Fertility Drugs, ART, and TCM Flashcards
ART means…
Assisted reproductive techniques. Includes
medications, interventions and donor gametes
IUI means…
Inter-uterine insemination. Used as an aid to
natural conception. Either no medications are given or
simple ovarian stimulants in line with natural menstrual
cycle. Sperm is collected, washed, treated with
‘energy drink’ and inseminated during natural ovulation
cycle.
IVF - Long Protocol
Female is given downregulating drugs to switch off her natural hormone cycle, putting her into a ‘false menopause’.
Symptoms of IVF - Long Protocol:
Yin Xu, also will affect Kid, Ht, Lv & Stm Yin,
create Ht & Lv blood xu, LQS and Shen disturbance
Treatment protocol for IVF - Long Protocol
Nourish yin Nourish blood Harmonize Circulate qi in lower jiao, Calm Shen
What size should follicles be?
17-24 mm. Smaller = immature egg, larger = cyst.
Treatment principles for immediately, or within 12 hours before egg collection:
calm shen
open uterus
move qi in lower jiao
Immediately after egg collection you should:
Address the stagnation created by the procedure and move qi in the lower jiao
Immediately after embryo transfer treatment principles:
Calm shen, close uterus, lift qi, nourish blood, counteract stasis caused by procedure.
What risk do progesterone pessaries come with?
Damp accumulation
IVF - short protocol =
Exactly the same as long but without 3 weeks down regulation meds
ICSI - Intracytoplasmic sperm injection =
If sperm are unable to fertilize an egg effectively, or at all, during IVF procedure ICSI will be added (for another $1500 dollars).
Clomifene (clomid) =
Ovarian stimulant drug typically given to women
Side effects of Clomid in yin xu women:
Hot flashes Loss of fertile mucus thinned endometrium night sweats irritability mood swings
Metformin =
Used to control blood sugar both in type 2 diabetes and PCOS. It can increase ovulation frequency
in PCOS women.
