October 17
Meet Cathy, a 38-year-old Spanish woman, standing 5’2” and weighing 118 lbs. After a year of trying to conceive in her second marriage, she sought consultation on July 28 of last year. Cathy is a mother of three (ages 19, 15, and 12), and her husband has two children. His semen analysis was normal.
Cathy’s menstrual history began at age 14, with cycles ranging from 5–9/21–23 days. Her last menstrual period was on 7/7/22, lasting 5–6 days and occasionally accompanied by blood clots (++). She has had four pregnancies: three live births and one miscarriage (in 2009). She has also experienced ovulatory bleeding.
A Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) revealed patent fallopian tubes. Cathy often reported fatigue, dry mouth, sporadic night sweats, and a slightly swollen, pale red tongue with a white coating. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identified a pattern of Kidney Qi Deficiency. Cathy began a regimen of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, taking a daily dosage of 3.5 grams.
By 10/5/22, Cathy became pregnant again. Emphasis was placed on nourishing her kidneys to support a healthy pregnancy. Unfortunately, at 7 weeks gestation, she experienced a miscarriage; embryo tissue pathology revealed trisomy 21. After a month of rest, the previous treatment plan was resumed.
On 4/6/23, Cathy became pregnant once more. She presented with dry mouth, a pale red tongue, and a thin white coating. The treatment regimen was adjusted to reinforce kidney tonification and yin nourishment. At 9 weeks, she experienced sudden, heavy bleeding—soaking the bed sheets—accompanied by abdominal pain. Hormone levels were normal, and ultrasound revealed a fetal heart rate of 170 bpm along with a subchorionic hematoma. Diagnosis: infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and subchorionic hematoma.
Conventional medicine offered no specific intervention. Given Cathy’s 4-hour travel distance to the clinic, she was advised to double her original herbal medicine dosage. After five days, bleeding ceased, and at follow-up, the herbal dosage was reduced to the standard amount. The pregnancy was successfully supported through the 12th week. Two months ago, fetal Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) showed normal results. She is currently 28 weeks pregnant.
In summary, supporting pregnancies in cases of advanced-age infertility relies on nurturing both ova and embryos. This forms the foundation of Chinese medicine’s approach to pregnancy support. By enhancing the environment for ova and embryos, improving cellular mitochondrial function, clearing free radicals, reducing DNA damage, preventing mutations and epigenetic variations, regulating immune function, and improving circulation, better therapeutic outcomes can be achieved.
