[Female infertility from the perspective of Chinese medicine].

Infertility is a common condition. Because of traditional Chinese concepts that emphasize the importance of consanguinity, infertility has been a problem long recognized in Chinese history. The subject of infertility was addressed in the I-Jing, written some 3,000 years ago. The Nei-Jing, written during China's Warring States Period, described the mechanisms of infertility. Afterward, the library of knowledge on infertility steadily grew and became more sophisticated. The causes of female infertility in Chinese medicine include congenital deformity, menstruation abnormalities, organ dysfunctions, disturbances in the Qi or blood, malfunctions in the Chong or Ren meridians, emotional effects and the compression of concretions or conglomerations. Based on symptoms and mechanisms, female infertility can be classified into five patterns, including congenital deformity, kidney vacuity, liver depression, phlegm-damp and blood stasis. Chinese medicinal therapies for female infertility include Chinese herb drugs with pattern identification, artificial menstruation cycle therapy, single formula therapy, combined Chinese and Western medicine therapy, acupuncture and moxibustion. The relatively large range of therapies, while a hallmark of Chinese medicine, also points up instabilities in treatment outcomes. Thus, determining the most effective therapy is the most important point of clinical studies.