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| Herbs can help prevent miscarriage. |
Many pregnancies miscarry
Up to half of all pregnancies can end in miscarriage, depending upon whether there is bleeding involved. Is there anything natural a woman can do to reduce the risk of miscarriage?Miscarriages can be caused by a multitude of different issues. These include the health of the mother, the mother's diet, whether there are drugs or smoking involved, and whether there are any infections or blood sugar issues. Also thyroid issues or immunity deficiencies can increase the risk of miscarriage.
Other research links NSAID use to miscarriages.
Another cause relates to the fertilized egg not being properly implanted in the uterus, causing it not to develop as a fetus. This is called blighted ovum. Also there may be a genetic issue caused by the incorrect number of chromosomes contributed between the sperm and ovum - or another genetic issue.
Regardless of the cause, western medicine offers few treatments to prevent miscarriage. Chinese herbal medicine, in comparison, has utilized herbal treatments for centuries to decrease the risk of miscarriage. These herbal treatments have now been validated in clinical research.
Chinese herbs reduce miscarriage risk
In a large review study, researchers from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the University of Hong Kong confirmed that herbs used in traditional Chinese Medicine can significantly reduce the risk of miscarriage among at-risk mothers.The researchers analyzed 44 controlled and randomized clinical trials that included 5,100 human subjects. The studies treated at-risk pregnant women with Chinese herbs after pregnancy gestation of 28 weeks or more. The research compared mothers treated with Western conventional treatments alone with those receiving a combination of Western conventional treatment together with Chinese herbal medicines.
Those receiving herbal medicine treatments were 28% more likely to continue the pregnancy – and avoid miscarriage - than those not receiving treatment. This was not radically different from those who improved with Western conventional treatments (not including side effects). However, when Western treatments were combined with Chinese herbal therapy the miscarriage rates were significantly less.
The researchers concluded:
“a combination of Chinese herbal and Western medicines was more effective than Western medicines alone for treating threatened miscarriage.”The research was conducted and published under the Cochrane Database System review program. This is a strict review process that carefully grades the control standards of each study that is included in the analysis.
Chinese plant medicine use increasing
As a result, Chinese herbal medicine is increasingly used over Western medicines among many hospitals throughout Asia. Examples of herbs used for pregnancy include Ginseng (ren shen) and Angelica Sinensis (dang gui) and many others - depending upon symptoms and constitution as recommended by experienced TCM doctors.REFERENCES:
Li L, Dou L, Leung PC, Wang CC. Chinese herbal medicines for threatened miscarriage. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 May 16;5:CD008510.March of Dimes. Miscarriage.