Causes of Infertility

What is infertility?
Infertility is defined as when a couple has an intimate relationship without any form of birth control for more than 2 years. Either the female has difficulty to conceive or the male has difficulty to impregnate.

The View of Western Medicine
Causes for female infertility:
(1) Anovulation: Women with chronic anovulation fail to ovulate spontaneously. Anovulation affects the production of eggs, resulting in a lack of viable eggs that are released during menstruation. A hormonal imbalance is one of the common cause. The other causes for anovulation are breastfeeding, coming off the pill, stress, illnesses, excessive weight gain or loss, and medical conditions such as pituitary gland problems and polycystic ovarian disease.
(2) Luteal Phase Defect: Luteal phase defect impacts women's fertility by preventing implantation and causes early miscarriages.
(3) Improper development of the reproductive system such as endometriosis in which endometrial tissue (the uterine lining that sheds with each monthly period) grows outside the uterus.
(4) Problems of the reproductive system such as polycystic ovary syndrome in which the ovaries contain many small cysts have hormone imbalances and do not ovulate regularly, or female tube blockages in which blocked or damaged fallopian tubes prevent eggs from getting to the uterus and sperm from getting to the egg.
(5) Age: As women age, their eggs undergo degradation in quality over time. Eggs would become damaged or develop chromosomal abnormalities and thus a pregnancy cannot be sustained.
(6) Antisperm Immunity: This refers to the female's immune system creating an autoimmune response against sperm when it is in contact with sperm antigens.

Causes for male infertility:
(1) Azoospermia(absence of sperm) accounts for 36% of male infertility. Two causes are: a) male tube blockages, or b) the inability to produce sperms.
(2) Sperm problems: Low or no sperm counts, poor sperm motility (the ability to move), and abnormally-shaped sperm. It is considered to have poor fertility when the sperm count is between 20-60 million/ml and sperm motility is below 60%. It is considered to have very poor fertility and the sperm count is below 20 million/ml.
(3) Improper development of the reproductive system such as cryptorchidism (the absence of one or both testes), congenital absence of vas deferens, etc.
(4) Problems of the reproductive system such as male tube blockages in which any obstructions in the vas deferensor epididymis (the tubes that transport fertile sperm). Varicoceles (varicose veins) in the testicles are the most common cause of male tube blockages.
(5) Age: As men age, their sperms undergo degradation in quality over time, and thus the chances of impregnate would decrease.
(6) Antisperm Immunity: This refers to the female's immune system creating an autoimmune response against sperm when it is in contact with sperm antigens.

The View of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Causes for female infertility:
(1) Kidney yang deficiency causes not enough blood to warm the uterus and ovaries, leading to prolonged yin phrase and delaying the production of follicles. Sometimes it causes fluid accumulated in the abdomen, interfering with normal menstrual cycle.
(2) Kidney yin deficiency causes the increase of the fire/heat element which contributes to infertility.
(3) Liver yin deficiency and blood stasis cause abnormal menstruation cycle, cramps etc. It is also a cause for polycystic ovary syndrome.
(4) Liver yin deficiency and qi depression causes qi and blood disharmony, which in turn causes infertility.
(5) Spleen yin deficiency and damp-heat causes qi and blood deficiency which degrades the sperms.
(6) As women age, blood becomes more deficient in yin. Since female belongs to yin, deficiency in blood yin makes it difficult to impregnate. So as women age, the probability to be pregnant gets lower and the chance of miscarriage becomes higher.

Causes for male infertility:
(1) Kidney yang deficiency causes qi to deficient as well, which in turn contributes to low sperm count and quality of sperm.
(2) Kidney yin deficiency causes increase of fire/heat, which in turn causes the decrease of sperms and blood.
(3) Stagnation of blood stasis contributes to infertility. Its cause includes weak liver and kidney yang deficiency.
(4) Downward flow of damp-heat causes loss of blood and damage to the sperm quality and sperm count.
(5) As men age, qi yin deficients. Since male belongs to yang, deficiency in qi degrades the quality of sperms, making it difficult to impregnate.

The View of Dr. Steven Liang
Dr. Liang thinks that having a baby should be a common goal of both the husband and wife. To achieve this common goal, both needs to contribute and work hard together. From the view of western medicine, the infertility problem exists only on the male side, or female side, or both. But from the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is more abstract. Regardless of the causes determined by western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine sees it from a different angle and believes that infertility problem exists on both the male and female. Thus, Dr. Liang firmly believes that both the husband and wife should come for a thorough diagnose and then receive the treatment together. This would eliminate all the possible causes of infertility in your case and increase your chance to conceive. Based on such mind-set, Dr. Liang has been having great successes in helping couples fight infertility.

Treatment for Infertility
Dr. Liang uses combined therapies to treat infertility.
Acupuncture and Herbal Treatment
Herbs - Take 2 bags of herbs tailored to your situation on a daily basis, from the day of the treatment until you are pregnant.
Acupuncture - Do 3 courses of treatment: One course of treament per month. 7 days consecutively. If your period comes in the second month, it means you need another course of treatment. If your period comes in the third month, it means you still need another course of treatment. However, if it is still not successful in the fourth month, stop the acupuncture treatment and wait for half of a year. Continue taking herbs in the 6 months. Some people would be able to conceive, if not, start acupuncture treatment again after 6 months.
Acpuncture, Herbal and Qigong Treatment
The acupuncture and herbal treatments are the same as above. Dr. Liang teaches Spontaneous Five Animal Movement (SFAM) Qigong. SFAM Qigong is easy to learn and requires no memorization on procedural movements as they are derived by "qi". You only need to spend 2 hours to learn and practice at home on a daily basis.
Couple Needs to Receive Treatment Together
Treating the couple together increases the chances to conceive. Of course, we have successful cases in which only the husband or the wife had the treatment, but the success rate is not as high.
Couple Needs to be on a Special Diet
During treatments, the couple should be on a special diet based on Dr. Liang's diagnosis to increase their chances, especially if you flavor having a boy or a girl. The Time and Method for Sexual Intercourse
Based on Dr. Liang's recommendations, the couple should pick the best time and method to have sexual intercourse. This only works when both the husband and wife are receiving treatments together.

Infertility Cases
Case 1
Mrs Yan, 32 years old, Vancouver resident.
Mrs Yan was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome around 5 years ago. With more than 20 cysts in her ovaries, she must have them surgically removed. But years later, the cysts reappeared, so she had 3 surgeries to remove them. The last surgery was in October, 2010. On the other hand, she was also diagnosed with blockage in the fallopian tube.
Hence it had been difficult for her to conceive. She tried IVF back in June 2010 and was able to conceived, but unfortunately she had a miscarriage at 2 weeks. Then she did IVF for another 3 times without success. The last IVF was done in June 2011. She was told that if she still cannot conceive after one more IVF, the chances of conceive would be close to zero.
Desperately, she hoped Traditional Chinese Medicine can help her. She came to see Dr. Liang in July 2011.
After a thorough diagnose, she had 4 courses of acupuncture treatment along with herbal treatment for over a month. Her husband Mr Yan, on the other hand, had 2 courses of acupuncture treatment, along with herbal treatment for over a month.
In September, 2011, she was confirmed that she was pregnant!
She told Dr. Liang, "I still cannot believe that I'm really pregnant and I'm having a baby!"

Case 2
Ms Qiu, 39 years old, Hong Kong resident.
Ms Qiu has been married for more than 2 years with difficulty to conceive. She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome in 2012. There are 10 cysts with the largest at 5-6cm in diameter. Since her sister Mrs Yan (from case 1) had a great success in conceiving after seeing Dr Liang, Ms Qiu and her husband had decided to give it a try as well. Prior to their arrival to Vancouver on September 26th 2012, Dr Liang adviced them both to take the herbs he prescribed for a month first (2 bags of herbs a day). Ms Qiu's sister mailed them the herbs. While they were in Vancouver, the couple had a 10-day acupuncture and herb treatment. Dr Liang then prescribed another month of herbs for them to bring back to Hong Kong to take. On November 5th, Ms Qiu called Dr Liang that her period came at the end of October. Dr Liang then adjusted the herbs and mailed them another month of herbs. On December 24th, there came the exciting phone call, the couple is expecting their first bundle of joy!
A different Christmas and New Year
Hi Dr Liang,
My son is now 8 months old, and my sister is expecting their first bundle of joy. Here's a picture of my son. All thanks to your help, my husband and I can have a different Christmas and New Year. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Mrs Yan
This is an email from Mrs Yan (from case 1) on December 27 2012. Not only did Mrs Yan and her husband had a different Christmas and New Year, her sister Ms Qiu and her husband also had a very different and happy Christmas and New Year. What could be more exciting than both sisters being able to grow their families!
Their cases are a great encouragement to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Once again it proves the effectiveness of TCM. Let's hope that TCM will continue to benefit more and more people.


Case 3
Mrs Leung, 42 years old.
Mrs Leung had her daughter back in 1980 and when she immigrated to Vancouver in 1990, she wanted to have a son. After trying for 2 years, Mrs Leung and her husband came to see Dr. Liang in November, 1992.
After a thorough diagnose, she and her husband both had a course of acupuncture treatment, herbal treatment for over a month, along with a special diet focusing to conceive a boy. By January, 1993, Mrs Leung was confirmed to be pregnant and it turned out to be a boy. At the time, Mrs Leung was 43.

Case 4
Mrs Chan, 33 years old, Vancouver resident.
After being married for 4 years, Mrs Chan still had no luck conceiving. She was diagnosed with female tube blockages. She tried tubal cannulation and hormonal drugs recommended by her gynecologist. However, it didn't help. They came to see Dr Liang in Feburary, 1994.
After a thorough diagnose, she and her husband both had a course of acupuncture treatment along with herbal treatment for over a month. By end of March, 1994, Mrs Leung was confirmed to be pregnant and delivered a healthy girl at the end of the year. Then after another year, without any treatment, Mrs Leung successfully delivered another baby girl.

Case 5
Ms Nie, 32 years old, Vancouver resident.
After being married for 5 years, Ms Nie still had no luck conceiving. She and her husband came to see Dr. Liang in December, 2003.
After a thorough diagnose, she and her husband both had a course of acupuncture treatment along with herbal treatment for over a month. By January, 2004, Ms Nie was confirmed to be pregnant and successfully delivered a baby girl in September that year.

Case 6
Ms Cun, 29 years old, Vancouver resident.
Ms Cun already had a 4-year-old son at the time and had been trying to conceive for 2 years without luck. They came to see Dr Liang in September, 2002. Specifically, they wanted another boy.
After a thorough diagnose, she and her husband both had a course of acupuncture treatment, herbal treatment for over 2 months, along with a special diet focusing to conceive a boy. By December, 2002, Ms Cun was confirmed to be pregnant and successfully delivered a healthy baby boy in September, 2003.

Case 7
Mrs Chen, 40 years old, Vancouver resident.
Mrs Chen had been married for 3 years at the time and couldn't conceive. Before seeing Dr Liang, she and her husband had received acupuncture and herbal treatment at another clinic for over a year. Still no luck. Neither of them had any obvious problems preventing them from conceiving according to their doctors. They came to see Dr. Liang in September, 2007.
After a thorough diagnose, she and her husband both had 3 courses of acupuncture treatment, herbal treatment for over 3 months, along with a special diet focusing to conceive a boy. However, it wasn't successful. They then had another course of herbal treatment for over a month. By Feburary, 2008, Mrs Chen was confirmed to be pregnant and delivered a healthy baby boy at the end of that year. At the time, Mrs Chen was 41.

Case 8
Mrs Cheung, 35 years old, Vancouver resident.
Mrs Cheung had been married for 6 years at the time and couldn't conceive. Her gynecologist confirmed that she had Endometriosis, making it extremely difficult for her to conceive. Mrs Cheung came to see Dr. Liang in May, 2006.
After a thorough diagnose, she had 2 courses of acupuncture treatment along with herbal treatment for over 2 months. Since her husband was working in LA, USA, Mrs Cheung had to ask her husband to take a short leave from work so he could receive treatment from Dr Liang as well. They both then had a course of acupuncture treatment along with herbal treatment for half a month. By September, 2006, Mrs Cheung called Dr Liang in loads of joy, "Dr Liang, you are amazing! My family doctor had confirmed that I'm indeed pregnant! Thank you very much! I have a friend in Singapore with the same problem as me and I'll definitely ask her to fly over to see you!"

Case 9
Mrs Gao, 31 years old, Vancouver resident from Shanghai.
Mrs Gao had been married for numbers of years and couldn't conceive. She and her husband had received various treatment in Shanghai over a year without success. They came to see Dr. Liang in July, 2008.
After a thorough diagnose, she and her husband both had 1 course of acupuncture treatment. They didn't want to take any herbs because they took herbs for over a year in Shanghai and it didn't seem to help. By August, 2008, Mrs Gao called Dr Liang, "Dr Liang you are a genius! I went to do a pregnancy test today and my doctor confirmed that I am pregnant!!! Thank you so so much! We had done so many treatment without success, and getting acupuncture treatment from you for 7 times did the trick! This is unbelievable! Thank you again!

Case 10
Mrs Bradshaw, 35 years old, Vancouver resident.
After trying to conceive for 8 years, Mrs and Mr Bradshaw were unable to conceieve. In 2013, they came to Dr. Liang and received both acupuncture and herbal treatment. Shortly afterwards, Mrs Bradshaw was confirmed to be pregnant and delivered a beautiful baby. Below is an e-mail sent to us from Mrs and Mr Bradshaw along with pictures of their happy family.

Case 11
Hi Dr Liang,
We have tried for eight years to have a baby but we couldn’t so we decided to try Chinese Medicine. Dr Liang told us we would get pregnant within 6 months. We are so happy to have our little baby girl with us. Love every day with her. Thank you Dr. Liang.




Case 12
Mrs Ye, 36 years old, Vancouver resident.
I came to the doctor in May 2022, complaining that I had been married for five years but had not become pregnant. I had blood clots and dysmenorrhea during menstruation, and had unbearable abdominal pain, with upper heat and lower cold. After being diagnosed by Dr. Liang, I took Chinese medicine for more than two months and had three courses of acupuncture, and I became pregnant successfully. I gave birth to a baby girl in May 2023. Attached is a photo of my daughter: