Herbal Infertility Treatment:Phase 1

Herbal infertility treatment during the menstrual period have the distinct goal of clearing out old blood from the endometrium. From a Chinese medicine perspective, a good period is usually 4 - 5 days long with a medium flow of bright red blood, with no clots, cramps or significant PMS or PMT symptoms.

Learning about your fertility from a Chinese medicine perspective can be confusing. If you don't understand a word or phrase, please visit my quick and easy TCM and Fertility Dictionary to look it up before reading on.

If the menstrual period is ideal with the above listed characteristics, then it's unnecessary to pursue an herbal infertility treatment during the period. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case, so I will go over the various imbalances you may see in your period and let you know what they mean from a Chinese medicine perspective.

The ultimate goal of the menstrual period is to support the development of a smooth laminar surface on the endometrium, which supports solid implantation during the luteal phase. The menstrual period does this by clearing out old blood, so that the blood vessels can form a new, lush, nourishing endometrium.

When the period has spotting in the beginning, middle or end, this is a sign that the qi is not flowing smoothly. There is an unevenness to the flow. This unevenness can also manifest as a heavy flow, followed by a light flow. We call this qi stagnation in Chinese medicine.

Often with qi stagnation, a woman will experience some menstrual cramping. Promoting the smooth flow of qi will reduce or eliminate cramping.

Qi stagnation can also lead to what's called blood stagnation. When the qi fails to flow smoothly, it then allows the blood to also become stagnant. We see this manifest as clots, purplish blood and brown blood.

The color of the blood is an indicator of the health of the endometrium. Fresh oxygenated red blood is the goal. Darker hues of blood like reddish/brown, purple and brown signify some blood stagnation. Pale or pink blood demonstrates blood deficiency. There isn't enough blood nourishing the endometrium.

The range and length of time that a woman experiences symptoms of PMS or PMT can be symptomatic of the level of hormonal imbalance in the body. PMS or PMT that lasts for longer than a few days before the period often illustrates extreme hormonal imbalance and possibly reduced liver function.

During Phase 1 of the menstrual cycle, herbal infertility treatment should focus on the individual's particular symptoms. If there are signs of qi stagnation, then herbs that regulate the qi will be prescribed. If a woman has lots of clots, then blood invigorators will be prescribed. This is how the formula is personalized to the woman's specific needs.