Background and objectives: Infertility is a state of inability to conceive after unprotected intercourse for 1 year; it involves 1 in 6 couples in England. It is a complex problem with an incidence of 10%-15% and of these, 14% of infertilities are due to a tubal factor. The incidence of unilateral tubal blockage is 33%. Pregnancy can occur in unilateral tubal blockage. In the Unani system of medicine, many herbal drugs are used empirically for enhancing fertility. This case report was an effort to understand the role of Unani formulations in conception. This patient had unilateral tubal blockage and she was also resistant to clomiphene citrate.
Location: This study was performed in the Outpatient Department of the National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore, India.
Interventions: A 25-year-old female patient with primary infertility for 2½ years was diagnosed with unilateral tubal blockage. She was given Unani treatment with Hab hamal 1 tablet t.i.d. for 5 days from the seventh day of the menstrual cycle, Majoon hamal amberi alvi khani 5 g, and Majoon supari pak 5 g b.i.d. for 1 month from the seventh day of menstrual cycle for two consecutive cycles.
Outcome measures: The main outcome measure was to observe the conception in the patient.
Results and conclusions: The patient conceived within 2 months of the treatment. These formulations might have assisted in conception as they are considered to have uterine tonic, vitalizer, and aphrodisiac properties in Unani medicine. Some of these drugs have been pharmacologically proved to assist in conception, such as Crocus sativus Linn, which is reported to improve fertility that may be attributed to crocetin and/or flavonoids. It is also reported that oysters, which contain zinc and calcium, might have been helped in enhancing fertility.