Menstrual Irregularities

Menstruation may be considered a burden by most women at some point in their lives. In Chinese medicine, we view periods as a monthly report card. The timing of ovulation, the symptoms of pain, emotional fluctuations, breast tenderness, the color and consistency of the blood, the heaviness of the bleeding – all of these different characteristics of the period reveal information about hormonal balance (or imbalance) and even the presence of concerns such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome.

Most of the time, women receive a prescription for the birth control pill in order to regulate virtually any menstrual concerns. The pill does a good job of overriding your own hormonal interplay and supplementing your body so that it does not experience the symptoms of hormonal imbalance anymore. While this is a good choice for some instances, in women who are sure they would some day like to conceive a child it is to their advantage to rectify the hormonal imbalance without oral contraception. There is no time to lose as long term hormonal imbalance can set the stage for estrogen dominant issues such as fibroids, endometriosis and even certain types of cancers.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine provide a natural, safe and effective way to resolve most menstrual irregularities. See the individual topics to the right to learn more.