Female Infertility: Ayurveda Interventions Help Women Suffering From Tubal Blockages Finally Conceive

Ayurveda comes to the rescue of two women who were not able to conceive for three years due to tubal blockages, a common cause of female infertility.

Infertility is defined as failure to conceive within one or more years of regular unprotected coitus. Tubal blockage is one of the most common causative factors in female infertility, with the prevalence of the condition estimated to be 19.1 per cent in the fertility age group. Ayurvedic treatment of infertility has been growing in recent years, with a growing list of successful stories shared by couples from across the globe. International Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Research Studies (IJMSCRS), a leading US based journal, has also featured two case studies on Ayurvedic treatment of tubal blockages in its latest issue.

The case studies, featured in the IJMSCRS December Issue, highlight how Ayurveda intervention helped two women suffering from tubal blockages conceive after failed IVF attempts. Both patients were treated at Ayushakti, a leading Ayurvedic health centre based out of Mumbai.

Tubal Blockages: What does this mean in Ayurveda?

According to doctors at Ayushakti, this condition is not described in Ayurvedic classics as itself tubal blocks, but blockages of fallopian tubes can be better correlated with Vandhyatva due to Artav bija vaha srotavrodha (blockages in fallopian tubes).

They explained, "All three doshas are responsible for causing blockages. Blocks can be due to Sankocha (contraction) in the fallopian tubes which are not possible without Vata dosha ultimately. Vitiation of Vata in the fallopian tubes can be due to Ruksha (dryness), Khara (rough) and Kharaguna (tearing). Kapha is another dosha which can be considered in the pathogenesis of tubal blockages as Kapha is responsible for inflammation, and this inflammation and pus formation is the most important causative factor in tubal blockages. In tubal blockage we cannot totally neglect Pitta, as it is said to be responsible for Paka.

"Normalizing the vitiated Vata-kapha-dosha leads to restoration of tubal function and easy conception. It can be achieved through proper Ayurvedic management," they added.

Ayushakti's team of doctors including Dr.Deepak Mahajan, Dr.Hemang Parekh, and Dr.Tushar Yadav along with Co-Founder Dr. Smita Naram recently treated two patients with bilateral tubal blockage.

Management of tubal blockages: Case studiesTubal Blockages

One of the two patients treated at Ayushakti was a 32-year-old woman from Mumbai. The patient came with a history of 10 failed intrauterine insemination (IUI) for consecutive 10 cycles and two failed IVF attempts, despite good history of regular menses. After X-ray Hysterosalpingography showed unilateral tubal blockage, she was recommended trying Ayurveda treatment.

The second patient was a 31-year-old woman who was not able to conceive for three years. She had PCOD which was then cured. X-ray Hysterosalpingography showed that the right fallopian tube was narrow and faintly visualized up to the fimbrial end but no spill of contrast was seen, suggesting a blockage at the right tube of the fimbrial end. The left tube was not visualized suggesting a blockage of the left tube at the corneal end. Post the diagnosis of tubal blockages, she decided to turn towards a natural way of conceiving through Ayurveda.

Both these cases with bilateral tubal blockage were treated successfully by Ayushakti's herbal remedies and Uttarbasti (Intra uterine enema) with Kshar basti for 150 days. Intra uterine basti is highly effective in removing the blockages in the fallopian tubes. Also, it is anti-inflammatory and ulcer healing.

"With this treatment we can definitely avoid unnecessary use of hormones and IVF protocol and can give cost effective and promising results," the doctors noted in their paper published in IJMSCRS.

Ayurveda reaching across the globe

Commenting on the case studies being featured in the IJMSCRS December issue, Dr. Smita Pankaj Naram, Co-Founder, Ayushakti, said, "We are glad that our ancient healing techniques are being acknowledged by global journals and the benefits of Ayurveda are being reached across the globe. We are thankful and grateful to IJMSCRS for publishing our case study and supporting us in this research paper. We hope more and more people consider using Ayurvedic methods in treating complex illnesses."

IVF (In vitro Fertilization) is the last option for most of the patients with infertility due to tubal blockage. But Ayurveda aims to enhance the proper functioning of reproductive system by providing natural and effective medicines. Ayurvedic treatment for tubal blockage involves eliminating Srothorodha (obstruction) in the Artava vaha srotas (fallopian tube) by proper Shaman (palliative) and Uttarbasti (Intra uterine enema) therapy which results expeditious conception, Ayushakti stated in its study paper.

Blockage of fallopian tubes: Causes and symptoms

Infertility be caused by different factors in either the male or female reproductive systems. As per AIIMS about 10-15 per cent of all married couples face fertility issues, and about half of these cases results from abnormalities in the male partner.

Tubal factor infertility is known to responsible for about 25-30 per cent of all cases of infertility. Such cases include completely blocked fallopian tubes, or either one blocked tube or tubal scarring. Often tubal factor infertility is caused by pelvic infections, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or endometriosis, recurrent infections of the reproductive tract, scar tissue that forms after pelvic surgery, history of tuberculosis or colitis. These factors may cause swelling or blockages that prevent the ovulated egg from entering the fallopian tube where it is normally fertilized by the sperm.

Blockages of fallopian tubes are often symptomless, and so patients don't realize they are suffering from this condition until they consult a gynecologist for infertility. In such cases, tubal reconstruction surgeries and/or in vitro fertilization are the only available options offered in allopathic medicine.

Herbal remedies for tubal blockage

According to Ayurveda, tubal blockage is primarily caused due to vata and kapha dosha. Not only Ayurveda interventions can remove the tubal blockages but also normalise the function of the fallopian tube and uterus, the doctors at Ayushakti said.

Ayurveda interventions for management of tubal blockages focus on pacification of Vata-kapha dosha, Deepana, Pachana and Apan vatanulomana. Guggul (the dried resin of the Mukul myrrh tree) is the main ingredient of Ayushakti's tablet granthihar. It is useful in breaking the fats, regulating the hormonal balance, which in turn helps in removing the blockages in the fallopian tubes. Sakhi-Kumari (Aloe vera) is another ingredient used for the management of tubal blockages. Aloe vera is anti-inflammatory, ulcer healing and anti-bacterial in nature, thus it helps in removing the fibrosis and rejuvenation of inner lining of the fallopian tube as well as endometrium, the doctors stated.

To know more about the ingredients used in Ayushakti's herbal remedies for management of tubal blockages, read their paper published in IJMSCRS December Issue.