetic imbalances are causing the menstrual irregularities to appear, the infertility is no longer unexplained. In addition, when we have an explanation, we have a diagnosis, a treatment, and a remedy. The treatments used to treat unexplained fertility in our clinic are acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary therapy and lifestyle counselling. When your energy is rebalanced, your body is restored to its natural state of health. At this time your organs systems, including your reproductive system, will function as they were designed to, and your ability to conceive will be enhanced.

Research

Study 1

The Treatment of 50 Cases of Unexplained Fertility with Chinese Herbal Medicine by Trevor A. Wing & Elke S. Sedlmeier

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between female fertility indicators and the administration of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). This research project was a prospective cohort clinical study to measure accepted bio-medical factors that affect female fertility and to determine if CHM can improve these factors as well as pregnancy outcome.

The study took place between November 2003 and December 2004 at a private clinic specializing in the treatment of infertility with TCM. Included in the study were fifty women with the Western medical diagnosis of unexplained infertility.
Each patient’s menstrual cycle was monitored for one menstrual cycle to measure pre-treatment fertility factors. This monitoring was then followed by treatment with Chinese herbal medicine and subsequent measurement of the changes in the same fertility factors.

The results observed showed significant differences between the two time points for the majority of factors measured. Pregnancies in the sample group recorded 6 months after commencement of the last treatment were 28, with 11 live births and 7 miscarriages. The study outcome demonstrates that using Chinese herbal medicine results in higher success rates of pregnancy, with no patient side effects and a reduction in the category of patients conventionally classified as having unexplained infertility.