Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

 

How Western Medicine Treats PCOS?

 

  • Background： PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder in women of reproductive age. It affects 8-13% of women, and can affect more in some high-risk groups, such as Indigenous, Asian, North African and Caucasian European women. PCOS is a disorder of the endocrine system which causes an imbalance of hormones secreted in a woman’s ovary needed to fully mature her follicles into eggs. The follicles may start to mature and build up fluid but no one follicle becomes large enough to be released for ovulation. Since no follicle becomes large enough and no egg matures or is released, ovulation does not occur and the hormone progesterone is not made.
  • Common symptoms of PCOS include: irregular periods or no periods at all, difficulty getting pregnant (because of irregular ovulation or failure to ovulate), excessive hair growth (hirsutism) – usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks, weight gain, thinning hair and hair loss from the head, and oily skin or acne.
  • In the 1990’s a study in Europe was conducted on anovulatory women with PCOS. This study showed that using electro acupuncture has reduced many of the endocrine indicators of PCOS, including follicle size, LH, FSH, and Testosterone.

How Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Treat PCOS

 

  • Chinese medicine is a safe, effective, drug-free and natural approach to restore optimal function of the hormonal and sympathetic systems and to rebalance the nerve and blood supply to the ovaries. Each part of the protocol is customized for each patient to treat PCOS and to improve overall patient health.
  • Acupuncture aims to increases the blood flow to the ovaries to nourish the developing follicles and create better egg quality and stronger embryos. It also normalizes the function of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis to regulate and improve the body’s natural hormonal production which in turn improves ovarian function and egg quality. It relaxes the body and reduces stress levels (elevated stress can prohibit conception by blocking blood flow to the reproductive organs and causing an imbalance in hormonal production, thus resulting in irregular menstrual cycles, lack of ovulation, high FSH levels, poor ovarian production, and diminished egg quality).
  • Chinese herbs will help to build strong, nutrient-rich blood for the ovaries which will better nourish the developing follicles and create better egg quality and stronger embryos. The herbs also normalize the function of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis to regulate and improve the body’s natural hormonal production.
  • Nutritional guidance is customized for each patient based on the health of her kidney, liver, and spleen functions, which control our reproductive health. The diet emphasizes low glycemic foods and foods rich in Vitamin B and omega’s to influence overall health and well being.