3 Ways to Rejuvenate the Ovaries, Prevent Premature Ovarian Failure by Quitting 5 Unhealthy Habits
Ovarian problems are one of the leading causes of female infertility. Modern-day people tend to marry late and give birth late, and as ovarian function declines with age, coupled with work pressure and/or improper daily habits, premature ovarian failure (POF), also known as premature ovarian insufficiency, has also become the focus of attention.
Doctors of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive medicine believe that premature ovarian failure is irreversible, so egg freezing has become the best choice for late-married women. However, Dr. Serene Feng of the Four Seasons Acupuncture PC in New York said that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has some other ways to solve ovarian health problems.
Ovarian problems are mainly revealed in irregular menstruation, decreased menstrual blood volume, and shortened menstrual periods. According to the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology’s (ESHRE) definition, premature ovarian failure refers to the loss of ovarian activity before the age of 40. The recommended diagnostic criteria are oligomenorrhea (abnormal periods) or amenorrhea (missed periods) for at least four months, and two elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels greater than 25 IU/l, with the interval between the two tests greater than 4 weeks. However, when such symptoms as menstrual delay, decreased menstrual volume, hot flashes, and other symptoms similar to menopause are discovered, attention should be paid to whether the ovaries are healthy.
According to MedlinePlus, a public health website created by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the exact cause of most cases of POF is still unknown, but sometimes the cause may be a low follicle count, the result of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, toxins, metabolic disorders, genetic disorders, or autoimmunity disease.
The ancient Chinese medicine classic “Fu Qing-Zhu’s Gynecology” mentioned that the reason women stop menstruating before the age of 49 is that the qi and blood of the heart, liver, and spleen are not flowing smoothly. From this, we can see that TCM has long held different views and treatment methods for premature ovarian failure.
TCM stipulates that the human body has a meridian system, with 12 main meridians corresponding to the 12 viscera. The meridians are the channels of energy flow in the human body, responsible for transporting qi and blood around the whole body. Qi is the energy or vitality that constitutes life in the body, and TCM generally refers to the substances that replenish nutrients in the body as blood. Qi and blood circulate round and round to maintain the balance and stability of various tissues and organs. When there is an imbalance or deficiency of qi and blood in the body, disease or other complications may occur.
5 Unhealthy Habits May Cause Premature Ovarian Failure
Feng, who specializes in infertility treatment, pointed out that five bad daily habits can easily lead to unhealthy ovaries.
1. Eating Too Many Cold Foods
By often eating icy products, cold drinks, or cold food, it is easy to make the uterus and ovaries enter a state of dampness and coldness, an unfavorable condition for pregnancy. And it will also reduce the quality of the eggs thus produced.
TCM has found that most foods are either “cold” or “hot” in nature (not necessarily in temperature). When one eats cold foods, it will increase the cooling effect on the body, while eating hot foods will increase the warming effect on it. Therefore, the health of the body can be balanced through appropriate intake of cold and hot foods.
2. Taking Contraceptives
Feng said that women’s menstruation is caused primarily by the gonadotropin in the pituitary gland of the brain in affecting the discharge of follicles and eggs. In addition to pregnancy prevention, contraceptives also have the function of regulating menstruation.
Contraceptives use a combination of estrogen and progesterone to regulate the concentration of hormones in the female body, which can help to regulate menstruation. However, while contraceptives can help to regulate menstrual cycles, they do not actually cause menstruation.
Menstruation occurs naturally as a result of the thickening and shedding of the endometrium, which is triggered by hormones secreted after follicles mature.
Progesterone is a key ingredient in contraceptives, which work by inhibiting the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a hormone that regulates the release of other hormones like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). This process ultimately prevents eggs from maturing or being released, resulting in contraception.
The underlying principle is to promote the thickening of the endometrium through the progesterone contained in contraceptives. When the time is up, the endometrium will peel off and menstruation will start, with no guarantee of ovulation to follow. Therefore, even if the menstrual cycle is readjusted later, there is no guarantee of conception.
3. Being Excessively Sexually Activity
TCM believes that kidneys store essence. Essence is the material basis for growth, development, and various physiological activities. It is therefore closely related to human growth, development, and reproductive ability. Excessive sexual behavior is consuming too much kidney essence resulting in reproductive capacity being substantially reduced.
4. Eating Too Much Fried Food
People who like to eat grilled, fried, spicy, or processed food, and who smoke and drink, are more likely to increase the body’s inflammatory response, triggering internal heat and dampness in the body. This type of woman is prone to leukorrhea (vaginal discharge), or has gynecological inflammation problems, resulting in an unfavorable internal bio-environment for pregnancy.
5. Continuously Being in a Bad Mood
Being in a bad mood is related to symptoms of liver depression and qi stagnation as often mentioned by TCM. TCM believes that the qi (energy) of the viscera travels around the body through the meridians. The liver meridian of the human body passes around the uterus and ovary. If the liver qi in the meridian is not going smoothly, there will be discomfort such as obvious or dull pain in that part of the meridian.
There is a saying in TCM that the “seven emotions cause internal damage,” and these are related to people’s joy, anger, worry, overthinking, grief, fear, and fright. Different emotions will affect different viscera, which in turn determine their health and energy operation. Among them, “anger hurts the liver”—that is to say, feeling angry has the greatest impact on the liver qi, which also affects the uterus and ovaries where the liver meridian passes.
3 TCM Recommendations to Rejuvenate the Ovaries
Feng said that acupuncture, Chinese medicinal herbs, and moxibustion are the three methods that can help the ovaries rejuvenate. Moxibustion is particularly effective in warming the uterus and provides the most direct and quickest result. If a woman decides to freeze her eggs, the quantity and quality of the eggs taken out are likely to be better by just going through this TCM conditioning before that.
1. Chinese Herbal Medicine Warms the Uterus
If the eggs are not fertile enough because the body is too cold, you can use dried ginger and fennel to help the ovaries return to a warm state, thereby increasing the quality of the eggs.
2. Acupuncture Promotes Blood Circulation and Dredges the Meridians
In TCM, reproductive organs such as the uterus and ovaries are affected by the liver meridian, while essence is also affected by the kidneys. Acupuncture applied to the liver and kidney meridians can open up the energy paths of the respective meridians, and keep the uterus and ovaries in a healthy and active state.
Some points on the meridians that have special functions are called acupoints. Acupuncture on the acupoints can enhance the circulation of qi and blood, overcome the blockage of the meridians, and restore the meridian system to normal so related afflictions can be treated.
3. Moxibustion Warms Meridians and Unblocks Yang
The best tool for warming the uterus in conjunction with acupuncture is moxibustion, which burns the dry plant material called moxa on the surface of the skin or very close to the surface of the skin. Moxibustion can warm the meridians and unblock the yang. In principle, warming the meridians means warming the blood paths, and unblocking the yang means opening up the yang airway. The most obvious feeling when doing moxibustion is warmth spreading through the whole body. The good thing about burning moxa is the heat energy generated can penetrate the body, rather than just imparting a heat sensation on the surface of the skin.
Feng said that in ancient China, soldiers on the move would bring moxa wood along to find water sources. After setting up the camps, the army would burn some moxa wood. Because the heat of moxa wood is very penetrative, the heat energy thus produced can go deep into the ground. When it reaches water, it will turn that into steam, then when the steam reaches the ground, it will shake the grass on the surface. The army could then find the water source.
Burning moxa runs contrary to the idea adopted by many modern-day people who prefer to use a hair dryer to blow the acupoints instead of moxibustion. In fact, the heat energy of the hair dryer only stays on the body’s surface and has no real effect on warming the inside of the uterus.
Regardless of whether you want to have children or not, if women can get rid of the above five bad habits and take good care of their ovaries and uterus, it will not only benefit their health but also help them become a “frozen gold beauty,” meaning they will keep their youthful appearance.
