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Dawit Assefa, L.Ac, MAOM, FABORM

Amenorrhea (Absence of Period) & Infertility


Amenorrhea (absence of period) will of course lead to infertility due to the lack of ovulation occurring. There can be a number of reasons why a woman can experience amenorrhea. First, the woman may be under severe physical and emotional stress. A female athlete who puts her body under excessive physical stress does not ovulate because her body will not allow her to get pregnant while she is under such intense physical stress. It’s a self protecting mechanism. The same is true of emotional stress. The body being under severe emotional stress will not allow for ovulation to occur. I have seen this often in the clinic as the modern woman is under so much stress causing her body not to ovulate and therefore causing amenorrhea.

Next, lack of nutrition in the body can cause amenorrhea. Many patients that are vegan/vegetarian can experience amenorrhea because they just are not getting enough fats and cholesterol into their body. I definitely believe that being vegan is hard when trying to conceive because of the lack of fats. Vegetarians have an easier time because they are at least consuming some fat and cholesterol. Cholesterol gets a bad rep, but cholesterol is what makes hormones in your body. Having a diet rich in fats and cholesterol will promote hormone production which will eventually push thru ovulation. Once ovulation occurs then within two weeks a woman will have her period.

“Post Pill” Amenorrhea is when a woman does not have a period after getting off the pill. By taking synthetic hormones, the pituitary gland was tricked into not working as it would normally do. Generally, we can kick things back into gear within a few months with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Of course, decreasing stress and a fertility promoting diet are instrumental in getting things back into a natural rhythm.

Other factors that can cause amenorrhea include obesity, PCOS and POF. Weight loss and Acupuncture/Herbs will help greatly with all of the above. Often times what will happen in the clinic is the following. Say a woman had 2 or 3 periods the year prior. Many times these women do NOT notice any cervical fluid which is a sign of an impending ovulation. After starting Acupuncture & Herbs, women will notice some cervical fluid as their body is attempting to ovulate. If they did ovulate, then a period will come in 2 weeks. If they didn’t ovulate, then her body will try to ovulate all over agin and she will see cervical fluid again. This cycle will continue to happen until ovulation actually occurs. Gradually, as the body becomes stronger then the more frequent the periods will be. Eventually, the need for Acupuncture & Herbs will decrease and your body will be able to maintain itself

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