Regulating the Menstrual Cycle

delta of the River Ganges

In Chinese medicine the menstrual cycle is viewed as a mirror of a woman’s health and regulating the cycle something of an art form.The heavenly waters or “Tian Gui” should come and go effortlessly and seamlessly the rising and falling of the tides. For many this is simply not so as about 42 millions American women suffer from PMS and painful periods.

Western medicine has one answer for delayed, painful, irregular, absent and heavy periods…over the counter birth control pills or OTCs. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for “The Pill” but when one is attempting to regulate their cycle in order to get pregnant I just don’t get it?

Some background:
Lets take a look at the delicate interplay of hormones that constitute the female mentrual cycle. The first day of the cycle begins when the bleeding really starts. Spotting doesn’t count. Some texts state that the cycle begins the first morning you wake with a substantial bleed. This is Day 1. At this moment progesterone and estrogen are at their lowest levels. A “typical” period lasts approximately 5 days. The color should be bright red with no clots or pain.

BLOOD Stage:

Treatments are revolved around promoting a complete discharge of the Chong Mai ( a meridian called the Sea of Blood). This is a great time to use blood quickening herbs especially is someone is experiencing painful, clotty periods.

Follicular Phase: YIN

At about Day 7-Day12 this begins the follicular stage of the cycle.  At this point estrogen begins to rise and one follicle dominants. The uterine lining thickens and the glands of the cervix produce fertile mucus. In Traditional Chinese Medicine this is considered The YIN stage. We utilize blood and Yin tonics w/ small amounts of Qi moving herbs to encourage circulation. Yin tonics affect follicle.

Ovulation Day 12-14/Yin Turning to Yang

Follicle reaches optimal size (2cm across) and secretes high levels of Estrogen. Sometimes the follicle takes up to 5 days to mature. High levels of Estrogen act upon the pituitary and a LH surge occurs triggering OVULATION. During this time we use herbs and acupuncture to gently encourage the follicle to mature plus Qi quickening herbs and a few yang herbs to heat up the process.

Day 15-25-Luteal Phase-Yang Phase

During the second half of the cycle the corpus luteum produces progesterone and estrogen which stimulates the endometrium to secrete nutrients for the embryo. If an egg has been fertilized it is now traveling through the fallopian tube and will drop into the uterus about 6 days after ovulation. A rich, thick endometrail lining will create the perfect cushion for it to implant. This second half of the cycle is marked by a thermal shift of about a half of a degree to a full degree. Poor thermal shifts may indicate low progesterone levels. Cervical fluids will become drier.

If pregnancy is desired during the second half of the cycle YANG tonics are administered to help keep temperatures up. I usually recommend avoiding cold foods and drink and eating more soups and spicy foods.
12 days or more before the menstrual cycle are required for successful implantation to occur.

Some issues may be:

Low luteal phase: aging eggs may contribute to a poor corpus lutem. Progesterone support may be necessary.

Unstable Follicular Phase or delayed ovulation: Ovulation may be affected by stress. The Hypothalamus is affected by emotions which may delay ovulation. The luteal phase is not affected by external factors.

Anovulation: some contributing factors may be PCOS, decreased body fat, stress.

Chinese medicine is a great way to regulate the cycle. Typically mentrual regulation takes about three months and includes acupuncture, herbs, dietary therapy and exercise.