No Reason for Recurrent Miscarriage?

Q.I am a 41 year young woman. I have had four miscarriages - all in the first trimester over the past 10 years. I have a history of FUO; low iron; and at times low blood sugar. My physician has stated that there is no obvious reason for these miscarriages and to keep trying. The fact is that after each miscarriage, it has not been a good time to retry (job change, etc), therefore, a year or two passes between trying. (I am not taking any contraception.) My cycles are normal at 27 days; with a five-day duration (only day 1 is heavy.) My body mass index (BMI) is 23.

I am to the point in my life where I am deciding if I will ever have a child. I have always wanted one, but know that my husband and I can have a full life without one. The truth of the matter is that after all of my miscarriages, I am not sure I can handle another miscarriage – the sadness that I felt after the last one seemed to be a cumulative effect of all the prior ones and was very difficult to handle. It didn’t affect my work – but made me sad during other times (for example around infants, mother’s day, etc.) I know this is normal.

What I want to know, is there an herbal treatment that could increase my changes of having a full term pregnancy? If not, I will put aside the hope of having a child and accept that fact that I will never bear a child.

A. I’m so sorry for your miscarriages. If, according to your physician, there are no obvious reasons for the miscarriages, then there is a subtle reason. Although miscarriages are not uncommon, women with a history of repeated miscarriage generally have something wrong, either autoimmune or genetic in nature. With my practice of traditional Chinese medicine, I must try to assess what the underlying pattern of imbalance is that is causing the miscarriage in order to affect a change. When the pattern improves, the manifestation, no matter what it is –- infertility, recurrent miscarriage, headaches, etc. -- disappears. My guess is that you have some sort of “Spleen Qi” deficiency.

Some signs and symptoms of spleen qi deficiency include:

• fatigue
• worry
• anemia
• low blood pressure
• autoimmune conditions
• allergies
• varicose veins
• hemorrhoids or organ prolapse
• digestive problems
• watery or heavy menstrual flow
• low energy after a meal
• low energy during menstruation

It appears from your query that although you know your life would be complete without children (and I applaud you for that awareness,) you haven’t put it to rest. Most of my patients come to me after other medical modalities have failed them, just as a last resort. I wish you hope and success.

Clomiphene to Increase Progesterone?

Q. We have been trying to get pregnant for 10 months. I was referred to a chiropractor who specialized in infertility. I took a hormone test which showed my progesterone was low at 60 (the test was taken when it should have been at its highest) and I was higher than normal in estrogen & testosterone. I was given NutriClear to take for 21 days which should cleanse my kidneys then she'll give me progesterone cream.

Does this sound like a good solution? My regular doctor wants to put me on Clomid but I'd rather not take fertility drugs. Do you have any other suggestions?

A.If your hormone levels are high, generally it’s a liver concern, not kidney. The liver is responsible for the metabolism of most estrogens and testosterone. I am not aware of “NutriClear”, but if it helps your body metabolize excess hormones, it may be fine. I like to ensure that a woman produces adequate progesterone on her own in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy, but use progesterone cream as a supplement during the luteal phases until her progesterone levels are high enough on their own. Perhaps your chiropractor will be able to give you something which will boost your body’s own production of progesterone. While clomiphene does help some women raise progesterone levels (producing numerous follicles increases production of progesterone by the corpus lutea), if you have a liver imbalance, clomiphene will produce many side effects (hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, visual problems, irritability), and rarely will be successful in producing a successful conception. Yet, if you are lacking in energies which allow adequate progesterone production, it may work for you. Sometimes I suggest one month of clomiphene for women with luteal phase defects. If you feel fine on it, and it produces a longer luteal phase, it may be therapeutic. If it makes you feel horrible, don’t continue to take it. Best of luck to you.

Herbal & Acupuncture Treatment for Low Count/Morphology

Q.My hubby just saw an acupuncturist the other day for male factor infertility, joint pain and skin rash. She gave him Chinese herbs to boil for his skin rash and did acupuncture on all his joints, yet only put one needle in his groin area.

He has low sperma morphology,and his count varies all the time. Are there any Chinese herbs we can ask her about or certain places other than his groin to increase count and motility and morphology?

A.I am not aware of the pattern which your acupuncturist assessed and was treating. Often the body’s imbalance has very little to do with the manifestation of the problem (i.e. testicles). When I treat male factor issues, I still assess the underlying pattern of imbalance, which often times includes elements of deficiency and excess. I build the deficient energies, and drain the excess energies via acupuncture, herbs, and sometimes nutritional recommendations.

Your husband’s acupuncturist may have been draining the excess energies which were producing the rash. Points to clear excess heat are often found above the knee and on the elbow crease. The low sperm counts may be due to this excess, which is producing a deficiency in other energies, manifesting in low sperm counts. It would also be appropriate to build the deficient energies with points on the arms and legs as well. (You also might want to make sure he is taking adequate antioxidants and nutritional supplements such as: vitamin C, vitamin E, B12, beta carotene, zinc, selenium, L-arginine, and L-carnitine.) I hope his treatments are successful.