A miscarriage, or a spontaneous abortion, is defined as the sudden end of a pregnancy before the embryo or fetus has finished growing. Miscarriages are often caused by chromosomal abnormalities, blood clots, autoimmune disorders, low progesterone, infections, and diseases such as thyroid disease, uterus structure abnormalities, etc. If this has occurred more than three times, it is known as recurrent miscarriages.
Miscarriages can happen to women of all ages, but they happen more frequently to older women. As we age, our circulation and immune system functions become weaker. Our organs function less effectively and our eggs age. Chinese medicine calls a recurrent miscarriage “hua tai.” “Hua” means slip. “Tai” means fetus. Chinese medicine focuses more on the environment of the growing embryo, understanding why the fetus might “slip” away from the uterus. This focus on the nourishing the growing baby instead of on preventing termination of the pregnancy means that Chinese medicine treats miscarriage by balancing the whole body to create a good environment to accommodate the fetus. This method is so effective, more than 90% of our miscarriage cases with women under 40 years of age have been solved. We have even had patients who have miscarried six times who, with our help, successfully carried a healthy baby to full term. Nancy is an example.

Nancy, 40 years old, had been pregnant 6 times in the past 4 years but miscarried every time. After she miscarried for the fourth time, she was referred to us by her friend who had successfully, naturally conceived in our clinic.

But Nancy didn’t come then. She believed that she had the ability to have a baby. She thought her pregnancies were unsuccessful because she was just unlucky but that she would have a baby eventually if she just continued to try. But then she had two more miscarriages. By the time she visited us, she had not been pregnant since her last miscarriage ten months ago, even though she had continued to try and take different kinds of medicine. She felt that conceiving was much harder than it had been a year ago. That was the reason why she came to see me.

Nancy and her husband had done a genetic test, which was normal. The pathology test of the fetus was normal too. She only had a slight problem with blood clotting. In the past 4 years, she had seen a specialist. She did more than 6 IUIs with clomid and/ or follistim from 2009 until she came to see me. But none of the cycles brought back positive news. She did two IVF cycles in 2010: in one one of the cycle she got pregnant and took heparin to prevent blood clotting but still miscarried. Her ovarian reserve was getting progressively lower as she aged. Because of all these issues, her doctor would not do any IVF for her anymore and suggested that she use donor eggs. But she was not ready to give up yet—she began to understand that western medicine couldn’t help her condition. She instead began to look for alternative methods.
Nancy is a happy and positive women—she had never cried over any of her miscarriages in the past. She asked me, “why have I had recurrent miscarriages even after all that I’ve tried?” The answer was that she didn’t need to change her medication or treatment—she needed to change herself. Her uterus was not suitable for the baby to grow. Nancy’s diet was terrible. Cold drinks, large servings of red meat, and oily, deep fried fast food made up her everyday meals. As someone who exercised minimally, she was also overweight. In addition, she also experienced hot flashes, constipation, and was very thirsty at night—all symptoms that Chinese medicine describes as “yin deficiency.” Yin is opposite of yang. Blood, liquid, saliva, lubrication and cervical mucous are all categorized under “yin.” Blood thickens if there is not enough yin. Her dark red tongue and the purple color on the side were the signs of her “blood stasis” condition according to Chinese medicine, which can easily result in blood clots. Chinese medicine solves this condition differently in order to create a healthy environment for the baby to grow.

I told her that I could help her with Chinese medicine and acupuncture—under the condition that she first change her lifestyle. First, I explained to her that drinking cold water all day long would cool her blood and stimulate arterial contractions, which would narrow blood vessels, slowing circulation. Slowing circulation would then affect material exchange between the organ and tissues. Because of this, the organs (including the ovaries) would lack nutrients and oxygen. Not only would nutrients have trouble moving in, acid metabolites and other waste also would not move out as quickly, which could result in a dysfunctional reproduction system and poor egg quality in the ovaries. According to Chinese medicine, a “cold uterus” can’t conceive.

In addition, I spoke to her about her diet. The greasy food that she often ate would cause high cholesterol, leading to plaque sticking and building up along with her artery walls. Pieces of plaque can break off at any time to form a clot which blocks circulation.

In order to solve the problem, Nancy decided to follow my recommendation and eat a lighter and more balanced diet. I also prescribe herbal supplements to help with her yin deficiency and blood stasis. In Chinese medicine, “blood stasis” is define as an abnormal blood flow, mic- circulation obstacles and abnormal blood dynamics in certain areas of the body—blood clots are a kind of blood stasis. Numerous studies have shown that there are different herbs that could suppress plaque forming, balance the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems to prevent blood clots, and improve blood flow and microcirculation to avoid blockage formation. Along with herbal supplements, Nancy came for acupuncture twice a week to help decrease stress and increase circulation. By the second month of treatment, her hot flashes and other symptoms were disappearing and she had lost ten pounds. Her tongue was turning from dark red into light red which indicated that her circulation was improving. On the twelfth day after ovulating on her third cycle, Nancy found out she had conceived with a high HCG that she had never had before. She continued both herbal and acupuncture treatment until her twelfth week of pregnancy and carried a healthy baby boy to full term. “Chinese medicine was amazing!” Nancy said, “I not only have a baby now, but I also feel much healthier!”

Blood clotting happens in many cases of unexplained recurrent miscarriages. In some cases, it can be tested before pregnancy (as in Nancy’s situation) but others might unpredictably occur during pregnancy. A couple of symptoms, blue or purple fingernails, dark red or purple lips and tongue, uterus fibroids, ovarian cysts and scar tissue etc. are the signs of “blood stasis” and often suggest that blood clotting is likely. If you have recurrent miscarriages along with above symptoms, you may have potential blood clotting or other abnormal blood issues. I suggest you try to correct it first before you try to pregnant again. But it is important not to lose hope! As you can see, even in the most extreme cases, like that of Nancy, a healthy pregnancy is still possible.