Traditional Chinese medicine and infertility.
OBJECTIVE
The present review gives an overview of the potential use of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of infertility, including an evidence-based evaluation of its efficacy and tolerance.


RESULTS
Recent studies demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine could regulate the gonadotropin-releasing hormone to induce ovulation and improve the uterus blood flow and menstrual changes of endometrium. In addition, it also has impacts on patients with infertility resulting from polycystic ovarian syndrome, anxiety, stress and immunological disorders. Although study design with adequate sample size and appropriate control for the use of traditional Chinese medicine is not sufficient, the effective studies have already indicated the necessity to explore the possible mechanisms, that is, effective dose, side effect and toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine, in the treatment of infertility by means of prospective randomized control trial.


CONCLUSIONS
The growing popularity of traditional Chinese medicine used alone or in combination with Western medicine highlights the need to examine the pros and cons of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine approaches. Integrating the principle and knowledge from well characterized approaches and quality control of both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medical approaches should become a trend in existing clinical practice and serve as a better methodology for treating infertility.
Huang
Sheng-Teng
ST
Department of Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Taiwan, ROC. shenteng@adm.cgmh.org.tw
Chen
Annie Pei-Chun
AP
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D011247:Pregnancy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D051381:Rats
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal