chinese medicine and IVF protocol- Strategy & treatment thoughts

My name is Keren Zelicha, A TCM practitioner from Israel. These days many infertility patients combine western and Chinese medicine, thinking the integration is their best solution. As a TCM practitioner who mainly practice gynecology I would like to share my thoughts with you:

The treatment of infertility was written in gynecology books for many years and the theory can be used while trying natural cycles.

There are many questions for us- TCM doctors, how to approach every step in an IVF protocol. Since there is no specific theory on it in the old texts we need to adjust our treatment with the western one. But…there are many kinds of IVF protocols. Do you think we need to pay attention to the western treatment or treat what we see- Bian Zheng only?

Should we divide the cycle into yin and yang periods and treat?
Should we pay attention to the drugs effect on the patient (Ex. Decapeptyl - a GnRH agonist preventing ovulation drug, can damage yin as it causes hot flashes, dry vagina, irritability).
How do you see the Chinese strategy in every step?
For example- the regular long protocol is:
1. Decapeptyl one injection of 3.75 units on day 21
2. Period comes
3. On day 5-12/13 gonadotropin injections
4. On day 14(+/-) eggs aspiration
5. 2-3 days after embryo transfer will occur.

Will you treat the same in protocol like this ( A variety of a flare up protocol):
1. Period starts and the lady gets decapeptyl 0.1 mg injection on day 1
2. On day 14 starts gonadotropin for 7-12 days
3. Egg aspiration
4. Egg transfer

Do you have certain strategy for each step? Or you don't pay attention and treat the patient traditionally?

Thank you
keren
www.sinimed.co.il

dabtcm

Could not aggree with you more Elixir, very well and succinctly put about the two-fold role of Acupuncture and TCM in relation to reproductive medicine. The key word is "rough-follow" here, as all too many try to find a distict protocol, and as we should see it, each patient is unique in pattern and presentation and being adaptable to this is doing the best service to our patients. NOT every treatment procedure results in a a baby as in this book you mention (which leads ome people to use this a cookbook/bible (as well as other books), it is merely a finger pointing a direction, that is and should not be set in stone), but women do seem to do a whole lot better with acupuncture/TCM play a supportive as well as primary role in many capacities.