November 30
Cindy, a 40-year-old woman, visited us in October 2019. She had been referred by her doctor after experiencing a failed frozen embryo transfer (FET) the previous month. The implantation failure was unexpected and unexplained, as the embryo had been tested and was of good quality. Her endometrial lining was thick (8 mm) with a perfect texture. Cindy and her husband were very upset. They only had two embryos remaining, and a new FET cycle had started a week earlier. They feared failing again. Her doctor was not planning to change the protocol because all indicators before the transfer had been promising. Cindy and her husband felt unsure about what to do next.
Cindy is 5’0” and weighs 140 lbs. When she came to see me, she reported a dry mouth and presented with a swollen, dark-red tongue with a thick white coating. According to Chinese medicine, these symptoms indicated an imbalance in her body. She displayed a pattern of phlegm and blood accumulation, suggesting slow blood flow and metabolism. Her digestive system also appeared suboptimal, likely due to a disruption of her gut microbiome. I discovered that she drank very little water—only two cups a day—and that her diet was heavily skewed toward sausage and cheese with few vegetables. This unbalanced diet may have contributed to inflammation that interfered with implantation.
By the time Cindy visited me, she had been on estrogen for over a week for her second FET cycle. I recommended increasing her water intake and adjusting her diet, alongside acupuncture treatments to create a more receptive uterine environment. However, her endometrial lining this cycle was slightly thinner than in the previous cycle—7.8 mm on day 12 of estrogen—which caused her concern. I suggested adding Chinese herbs to enhance the quality of her uterine lining.
Over the past 20 years, I have helped many women with multiple unexplained FET failures using Chinese herbs and acupuncture. Most of these women eventually achieved pregnancy. My experience shows that Chinese medicine can improve endometrial receptivity. When combined with acupuncture, herbal supplements can help balance the immune system and increase estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, further improving the likelihood of embryo acceptance.
Cindy was 40 years old and had slowed metabolism and circulation, along with possible immune imbalance and hormone receptor deficiency. Given her history of FET failure and the thinner endometrial lining in her second cycle, the risk of implantation failure was higher. For these reasons, I strongly recommended that Cindy combine acupuncture and increased water intake with Chinese herbal medicine. She agreed.
With the support of acupuncture and Chinese herbal supplements, Cindy is now 12 weeks pregnant!
