Infertility is a common challenge affecting millions of Americans in the United States and can have important implications for individuals’ well-being. According to the most recent National Survey of Family Growth, approximately 9% of married women* aged 15 to 49 years old are estimated to experience some form of infertility.
Difficulty conceiving can be caused by a variety of factors such as age, health conditions. In addition, some couples experience unexplained infertility where tests reveal no obvious causes of infertility.
There are a variety of treatment options for infertility, including medication, surgery, intrauterine insemination, or ART, such as IVF. The method of treatment often depends on the specific factors contributing to, and the duration of, infertility, age of the female, and the individual or couple’s preference after receiving counseling on each treatment option’s success rates, risks, and benefits.
Fertility treatments, including assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), allow those who experience infertility a potential path to expand their families.
IVF represents greater than 99% of ART procedures performed and is an important fertility treatment option because it can help individuals to conceive who may not be able to using other fertility treatment methods.
In some cases, patients undergoing IVF may try either acupuncture or traditional Chinese medicine as an adjuvant IVF treatment to increase the success rate. However, traditional Chinese medicine is indeed a complex intervention. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine will increase 15%-35% chance to conceive depends on the individual
The general idea of using traditional Chinese medicine is to improve patients' health condition, making their body better for conceiving. Nonetheless, each individual should discuss with their doctor and listen to their professional advice before they decide to pursue traditional Chinese medicine.