The importance of preconception care - especially for diminished ovarian reserve

I hope the following fable will provide some insight into why Chinese medicine recommends "nourishing the soil before planting the seed" - couples undertaking preconception care before rushing into an IVF (or 2nd and 3rd round) It may seem counter intuitive for women in their late 30's and early 40's who have been diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve to "stop trying" and instead prepare their bodies for a minimum of  4 months as discussed in out treatment programs.  Here is a fable that will hopefully resonate with some of you.

 

The Chinese Bamboo Tree --A Fable

Once there was a farmer who planted a bamboo shoot. Looking forward to the pleasant shade the bamboo tree would provide for his family and his animals when it grew tall, the farmer carefully watered, and nurtured the tiny plant for an entire summer. Despite his careful tending, however, the shoot didn’t grow as much as a single inch.

The next year the farmer was more determined than ever to have a nice shady bamboo tree so he redoubled his efforts-- watering, fertilizing and cultivating the tiny shoot all summer long. And still the bamboo shoot didn’t grow a single inch.

So it went year on year in and year out for the next four years. Yet despite the farmer’s best efforts the bamboo shoot didn’t grow a single inch. The farmer was ready to throw up his hands in despair at ever getting that shoot to grow.

Then, along comes year five.

In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo sprout shot up and grew up to eighty feet in just one growing season!

So the question is?

Did the little sprout just lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the bamboo growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew.

The same principle is true for your health. What you see on the surface --including your fertility--is the result of the foundation of health (Chinese medicine concept known as Jing or Essence) you have built up year after year. If you, like most North Americans, eat on the run, consume too many fast and refined foods, sugary drinks and soy lattes, run a sleep deficit and have chronic stress, chances are you are depleting rather than building up your health foundation(Essence) --and as a result to you are compromising your fertility.

In Chinese medicine there is a saying about conception and reproduction that goes “nourish the soil before you plant the seed.” Just like the bamboo shoot could not put down a sturdy root system without the farmer cultivating the soil, so your body can’t produce the environment for healthy egg development, implantation and gestation if you do not cultivate the right conditions for hormonal balance, blood flow and health.

In Chinese Medicine the most important components for maintaining and restoring health and vitality are the four free therapies: Deep relaxation, Lifestyle (Adequate rest, moderate exercise and sufficient sleep), community and diet. These are the components that build the foundation for your fertility. The good news is that even if you have not been taking care of your body and building that fertile foundation it is never too late to start. You can begin today --and that goes for the guys as well--to embrace a fertile diet and lifestyle.

 

Lorne Brown B.Sc, Dr.TCM, CA, FABORM
Founder, Clinical Director
Acubalance Wellness Centre 

 

 


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