Painful periods (Dysmenorrhea)

A normal menstrual cycle should arrive every 26-32 days, with 4-7 days of bleeding. When the period is delayed significantly, or never arrives at all - it is known as amenorrhea. In Chinese Medicine, amenorrhea is known as Bi Jing. Bi means ‘shut’ or ‘closed,’ and Jing means menstruation. In western medicine, this disorder is of classified as one of two types: Primary and Secondary. Primary amenorrhea is diagnosed when a woman is 18 years of age or older and has never had a period. Secondary amenorrhea occurs when a woman has had periods, but they have later stopped.

Causes of Amenorrhea

The first step in improving a woman’s fertility is to regulate the menstrual cycle, and the first step in regulating the menstrual cycle is to try to determine or diagnose what has caused the period to stop. From the view of Chinese Medicine, there are a number of different factors that could lead to amenorrhea. The first job of an acupuncturist is to make an assessment to try to determine the specific cause. Once such a diagnosis has been made, treatment is aimed to try to correct the underlying problem so that the body can return to normal, healthy function and both ovulation and menstruation become regular.

Amenorrhea and Infertility

A successful pregnancy depends on regular ovulation. If eggs are not regularly maturing and being released from the ovary, conception cannot occur. Amenorrhea, or lack of a period, has serious implications for a woman’s fertility because it often indicates that ovulation is not occurring (See Ovulation disorders page). Reproductive acupuncture helps with anovulation and amenorrhea by first determining the cause of the disorder. Having made an accurate assessment, treatment is then focused on correcting the underlying cause of the problem so that normal reproductive function can be restored.