1 in 3 success rate for fertility herbs
Mum, dad and traditional Chinese medicine produce 50 babies, Baptist University reports
Fifty childless women who sought fertility treatment at Baptist University's traditional Chinese medicine clinics are said to have been able to conceive naturally after six months' treatment.
They account for more than 30 per cent of the 145 local and mainland women aged between 22 and 45 who were prescribed customised herbal medicine by the clinics in a bid to increase their chances of pregnancy. Some of their babies are now a year old.
"The figure indicates that traditional Chinese medicine plays a key role in fertility medication," said Li Xiaoguang, a senior lecturer who specialises in gynaecology at the university's School of Chinese Medicine. "TCM helps to regulate the functional capacity of patients in terms of their liver, kidneys and ovaries," she added.
Clinic records from October 2011 to February this year showed 50 women became pregnant after going on a course of herbal medicine for an average of six months. The other patients had either given up or treatment was still ongoing.
Li said women aged 36 to 40 had the highest success rate, at 46.2 per cent. For those over 40, the success rate was 27.8 per cent.
"Older patients may take longer to regulate how their body's function," added Li. "This group of patients is advised to be persistent in their medication once they have started the course."
