Infertility is the biological inability of a man or a woman to contribute to conception. Infertility is defined as the failure to conceive after a year of regular intercourse without contraception. Infertility also refers to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term. Infertility in men and women are treated in separate ways.
Ayurveda Approach to Infertility
The goal of Ayurvedic therapy is to stimulate the body's natural healing and self-repair to restore fertility. According to Ayurveda vitiation of the three doshas namely vata, pitta, kapha, any one of them or all the 3 together may lead to infertility. Ayurveda literature contains detailed description on how to increase fertility through diet, lifestyle and herbal supplements for creating truly healthy children. For centuries, various Ayurvedic preparations have been used in treating infertility in India.
Two Types of Infertility
Infertility is of two types. The primary infertility is where the woman has never been able to conceive. The secondary infertility is the inability of the couple to have a second child or a third, though they had the first child normally.
Causes of Infertility
According to Ayurveda the main causes for infertility are eating spicy, salty and hot food that increase pitta and destroys semen known as shukra, overindulgence in sexual activities that leads to loss of semen, which may also cause impotency, controlling sexual urges can result in obstruction of semen and lack of sexual desire. Infertility may be acquired by birth in certain cases.
Female infertility may be caused by conditions like failure to ovulate, obstruction in fallopian tube, or any infection, disease or inflammation in the uterus. Low sperm count, poor quality of sperm or total absence of sperm are the causes of infertility in males.
Underlying Factors For Infertility
The underlying medical conditions and reproductive issues may also cause infertility. They are
- Low levels of natural resistance and immunity
- Accumulation of toxins
- Poor nutrition and bad eating habits
- Sluggish digestion
- Disturbed nervous system due to physical and mental stress
- Disruption of the natural biological rhythms
Ayurveda Treatment for Infertility
Some useful herbs include Ashwagandha, Bakul, Manjishtha, Phalagrita, root and bark of Pipala, Kevda, Saraswati and Shatavari.
Panchakarma: Accumulation of disrupts the reproductive tissues and even blocks circulation. The Panchakarma Treatments are given to flush out the toxins and include various types of therapies such as oil massages, fermented liquid massages and medicinal enemas. Basti, a medicated enema is used to treat the dysfunction of the Apana vayu.
Rejuvenation Therapy: Hormonal changes and other biochemical stress responses can cause nervous system imbalance, depress natural healing, and worsen conditions like infertility. Treatments enhance the body's ability to recover from stress and correct vata aggravation. In Ayurveda vata aggravation is considered as the root cause of infertility.
Rasayana Therapies: This treatment comprises of diet regulations, daily regimens, intake of oral medicines and Ayurveda supplements, and yoga. According to Ayurveda, good digestion is critical for fertility. Poor nourishment may affect the production of healthy sperm and ova. The Rasayana Therapies are meant to nourish the body, to bring the doshas back to balance.