fertility
In her young adulthood (she died when she was 91 and that was quite a few years ago) infertility problems weren’t given much hope. She persisted even though ridiculed by some. She was a traditional, conservative, devout woman but she quietly and determinedly wouldn’t take no for an answer. She sought out complementary kinds of healing as native women, prairie women, strong women from ageless traditions have done since day one. And lo and behold, her first child was indeed born of these—at that time—questionable methods.
Some things that are considered medicines these days, in days past compiled what went into a woman’s daily soup pot. If a child came in with a cold, a handful of healing herbs were tossed in the soup.
If it is determined that problems are organic in nature (as in blocked tubes or uterus problems, etc.) it is possible that In Vitro Fertilization or some other procedure can overcome some of these difficulties.
In functional fertility problems where nothing is “mechanically” wrong, an approach like for example, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has much success. It recognizes that there’s a reason why something isn’t working and it seeks to return the body to balance through its holistic approach including herbs, acupuncture, pulse readings, lifestyle correction, and so forth.
Even though, according to Sheila McNamara in her book, “Traditional Chinese Medicine” and the “Nei Jing”, the optimum age for beginning procreation is 21 for women and 24 for men, more and more women are having healthy babies at older ages. But the imbalances need to be balanced.
For example, when a woman has been on contraceptives from an early age, she may experience difficulty conceiving. Sheila McNamara says, “according to the TCM view, if she stops taking the pill at thirty years and at last allows her ovaries to do their work, she now has 18 year old ovaries in a thirty year old body which is a serious imbalance.”
There are ways to treat long standing imbalances. This particular woman may need treatment to strengthen and support her ovaries, get her blood moving, balance her hormones and address any resultant tension and stress.
According to Subhuti Dharmananda, clinical studies in China indicate that, after herbal formulas are used, about 70% of infertility cases resulted in pregnancy within 3-6 months.
Of course there are those that don’t respond, and there are safety precautions to be aware of: check with your doctor about possible interactions with any prescription meds you take and or any contraindications that are indicated. Use caution if you have diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, high blood pressure or thyroid problems. There are many complexities in each individual case, so seek out a qualified, trained Herbalist or other trained practitioner. Understand that I’m not saying that medicine hasn’t made great strides. It has. But—and there is a but—there is validity in some of the old ways as well. If modern day medicines can’t help you, some of the old ways might. If you are unsure about the use of plants, do your research and find a competent practitioner. Don’t self prescribe. On the other hand, don’t be afraid of herbs. If you compare the number of deaths and serious side effects from pharmaceutical drugs to deaths from herbal use, they aren’t even in the same ball park.
If you are suffering and grieving because of fertility problems, take hope because there is hope and there is help. I’m not an expert in the specifics of fertility, so I will send you to some who are
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