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Female Infertility due to Weak Digestion

Szenan Phua Senior Practitioner Centre of Balance Hamilton

My name is Szenan Phua. I’m an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance,
Chinese Medicine Clinic in Hamilton.

Today I want to talk about female infertility due to weak digestion (weak stomach and spleen function).

Blood is very important in female fertility. But where does the blood come from? If we go without blood circulation, we will die. Women need enough blood supply to be able to maintain a period cycle and bleeding once a month. The blood supply also needs to be enough to supply to the uterus to make a thick lining to enable embryo implantation and thereby allow pregnancy to happen. Female infertility may sometimes be due to blood deficiency.  We also know that blood contains nutrients and oxygen. Oxygen comes from the air and nutrient come from our food.

For an embryo to successfully implant, the lining of the uterus needs to be thick and healthy. Female infertility due to weak digestion can be an issue in the uterus lining not being healthy enough.

The next question is, what organs are involved in making sure nutrients and
oxygen get into the human body?

Lungs control breathing and bring oxygen into the blood.  The spleen, stomach, large intestine and small intestine work together to digest food and deliver all the nutrients we need into the blood according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). 

TCM teaches us that the stomach breaks down foods.

Then the stomach, small intestine and large intestine absorb nutrients from what the stomach has broken down into pieces. The spleen will turn all the nutrients into fresh blood. This is why TCM says that a healthy functioning digestive system is so important in female fertility.

If a woman experiences bloating, stomach pain, diarrhoea, or constipation daily, this indicates  weak digestion. 

If, while she has her period, she experiences nausea, heartburn, light bleeding (4-5 days, changes pads every 4 hours are normal), craving sweets, dizziness or sensitivity to certain foods, this also indicates  weak digestion. Our aim is to get a good healthy blood supply throughout the body therefore we always check  digestion  when we are treating female fertility patients. 

Female infertility due to weak digestion

We want a good healthy blood supply full of nutrients, which means we need to make sure our female fertility patients have a very good diet. We recommend a plant -based diet and seasonal food (local farmers market vegetables are the best). 

Here is a list of questions we ask our fertility patients to find out whether they have weak digestion (weak stomach and spleen function):

  1. Are you often fatigued? 
  2. Is your energy lower after a meal? 
  3. Do you feel bloated after eating? 
  4. Do you crave sweets? 
  5. Have you got abdominal pain or digestive problems (such as bloating, heartburn)?
  6. Are your hands and feet cold? 
  7. Is your nose cold? 
  8. Are you prone to heaviness or grogginess is the head? 
  9. Do you bruise easily? 
  10. Have you got poor circulation?
  11. Do you have varicose veins? 
  12. Are you prone to worry? 
  13. Have you been diagnosed with low blood pressure? 
  14. Do you sweat a lot without exerting yourself? 
  15. Do you feel dizzy or light headed, or have visual changes when you stand up fast? 
  16. Is your menstruation thin, watery, or pinkish in colour? 
  17. Are you more tired around ovulation or menstruation?
  18. Do you ever spot a few days or more before your period comes? 
  19. Have you ever been diagnosed with uterine prolapse? 
  20. Are you often sick or do you have allergies? 
  21. Have you been diagnosed with anaemia? 
  22. Have you got haemorrhoids or polyps?
  23. Do you get diarrhoea or constipation? 
  24. Do you suffer from muscle pain (such as lower back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, calf pain)? 

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above “Female Infertility due to Weak Digestion”, questions you are more likely to have weak digestion.

Click to fill in the questionnaire now

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.