TCM Fertility Treatment -- Yin deficiency

Ilana Stein-Attali

R.TCMP R.Ac Master of Science

TCM refers to this type of deficiency as being low in the ingredients required to create a finished product.  Think of it as creating a soup, the fire underneath the pot may be adequate, the pot may be the right shape and size, but if one or more of the ingredients is missing to make the hearty soup a finished product you may try to increase the cooking time, which may not work.  The best would be to bring the level of ingredients up.

Having a long follicular phase (before ovualtion spike) means its taking too long for the follicle in the ovary to develop and grow before it releases the mature egg.  This can be considered a yin deficiency in TCM. Although there is quite an acceptable variation from the 14 day norm before ovulation, we attempt to move the phase closer to 14 days.

MM had been taking the pill since she was 17 to help her with acne and also to regulate her periods which were coming sporadically since age 13 when they first began.  At age 28 she wanted to become pregnant and after getting off the pill. Her period took about 1 year to return.  At the time she was also diagnosed with PCOS. 

MM came for treatments when her periods returned and her cycle was between 32-40 days long.  She was treated with acupuncture for yin deficiency, she was given a diet with more seeds, soups, vegetables and calories than she was used to.  She was advised to do less exercise (she was exercising 3 hours/day), to rest more (stay home more often in the evenings) and add mindfulness classes to her routine.  

As she began charting her temperature we noticed that her ovulation date moved from day 24 to 17 to 15.  Her period cycle decreased to 30 days over two months.  The third month she became pregnant.  Congratulations to MM.