Low Ovarian Reserve (high FSH & low AMH) means the ability of the ovaries to produce eggs weakened, oocyte quality declined. Clinical definition usually means before the age of 40, menstrual cycle reduce; the amount menses reduced; mense missing one or two cycles, and eventually infertility with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and sweating.
For diminished ovarian reserve and premature ovarian failure condition, use of hormone replacement therapy "IVF" technology is the major approach to help conceive. But the success rate is low, long-term efficacy is poor. For ovarian hyper-stimulation patients, this often aggravates the decline of functional reserve. And this method has limitation on patients with hepatobiliary disease, thromboembolism and other contraindications. Also might cause bleeding, weight gain and other side effects.
Low ovarian reserve belongs to conditions of TCM's "amenorrhea", "menstruation", "late period", "infertility" and other disease areas. For Chinese medicine, Kidney is the innate, the main essence Qi, is essential for growth, development and reproduction. According to Yellow Empror Classic, Women's grows to a certain age, Kidney strong, the Tian Gui mature, Chong and Ren meridiam prosper, menstruation starts and birth then be possible, if the Kidney is deficiency, Chong and Ren does not function well, diseases will follow. Therefore, treatment of the Kidney in addition of Spleen, Liver Qi is major one.
There has been alot of publication about acupuncture treatment, the Chinese Herbs is also very help. Following is one of research done from US NIH publication:
"with premature ovarian failure (POF) and secondary amenorrhea for 8 years. Traditional Chinese medicine concentrated herbal extracts of cooked rehmannia, Chinese yam, wolfberry fruit, dogwood fruit, cyathula root, dodder seed, antler glue, tortoise-plastron glue, epimedium and morinda root were prescribed, which were a modification of the herbal formula Zuo-gui-wan. When the patient discontinued the Chinese herbal medicine treatment and tried therapy with clomiphene citrate, neither ovulation nor conception occurred. Eight months after beginning clomiphene citrate therapy, the concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone were still in the postmenopausal range. The modified formula of Zuo-gui-wan was prescribed again and the patient conceived 1 month after taking Zuo-gui-wan. Thus, we suggested that Chinese herbal medicine restored ovarian function effectively and promptly, and offers another option for treating infertility in patients with POF."
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Note:
I have treated many patients with the condition. The recent one is a lady with FSH in 30s, Estrogen in 30s and AMH .16. After 3 month treatment, her FSH reduces to 12. Estrogen goes to 60s. and AMH 0.5.
