What Is Infertility? Understanding What It Means and What Comes Next

Lucia Iadinardi DAOM LAc · The Moshen Center

You have been trying. Maybe for a few months. Maybe for over a year. And somewhere along the way, someone used the word infertility, and everything shifted.

That word carries weight. It can make you feel broken, behind, or like your body has failed you. It can shake your sense of self in ways that are hard to explain to people who have not been through it.

And if you are trying to conceive at an older age, you may have had to carry something else on top of all of that. Comments from people who felt entitled to an opinion. Questions like what took you so long, or why did you wait? Statements like you are too old to have kids or maybe it was not meant to be. Women have sat across from me and repeated those exact words, said to them by people who had no idea what they were carrying or what it took just to show up and

Keep trying.

Those comments are not okay. And they have nothing to do with what is possible for you.

So before we get into anything clinical, let us say this: what you are feeling is real. And you are not alone.

What infertility actually means

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, infertility is defined as a disease, condition, or status characterized by any of the following: the inability to achieve a successful pregnancy based on a patient's medical, sexual, and reproductive history, age, physical findings, diagnostic testing, or any combination of those factors, or the need for medical intervention, including but not limited to the use of donor eggs, donor sperm, or donor embryos to achieve a successful pregnancy either as an individual or with a partner.

In practical terms, for patients having regular unprotected intercourse without any known cause of impaired reproductive ability, evaluation should be initiated at 12 months when the female partner is under 35 years of age and at 6 months when the female partner is 35 years of age or older.

There are two types of infertility. Primary infertility means you have never conceived. Secondary infertility means you have conceived before but are having difficulty conceiving again. Both are real. Both deserve the same attention and care.

Why understanding your body is the starting point

For most couples, there is an identifiable reason behind the difficulty conceiving. It might be related to ovulation, the fallopian tubes, sperm, hormones, or a combination of factors. In some cases, no clear cause is found, which brings its own kind of frustration. But here is what matters: once you understand how your body works, what your hormones are doing, and what the tests are actually measuring, you stop feeling like a passive participant in your own care. You become someone who understands what is happening and why. That shift changes everything.

This series exists to give you that understanding, one post at a time.

How Traditional Chinese Medicine views fertility

When a patient receives a diagnosis of infertility, it is natural to focus on the reproductive organs, hormone levels, or laboratory results. Traditional Chinese Medicine takes a broader view. Rather than viewing infertility as a single disease, TCM considers it a symptom of an underlying imbalance within the body.

In Western medicine, fertility evaluations often focus on factors such as ovarian reserve, ovulation, hormone levels, fallopian tube patency, sperm parameters, and uterine health. These assessments provide valuable information and help guide treatment decisions. Traditional Chinese Medicine complements this approach by asking a different question: why might the body be struggling to conceive or sustain a pregnancy?

According to TCM theory, successful conception depends on the harmonious interaction of several physiological systems, particularly the Kidneys, Liver, and Spleen, as well as the adequate production and circulation of Qi and Blood.

The Kidneys

The Kidneys are considered the foundation of reproduction. They store Jing, often translated as Essence, which governs growth, development, fertility, and aging. Strong Kidney energy supports healthy ovarian function, sperm production, menstrual cycles, and pregnancy.

The Liver

The Liver is responsible for ensuring the smooth flow of Qi and Blood throughout the body. Stress, emotional strain, and chronic tension can disrupt this flow, potentially affecting ovulation, menstrual regularity, and overall reproductive function.

The Spleen

The Spleen plays a central role in transforming food into Qi and Blood, the substances that nourish every tissue in the body. Adequate Blood is necessary to support follicular development, build a healthy endometrial lining, and nourish a growing pregnancy.

In addition to deficiencies, TCM practitioners also assess for patterns such as Blood stasis, Dampness, Heat, and Phlegm accumulation. These patterns may be associated with conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, fibroids, irregular cycles, painful menstruation, or poor uterine blood flow.

A key principle of TCM is that two patients with the same Western diagnosis may present with completely different patterns of imbalance and therefore require different treatment strategies. Likewise, two patients with different fertility diagnoses may share a similar underlying pattern and receive similar treatment approaches.

The goal of TCM treatment is not simply to achieve pregnancy, but to optimize the health of the individual attempting to conceive. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle recommendations are used to support hormonal regulation, improve circulation, reduce stress, regulate menstrual cycles, and create an environment that supports conception and pregnancy.

Today, many patients choose to integrate acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern fertility treatments such as ovulation induction, IUI, and IVF. By combining both approaches, patients can benefit from the diagnostic precision of reproductive medicine while receiving individualized support aimed at improving overall reproductive health.

Please note: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, organ names such as Kidney, Liver, and Spleen refer to functional systems within the body, not the physical organs as defined in Western medicine.

What this means for you

You do not have to choose between conventional fertility care and the support that Traditional Chinese Medicine offers. Both have a place in your care. At the Moshen Center, we work with women at every stage of their fertility journey, whether they are just beginning to look for answers, preparing for treatment, or navigating the emotional complexity of a diagnosis.

Research supports this too, showing that stress and untreated anxiety can directly affect fertility outcomes and the likelihood of completing treatment.³ The emotional weight of this journey is real, and it matters. In TCM, the mind and body are not separate. Emotional well-being is part of reproductive health, not a side effect of it.

You are not alone in this. And you do not have to navigate it without support.

Lucia Iadinardi DAOM LAc

The Moshen Center

References

1.    Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Definition of infertility: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2023;120(6):1170–1176. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.09.027.

2.    Carson SA, Kallen AN. Diagnosis and management of infertility: a review. JAMA. 2021;326(1):65–76. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.4788. PMID: 34228062.

3.    Rich CW, Domar AD. Addressing the emotional barriers to access to reproductive care. Fertil Steril. 2016;105(5):1124–1127. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.01.008.