“I went to see Claire for treatment after having suffered from amenorrhea for a year at the age of 28. I really wanted to conceive but had been diagnosed with hereditary premature ovarian failure and my gynaecologist told me I had no chance of conceiving naturally. My FSH was very high, my oestradiol was low. I had no visible follicles, my uterus was atrophied and my endometrium was thin. I didn’t think I had much of a chance but decided to give it one last go with some Chinese Medicine. It was the best thing I ever did, as 10 months later, against all the odds, I fell pregnant. A miscarriage threatened but Claire gave me herbs to prevent this and after 9 anxious months, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. I am so grateful to Claire for her unfailing commitment to my treatment and for giving me the most wonderful gift of my daughter!"
Catherine, East Dulwich.
Catherine’s case was a complex one but very fulfilling to treat. It was great to see how she progressed throughout her treatment. I started by giving her weekly acupuncture treatments and herbal formula to build up her liver and kid yin and promote the circulation of qi and blood. Besides the amenorrhea, Catherine also suffered from hot flushes, sweating, headaches and lack of cervical mucus, thirst, dry skin and irritability. Over the course of the next 2 months, Catherine’s headaches disappeared, she felt more energetic and less irritable, her skin and mouth were less dry and she started to get some cervical mucus. Her hot flushes started to improve but her hormonal results remained unchanged. As Catherine’s heat symptoms (such as hot flushes and headaches) began to subside and her yin energy grew stronger, I modified the formula to focus the treatment more on the ovaries, tonifying yin, blood and jing to increase hormonal activity. Kidney ying and jing are particularly important for reproductive hormones as well as the development of the follicles - and blood supports jing.
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Catherine’s symptoms continued to improve and she experienced some brown spotting for a day. I worked closely with Catherine’s gynaecologist, who prescribed her some hormone therapy to be taken alongside the Chinese fertility herbs for 3 months to stimulate her atrophied reproductive organs. She took an oestrogen hormone pill for 22 days and then added a progesterone pill for the last 10 days to stimulate a menstrual cycle. During the period, I gave a well-known formula Tiao Jing Fang, to move qi and blood and regulate menstruation. The following cycle, after stopping the hormone therapy, Catherine’s ultrasound showed two 9mm follicles and an endometrial thickness of 7mm.
The focus of her next herbal formula was to nourish the blood and kidney jing and stimulate ovulation by invigorating blood flow and tonifying kidney yang – the warming, dynamic aspect of the kidneys. The formula of choice was modified by Yi Shen San Yin Fang. Catherine subsequently had 3 natural periods with a normal cycle length and flow, during which time she continued with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine until she finally fell pregnant! A few weeks into her pregnancy, Catherine had some dark spotting and lower levels of hCG, so I was afraid she may miscarry. I immediately gave her a formula (Yi Shen Gu Chang Fang) to protect the foetus and astringe and stop the bleeding, then the HCG levels started to rise. 7 months later she gave birth to her baby daughter.
 Catherine was a great example that demonstrated that, even when the FSH levels are very high and conception seems unlikely, (or even impossible), with careful considered treatment, commitment from both patient and practitioner and, in this case, collaboration with a gynaecologist, pregnancy can occur.
if you are struggling to fall pregnant, why not book a consultation with us at one of our Conceive clinics? Contact us today at info@conceive.org.uk. Â
