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Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)
New Hope for Infertile Young Women
FRIDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- A new study contradicts the conventional
wisdom about a common condition called primary ovarian insufficiency
that can cause infertility
in young women.
Even though the condition causes symptoms similar to those experienced
by women during menopause,
researchers found that females still have immature eggs in their ovaries.
The findings raise "the possibility of developing treatments for
the infertility that accompanies the condition," Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher,
acting director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), said in a news release from the NIH.
An estimated 1% of women develop
primary ovarian insufficiency, also known as premature
ovarian failure, by the time they turn 40. They experience hot
flashes and stop having regular menstrual periods, although hormone
treatment can treat the symptoms in some cases.
Most women with the condition are infertile, although even after the
diagnosis, up to 10% become pregnant unexpectedly.
In the new study, researchers Dr. Lawrence M. Nelson of the NICHD and
his colleagues used ultrasound to
assess the growth process of the women's follicles -- small sacs in the
ovary that become eggs. The researchers were surprised to find that 73%
of 97 women with primary ovarian insufficiency had ovarian follicles.
In addition, they found that the follicles could produce reproductive
hormones.
The findings appear online April 26 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
-- Randy Dotinga
How Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Can Help
Premature Ovarian Failure
The average age most women go into premature ovarian failure is precisely
when they should achieve their reproductive prime. Something has halted
this process. Sometimes it’s physical. Oftentimes there is a
deep seated emotional component. Yet, the remedy is, always, to gently
restore all aspects of her body, mind, and soul. The communication
between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovaries needs to be
opened up. This is not only a physical process, but one that can include
all aspects of a woman’s life that may be preventing this open
communication.
Although treatment of POF may be challenging for the TCM practitioner,
the results are extremely rewarding, because Chinese medicine is one
of the most effective ways to address POF. TCM views most cases of POF
as a combination of excess and deficiency patterns that cause the Penetrating
and Conception meridians to become “empty.” The lack of menstrual
bleeding tells us that there is also a deficiency in Blood. Blood deficiency
may be due to an obstruction, but in mostPOF cases it is due to deficient
Blood production, usually from faltering Spleen energies or insufficient
Kidney Yin. If a woman is experiencing short cycles, early ovulation,
and heat signs like night sweats and hot flashes, there is also concurrent
heat.
A typical treatment will consist of:
- Removing blockages
- Clearing heat (toxins)
- Tonifying/Nourishing
Through:
- Acupuncture
- Dietary modifications
- Herbal therapy
- Massage to increase blood flow to the pelvic organs
- Avoidance of toxins
Your path to radiant health...
from motherhood to menopause.
Lorraine H. Harris, Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist
Specialist in fertility, women's health and rejuvenation, and the only
acupuncturist in Western North Carolina (WNC) and Asheville offering
Mei Zen™ Cosmetic
Acupuncture.

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