Siddha Medicine for Female Infertility.

Despite high population, India records drop in fertility rate every year. Gone are those days of Indian females who were mothers of double digit children’s. The more we grow economically and mentally, we also have deteriorating health due to fast pace of lifestyle changes. While female infanticide is on drop, in an alarming trend female infertility is on silent rise.

In Siddha Medicine System, Female Infertility is generally called as கெர்ப்ப ரோகம்(i.e diseases which prevents pregnancy). Or Pen Maladu பெண் மலடு.

Siddha system of medicine has a separate branch dealing with female reproductive system and pregnancy called as Magalir Maruthuvam மகளிர் மருத்துவம் .

The specialisations in Magalir Maruthuvam are,

1. சூல் மருத்துவம் Sool Maruthuvam – branch of siddha medicine dealing with female reproductive system. As சூலகம் means ovary, the study of it is named as சூல் மருத்துவம்.

2. மகபேறு மருத்துவம் Magaperu Maruthuvam – branch of siddha medicine deals with care of women before, during, and after they give birth to children.

Female Infertility is dealt in both Sool Maruthuvam and Magaperu Maruthuvam.

What is Infertility?

Infertility is the failure of a couple to become pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. In both men and women the fertility process is complex.

Infertility affects about 10% of all couples. Even under ideal circumstances, the probability that a woman will get pregnant during a single menstrual cycle is only about 30%. And, when conception does occur, only 50 – 60% of pregnancies advance beyond the 20th week.

About a third of infertility problems are due to female infertility, and another third are due to male infertility. In the remaining cases, infertility affects both partners or the cause is unclear. Although this article specifically addresses infertility in women, it is equally important for the male partner to check our article, Infertility in men.

Infertility and Impotence are not the same.

Many think that impotence and infertility are the same. Also, many believe that being impotent means they are infertile. Even though these words are used interchangeably, impotence and infertility mean different things.

Erectile dysfunction in men refers to the persistent inability to achieve and maintain an erection adequate for satisfactory sexual activity.

Females experience sexual dysfunction, which can be defined as the inability to attain or maintain arousal during sexual activity. Infertility refers to the inability to achieve a successful pregnancy. While impotence is not a cause for infertility, it can make conception extremely difficult. sexual impotence also has psychological roots with anxiety, depression and stress playing a role. Sexual arousal depends on an intricate interplay of psychological, neural, vascular, and endocrine factors.

Infertility, on the other hand, could have many reasons. Increased stress due to changing lifestyles in one major cause. Constant stress releases a cocktail of hormones that play havoc with many systems.

Causes of Infertility:

Siddhar Agathiyar Medical Literature “AGATHIYAR KARBA KOL” has mentioned the causes for female infertility.

 "இசைந்ததொரு பெண்மலடு எங்குமில்லை 

எதனாலே மலடான சேதி கேளு

அசைந்திருக்கும் பேயாலும் பித்தத்தாலும்

அடிவயிறு நொந்துவரும் வாயுவாலும்

பிசைந்த கர்ப்பப் புழுவாலும் கிரகத்தாலும்

பிணியாலும் மேகி வைசூரியாலும்

துசங்கெட்ட கலவியினால் துலங்காமல்

பிள்ளையில்லை சொல்லக்கேளே“

                 – அகத்தியர் கர்ப்பக் கோள்

Factors that causes infertility in women mentioned in the above lines are,

• பேயாலும் (Psychosomatic Disorders due to stress)

• பித்தத்தாலும் (Here it is referred to as hormonal disorders)

• ஒழுங்கற்ற மாத விலக்கு (Irregular Menstruation)

• சூசிகவாயு,குதக வாயு, சூதகக்கட்டு (amenorrhea)

• வைசூரி (Viral infections in sperm)

• கர்ப்பப் புழுவாலும் (Vaginal Infections)

• துசங்கெட்ட கலவியினால் (Having sex on non ovulating days and sperm cannot meet eggs to fertilize.)

• மேக நோய் (Venereal diseases)

• கருக்குழாய் அடைப்பு (Tubal factors like Fallopian tube block)

• சினைப்பை கட்டிகள் (PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)

• கருப்பை சவ்வு அழற்சி (Endometriosis)

• கருப்பைக் கழலை (Fibroid Uterus).

Also, Siddhar Thiruvalluvar in his medical treatise “Gnanavettiyan-1500” has discussed about the pregnancy problems and reasons which causes infertility in female.

மாதர்கருக் குழியில் செனித் திடுநோய் சூலை

    வகையாரு விதமதுவு மணங்கு காலைப்

பதராகுங் கருக்குழியில் சதைதான் மூடிப்

    பாயாது விந்ததுவும் பாழாய்ப் போகும்

விதுரமாங் கருக்குழியில் கிருமி சூழ்ந்தால்

    விந்ததனை யுண்டுவெறும் பாழாம் பூமி

போதரவாய்க் கருக்குழியில் பூநீர் காரம்

    பூர்க்குமந்தப் பூமியைப்போல் பூத்தாலாண்டே….(1112)

                           –ஞானவெட்டியான் -1500

விளக்கம்:

பெண்களுடைய கருப்பையில் உண்டாகும் யோனிச்சூலைகள் ஆறுவிதமாகும். 

• கருக்குழியில் சதைவளர்ந்து இருந்தால் அவ்விடத்தில் விந்து பாயதிருப்பது.
• கருக்குழியில் கிருமி கூடினால் அவ்விடத்தில் செல்லும் விந்துவை அப்புழுக்கள் புசித்துவிடல்.
• கருக்குழியில் பூநீறு பூக்கும் பூமியைப்போல் உவர் பூக்கும், அதனால் விந்துவை பூத்த உப்பு உண்ணுதல்.
• விந்துவானது இடம் விட்டு இடம் செல்வதினால், விந்து பாய்கிறது இல்லை.
• கருக்குழியில் அதிகமாக வாய்வு சேர்ந்தால் வந்து அவ்விடம் செல்லாது.
• புணர்ச்சி காலத்தில் இருவருடைய உஷ்ணத்தினால் விந்து நீர்த்து விடும்.

இந்த ஆறுவித காரணங்களால் விந்து வீணாய் போகிறதே தவிர கரு தங்குவதில்லை.

 

Siddha Treatment for Female Infertility.

Treatability of female infertility.

Treatment methods and medicines for female infertility is numerous with successful outcomes in Siddha system. According to Father of Siddha Medicine, Siddhar Agathiyar based on the treatability of Female Infertility, says there is nothing called Infertility in women.

“பாரப்பா பெண்மலடாங் கர்பக் கோளின்
பக்குவத்தைச் சொல்கிறேன் பக்குவமாய்க் கேளு
ஆரப்பா ஆண் மலடே யாகுல்லாமல்
அப்பனே பெண் மலடு யாருமில்லை“

                 – அகத்தியர் கர்பக் கோள்

Here Women are compared to Mother Earth. Earth has different types of soils, making the place loamy, arid, desert, salty etc but in all places there exists some kind of life like plants ans animals. There can be issues with seeds for not germinating but never with the Mother Earth. So, In short there are more chances for infertility in women to be cured than male, provided women is not chronically infertile.

Treatment approaches in siddha :

“Every individual is different and so is their cause.”

One should be sure of the causative factor, before taking any approach in the treatment procedure. Once the cause is determined, the appropriate medications and therapies are started.

Infertility evaluation begins after recording the complete history of the patients. A complete physical examination of both man and wife is advised. Urine test, nadi pariksha (pulse examination), menstrual fluid test, seminal test, details about menstrual cycle (which can point out to problems such as PCOS), and severe dysmenorrhoea (suggesting endometriosis or genital infection), pelvic surgeries etc., help the doctors reach at a diagnosis.

According to the individuals body constitution, a detoxifying program is adopted to eliminate the accumulated toxins. The aim of this treatment is to transport toxic substances that are clogged in different parts of the body to places where it can be easily expelled via natural body opening. A preliminary detoxifying therapy helps the patients improve their metabolic activity of the liver and get rid of few causative factors.

This therapy also includes special diets and measures that support healthy lifestyle and helps in preventing the accumulation of the abdominal fat, which is one of the reasons for infertility.

Types of Siddha Medicines to treat Infertility:

Both Internal and External Siddha Medicines are employed in treating the infertility.

Siddha medication in the form of churnas (சூரணம்), kashayas (கசாயம்), legiyams (லேகியம்), mezugus (மெழுகு), kuligais (குளிகை), tablets (மாத்திரை) and arishtams(அரிஷ்டம்) of pure herbal or herbo mineral compounds are administered, depending upon the problem of the patient. These medications, though non-hormonal, help in ripening of the follicles, their maturation, and release of a good quality egg.

Higher order chendoorams (செந்தூரம்) and parpams (பற்பம்) are also administered for effective results. External siddha medicines like medicated oils (மூலிகை எண்ணெய்) and fumigations (தூவல்) are also prescribed.

Last but not the least, attempts to manage the psychological aspects of the entire issue and bring about a total physical and mental change in the patient, is the core of Siddha treatment.

The drugs administered will help in enhancing sexual desire and fertility. For effective results patient should continue treatment minimum for 4 to 6 months.