Ayurveda Infertility - Healing Principles of Health

Fertility problems are becoming increasingly common in the modern world, particularly among people living in urban areas. An estimated 15% of couples will have trouble conceiving (UCLA Health, 2020), while in the United States alone approximately 9% of men and 10% of women aged 15 to 44 have experienced fertility issues (CDC, 2013 and Office on Women’s Health, 2019).

Defined as the inability to conceive naturally through unprotected intercourse over an extended period (12 months or more), infertility can cause serious distress among those who are trying for a baby. At Sen Wellness, our Ayurvedic doctors are here to support you throughout your fertility journey and to help you restore a healing balance in your life. Let’s delve a little deeper into some of the possible causes of infertility and how Ayurveda can help.

Causes of infertility, according to Ayurveda

“Sperm should be cold in nature and Ovum should be like fire" / "Soumyam shukram agneyam artavam"

Ayurvedic history has focused on the importance of treating infertility, its causes and the many treatments that can help achieve positive results.

The reality is that there are a wide range of reasons why an individual might be having fertility difficulties and usually there is more than one contributing factor. The physical causes in a woman may be due to a range of health issues, such as blocked fallopian tubes, premature ovarian failure, ovarian or cervical cancers, endometriosis or other menstrual cycle issues. The menstrual cycle is a key factor to consider when looking at the causes of infertility as it can be affected by age, lifestyle, diet, stress, mental health and physical activity. Male infertility can be caused by various conditions that impair sperm production or ejaculation, hormonal imbalance, tubular defects, and testicular cancer. According to Ayurvedic teachings, all of these conditions can be caused by a dosha imbalance of Vata, Pitta or Kapha.

Traditionally, Ayurvedic teachings explain that infertility can be caused by a variety of leading factors such as:

Bad nutrition, poor digestion or a toxic build-up in the body causing specific ailments.
Low sperm count due to overeating spicy, salty and hot food.
Infections or injuries to the reproductive organs.
Overindulgence in sexual activity.
Overly excessive control of sexual urges for extended periods.
Genetics or hereditary predispositions.

Busy, career-driven women living and working in cities are increasingly experiencing a number of these factors, exacerbated by heavy stress, an over-stimulated adrenal system, exposure to environmental pollutants, and a diet which lacks the nourishment needed to facilitate fertility. What’s more, more women than ever before are choosing to have children later, often after the age of 30. In their mid-thirties, some women experience hormonal, metabolic and endocrine imbalances that can affect their fertility, further complicating attempts to conceive.

Managing infertility with Ayurveda

Ayurvedic principles aim to support your overall health by giving strength to the body’s independent healing, whilst balancing your energetic levels. Ayurvedic practitioners take a holistic approach to treating infertility, aiming to improve the overall health and vitality of the individual.

Ayurveda strongly believes that diet plays a crucial role in the prevention, management and healing of disease. Diet management involves a disciplined attitude towards food that increases what is known in Sanskrit as Ojas (where the physical, mental and spiritual health of the body intersect, responsible for overall health, energy and vitality), as well as avoiding the foods and substances that diminish Ojas.

Ojas-enhancing foods such as nut milk, ghee, nuts, avocados, fresh fruit, vegetables and plant proteins can improve the interaction between hormones, whereas processed carbohydrates, starch, meat and processed dairy milk can negatively affect fertility.

A trans-fats-free diet can help to reduce blocked arteries, enhance fertility, and restore the heart and blood vessels. However, other foods that contain preservatives, artificial sweeteners, MSG, high fat or other artificial flavours and colours, as well as excessive alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, red meat and refined sugar or carbohydrates, are leading causes of infertility.

Optimum health can be achieved through living life with a healthy approach and choosing natural foods and products that don’t toxify the body or create added stressors and ailments. All of these can be very important factors when helping to balance ovulation and strengthen the fertilisation process. Eating well and living a healthy lifestyle can provide all the effective nutrients and management of infertility needed for health, hormonal balance and getting pregnant.

Ayurveda for infertility recommends these top seven ways to promote a healthy lifestyle in order to enhance and manage your fertility.

Maintain good hygiene habits so as not to obtain any infections or viruses.
Eat a good variety of organic, wholesome food made fresh to nourish your cells and help build healthy reproductive tissues.
Be mindful of your digestion and avoid too much caffeine, alcohol and overconsumption of unhealthy foods.
Choose joyful and happy life experiences to manage stress levels.
Encourage the healthy development of the body’s tissues, including the reproductive organs, also known in Sanskrit as Shukra Dhatu in Ayurvedic medicine.
Get good amounts of sleep!
Enjoy a massage (abhyanga) every day. This is particularly good if you are a Vata or Pitta type. If you are a Kapha then dry body brushing could be a good alternative.

Treatment principles of infertility in Ayurveda

Our founder, Sam Kankanamge, has over 25 years’ experience supporting women with fertility problems at the Sen Wellness clinic on Harley Street, London, alongside some of the world’s foremost professionals in the field of modern fertility medicine. He has translated this experience into a unique programme at the Sen Wellness Sanctuary, addressing a range of factors that contribute to infertility, including:

Biological, metabolic and hormonal imbalances
Emotional, mental and spiritual support
Nutritional health

Our programme also goes beyond Ayurveda infertility treatment to include other holistic approaches, such as acupuncture and cranial osteopathy. All Ayurvedic therapy treatments aim to feed, rejuvenate, improve the immune system, and revitalise the mind, body, and soul. They can be helpful in reducing physical and mental discomfort by nourishing all the body’s dhatus, as well as helping to lower anxiety and eliminate impurities.

There are four main Ayurvedic treatments for infertility

Treatment of Ama Toxins

The build-up of Ama toxins can also lead to the imbalance of Agni (or Digestive Fire) which can cause disease in the mind and body. Thus, the treatment of Ama must include the treatment of Agni. A healthy Agni can therefore contribute to a healthy Ojas overall.

Vatanulomana

The main dosha attributed to infertility is Vata. Therefore, a treatment called Vatanulomana (correction of the functions of Vata) is a key treatment for infertility, supported by a rigid exercise routine and strict nutritional programme.

Swedana

Swedana is a cleansing and stress-relieving therapy recommended for patients suffering from ailments such as asthma, weight, digestion issues, body inflammation and infertility. Based on the temperature, herbal mix and devices used to induce sweat, there are six forms of Swedana: Pinda Sweda or Navarakkizhi; Ooshma Sweda or Bashpa Sweda; Avagaha Sweda; Nali Sweda; Upanaha Sweda; and Patrasweda or Ilakkizhi. During all Swedanas, the sweat-inducing agent is carefully directed along the surface of the body. This movement gently dislocates the toxins inside and channels them to specific sites. This detoxification therapy helps in the expulsion of toxins from the body and can help to correct ovarian, tubular and uterine problems causing infertility.

Panchakarma

Panchakarma helps to eliminate toxins from the body and strengthen the reproductive system, treating ovarian, tubular and uterine issues causing infertility. Scientific research suggests that secondary infertility (when a woman can’t get pregnant after having had at least one successful pregnancy) accounts for roughly 40% of female infertility, due to lifestyle factors. In Ayurvedic tradition, this is in relation to having proximity to the Vandhyatwa disorder. Ayurvedic infertility practitioners may recommend Panchakarma to women suffering from secondary infertility, with the intention of purifying the doshas in the female reproductive organs. Snehapana is then prescribed for oral intake, followed by Virechana, a purge, to produce higher quality ovum.

Ayurvedic herbs used to treat infertility

Infertility is very complex and often the result of one – or a combination – of undetected issues elsewhere in the body. That’s why Ayurvedic herbs are used as part of a treatment plan in order to tackle root cause(s). The most common herbs used to treat infertility are Ashwagandha, Kapikacchu, Musali, Shatavari and Amalaki, all of which have extremely useful formations to help synergise hormonal balances between the Follicle Stimulating Hormone and the Luteinizing Hormone.

Our Ayurvedic Doctors at Sen Wellness will be able to prescribe the right combination of Ayurvedic herbs to support you on your wellness journey and to help with specific physical and emotional ailments, including:

Regulating the menstrual cycle
Enhancing your general health and wellness
Revitalising sperm quality, quantity, and motility
Reducing stress hormones
Enhancing sleep
Easing anxiety or erectile dysfunction
Increasing energy
Balancing the endocrine system to improve overall blood flow to the pelvic region and promote fertility
Bringing fresh oxygenated blood to the eggs
Promoting hormonal balance by strengthening the feedback loop between the pituitary, hypothalamus, and ovaries, which controls the levels of hormones produced
Helping to restore natural balance to your body

How does Sen Wellness Sanctuary approach Ayurveda for infertility?

The Ayurvedic approach to infertility treatment at Sen Wellness is holistic and sensitive to your individual needs, desires and constitution. By exploring how your physical health, lifestyle, diet and exercise regime impact your fertility, we can also discover the root cause of any infertility issues, whether that may be due to anxiety, lack of sleep, lack of motivation or emotional imbalances.

When you start to search down the Ayurvedic path, we recommend that you obtain medical tests to determine if there are any genetic, hereditary or physical causes affecting your fertility. We can then assess your health from an Ayurvedic perspective. Shortly after arriving at Sen Wellness, our doctors will curate a comprehensive programme that will address your overall health and well-being on every level, including diet, lifestyle, stress management and exercise routines in line with the appropriate herbal therapies and Ayurvedic treatments.

We understand that the process of conception can be physically and emotionally challenging, and begin to feel helpless if you have been trying for a while. It is difficult to know what route to take, however, an Ayurvedic approach could be the first step in achieving the ultimate gift of a child.

Excellent

Sen Wellness Sanctuary

Based on 317 reviews

See all reviews

Janna

Wir haben einen Spaziergang am Strand gemacht und wurden von heftigen Regen überrascht. Die Mitarbeiter des Hotel haben uns herzlich umsorgt. Haben für uns einen tuktuk bestellt und den Kindern einen Obstteller gegeben.

Angelo C.

We had a wonderful stay at Sen Wellness Sanctuary and can wholeheartedly recommend it. From the moment we arrived, we felt warmly welcomed and cared for.

The entire staff was exceptionally friendly, attentive, and professional, from the waiters to the doctors, therapists and everyone else working at the sanctuary. Their kindness and genuine care made our stay truly special.

The treatments were excellent, the atmosphere was peaceful and relaxing, and we always felt in very good hands. We also enjoyed beautiful experiences with our group, including memorable excursions and activities that added a special touch to our stay.

Thank you to the whole team for an unforgettable experience. We would love to come back one day!

Shivani R.

It truly is a wellness center! Mind, body and spirit restored. The space is peaceful and I felt earthed as soon as I took off my footwear at the entrance and walked in barefoot.

The consultation with the ayurvedic doctor was in-depth and I was amazed at the accuracy of the diagnosis. The treatment was personalised for my condition and not a mindless sequence of procedures. The therapists are sympathetic and have the expertise .

It was not all about ayurveda though! Yoga twice curated mindfully, community feeling with all the guests eating and sharing their journey at the dining table and common spaces, cacao ceremony, fire ceremony, the connection with one another and the eternal- all came together to make this a most memorable experience.

The staff has always been friendly, polite, accommodating and only too helpful to make our journey comfortable.

Added to all this were sightings of majestic monitor lizards, buff striped keelback, brahminy kits, friendly squirrels, the cheat crow who would regularly eat up the lamp wick and drink it's oil....to all my gratitude. The thunderous sea and the awe inspiring sunset from the rock pool, i will carry you forever in my heart.

Roebyem A.

Amazing experience couldn’t be better… place is authentic with amazing treatments and friendly staff. Chocolate
ceremony and sound healing with the inhouse monk were among the highlights- plus fantastic yoga lessons by Tanya. With gratitude..

HIROKO T.

素敵なドクター、スタッフ達のいるアーユルヴェーダリトリート。曜日によっては、アーユルヴェーダに関する座学や、料理、スリランカのお坊さんとのセッションもあったり、トリートメントだけでなく、学びもありとても有意義な時間を過ごせました。また環境も最高で、すぐそこにほぼ人のいないビーチがあり、孔雀や猿など野生の動物たち、運が良ければ海亀にも会えます。まだ見ぬ本当のスリランカを堪能できること間違いなしです。

新倉亜希

Sen Wellnessは、単なるリトリート施設ではありません。
その体験は、ここへ向かう道のりからすでに始まっています。

自然保護区の奥深くにあり、施設へ続くワイルドで凸凹した道さえも、ひとつの冒険のようでした。まるで日常の世界を少しずつ離れて、別の場所へ入っていくような感覚です。

中でも特に心に残ったのは、Dr. Samのご厚意で参加させていただいたカカオセレモニーでした。

音、香り、味、空気感。五感すべてに働きかける、とても没入感のある体験で、思いがけず途中から涙が止まらなくなりました。心の中にずっと抱えていた何かが、静かに洗い流されていくような感覚がありました。

私自身もアーユルヴェーダを専門としていますが、現地のアーユルヴェーダドクターによるコンサルテーションも非常に興味深いものでした。診断は驚くほど的確で、自分自身をまた違った角度から見つめるきっかけになりました。

その後、彼女のハーブクラスにも参加しました。よく知っているテーマであっても、違う視点から学ぶことで新しい発見があり、とても刺激的でした。

アーユルヴェーダのお食事もとても美味しく、特に私は、メニューを見ながら「なぜこの食事なのか」という意図を理解できることが素晴らしいと感じました。

意識して食べることで、食事そのものの体験が大きく変わるのだと思います。

建築や空間も美しく設計されています。

本を読んだり、ハーブティーを飲んだり、静かに自分と向き合ったり、世界各国から来たゲストと自然に会話が生まれたり。

一人旅で訪れても、決して孤独を感じない、とても心地よい場所です。

そして、何より素晴らしいのが自然です。

ウミガメ、野生の猿、リス、珍しい生き物たち。

朝、ヴィラを出て裸足のまま大地に触れ、グラウンディングすることもできます。

ここでは「自然の近くに滞在する」のではありません。

自然の中で、その一部として暮らしているような感覚があります。

私にとって、これこそが「Wild Luxury」だと感じました。

私自身もリトリート施設を運営しているため、Dr. Samとお話しできたことも大変印象深い時間でした。

この場所の未来について、そしてこれからどんな人たちを助けていきたいのかを語る彼の目が、とても輝いていたことを覚えています。

滞在はわずか3日間でしたが、とても濃密で、深く没入する忘れられない時間となりました。

旅は、ときに「休むこと」以上のものを私たちに与えてくれます。

ときには、これからどこへ向かえばいいのかを示す「羅針盤」を与えてくれることもあります。

Sen Wellnessは、頭で考えるだけではなく、五感すべてを通して、人生のひとつの転機を感じることのできる場所なのだと思います。

Ágota P.

This place is truly amazing. It has a very special and peaceful atmosphere, and the unique design of the resort creates a perfect harmony between nature, tranquility, and modern design. I had the opportunity to participate in a meditation and sound healing session with the monk, which was an unforgettable and deeply enriching experience. A truly special place that I would highly recommend.

Pavithra S.

A peaceful little escape with beautiful surroundings, kind staff, and a calming atmosphere. The ayurvedic treatments, yoga sessions and wellness experience felt genuinely rejuvenating. Perfect place to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with yourself.

Larissa F.

I had a fantastic stay at Sen Wellness.
The place, the architecture, the interior, the location are just magical.
I initially intended to stay 4 days but ended up extending.

It‘s beautifully nestled in between wildlife, we had monkeys, chipmunks and peacocks as our neighbors.

However there are a few things I‘d like to highlight for you to judge whether this is for you:

1) the approach is more wellness centered. The doctor will ask you questions like „what would you like?“ and „do you have questions for me“, rather than a check-up when it comes to treatments and accupuncture. Perhaps I‘m coming from a TCM point of view, but the doctor usually knows what the patient needs.

2) if you come here with serious health issues and the hope to recover: it is about wellness. Staff is not trained enough to understand injury informed trauma in the body and can not take care of it.
Staff usually gets trained there and has no prior education on these matters.

3) the food is not tailored to your needs. The approach is quite beautifully freeing: a little bit of everything is ok, and all flavours should be on each plate.

4) your food preferences are not noted initally, sometimes the dinners were fish-based and vegetarian or vegan people had to let kitchen staff know the situation. Once that had been done they quickly fried up some eggs and remembered for the rest of the stay, so all is well. However I would have liked to see a thoughtfully substituted meal for all dietary requirements by the doctors.
My vegan friend got no substitute, the day after she got some steamed cabbage offered to replace the protein.

4) there are a lot of mosquitos due to the location. So if you are sensitive to this, it‘s best to bring a lot of mosquito repellent.

6) the Yoga varies. It’s young volunteer Yoga Teachers — although we had one amazing one called Gil, who took care of everyone properly.
Considering people come here with health issues and of different ages and fitness levels, a lot more props, adjustments an modifications are needed than currently offered. I witnessed a few injuries and at this price point would expect a paid Yoga Teacher with experience and suitable expertise.

7) the place itself is magical. But there is a dark side to it: some, especially young staff, appear to be paid >below< national minimum wage (which as of Jan 2026 is 30 000 LKR a month, which equals 81€). That‘s less than half of what I paid in a single day here.

Considering every guest leaves a couple of thousand dollars there at a time and there are always 10+ guests, I would expect them all to get paid very decently.

If the philosophy of the place shall be matched with it‘s reality, for energetic balance of this place, wages need to be increased urgently to an amount so all staff can suffice on one full time job.

I am expecting a throw back in the response, as I have seen for many other reviews that pointed this out. Bit I just know it‘s true.
It can be felt. And no words can undo the energetic essence of underpaid staff in a luxury wellness resort.
Any guest will feel it until it is fixed.

I want to see staff empowered. Both in salary and voice.
I think it would be a misuse of power, which doesn‘t match the philosophy of the place, to disallow staff to speak about their salaries.

8) it is luxury in the service: nicely assembled food, expensive furniture and design. But it is also at a remote beach in between nature: sometimes there is power outage, there‘s moisture, the natural elements and animals do their thing.
I can understand this and am not too fuzzy, but wanted to share that it‘s an interesting mix between glamping and a 5 star resort — so be prepared and don‘t expect everything to be neat, clean and always working.
My room for example, the cheapest one at 130$ a night was dark with no real window and moist and smelled like drain.

After all: I would stay again, but not at this price point.

I still want to thank all staff for their welcoming energy, their smiles and their service. 🌟

Julia W.

Amazing location and people - felt very welcomed, the treatmeants were bliss and the food absolutely amazing! Great experience

Karin C.

I had the most magical time at Sen. It’s a true oasis of tranquillity, surrounded by palm trees, mango groves, wildlife, and nestled between a lagoon and the ocean. The natural materials and warm colours create a beautiful, peaceful setting.
The staff are incredibly kind and attentive, the treatments are varied and tailored to your needs, and the Ayurvedic food is delicious. Daily yoga, meditation, breathwork, and chanting make the whole experience deeply nourishing.
An incredible retreat that I would love to return to.

Dag

A beautiful and calm place to slow down and recharge. The food is delicious, and the whole environment feels very serene and peaceful. Surrounded by nature, it’s the perfect setting to relax and reconnect with yourself. The staff are very welcoming and kind.

Gwenola Le B.

This little heaven is located between lagoon and beach in Sri Lanka. It offers peace ,tranquillity and beauty. All the team at Sen Wellness is kind, gentle skilled and helpful. The food is delicious nutritious and plentiful. The treatments are the best in the world. I came back rejuvenated and calm. Sen will transform you

Christopher S.

Absolutely incredible experience. We were looked after from start to finish and the treatments were extraordinary. Great food and just a really beautiful space. Thank you to everyone!