Male Infertility in Chinese Medicine
Male infertility has been much in the news of late. This reflects a growing concern in the medical community that male fertility has been dropping in first world countries for some time. One UK study found that average sperm counts have dropped 45%, while the number of men with extremely low sperm counts has tripled. Sperm motility has also decreased, along with an increase in the number of abnormal sperm present in men's semen. The potential reasons for this are many, but the over-riding suspects are environmental pollutants. Many of these have the effect of mimicing the 'female' hormone oestrogen. Unlike natural oestrogen, these man-made oestrogens resist being broken down in the body, and tend to accumulate over time. The effects of inappropriate levels of this hormone on males are wide ranging, but certainly seem to negatively effect fertility. There are of course many other reasons for male infertility, including diet, stress, drug use, trauma etc.
In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) men's reproductive health, like women's, has much to do with the function of the kidneys. The energetic system associated with the kidneys in TCM is not limited to just the structural organ as described in Western medicine. It has much to do with our inherited strength and vitality. It governs our growth, reproduction and development. It is responsible for the skeletal structure. bone-marrow and the formation of the brain. It controls the flow of water in the body, and the release of this water through the openings in the lower portion of the body. It is connected with hearing, the hair, and is said to be the residence of will power. Interestingly Western medicine has recently corroborated some of these observations, such as the fact that men with renal failure can have impaired fertility and sex drive.
The main diagnoses for male infertility in TCM are kidney yin and yang deficiency, damp-heat, and chi and blood stagnation. While these labels mean little to the lay-person, they give a highly useful framework within which a TCM practitioner can arrive at an accurate treatment plan. Treatment may include herbs, dietary and lifestyle advice, acupuncture, or chi gung exercises. Generally the treatment of male infertility is a much simpler matter than female infertility. It can however take a long time, as sperm take two to three months to form. It is not unusual to see clinics in China prescribing treatment over a year or more. With acupuncture, treatments are often carried out at the time of the partner's ovulation. Importantly, Chinese medicine has for centuries recognised the role men have to play in dealing with the issue of infertility. In a world where, of couples having difficulty conceiving, male infertility is the cause in up to 40% of these cases, this is an important message to send. It is also hugely pragmatic when dealing with the highly emotive issue of trying to bring a life into the world.