Acupuncture and the menstrual cycle
One of the first things that we will address with acupuncture when you come for treatment is your menstrual cycle. By asking careful questions about your menstrual cycle we gain a great deal of information regarding your general health and fertility. We divide your cycle into four phases and you will be asked to come for treatment at each of these:
- During the period
- Post-period
- Mid-cycle (ovulation)
- Post-ovulation
We do this in order to re-establish the natural ‘rhythm’ of your cycle. We use acupuncture to encourage your body to perform each of these phases optimally.
At the time of the period it is important that the endometrium is shed properly, so points will be used to encourage this. Post-period is to help in establishing the new endometrium. At ovulation points are chosen that stimulate the ovaries and post-ovulation to help the egg move smoothly through the fallopian tubes.
Sometimes this is just a matter of fine-tuning; rather like taking a car to a mechanic for a service. There does not necessarily have to be something wrong, but the car will run better after the service. It may be that you require more than ‘a tune-up’ and that you will need further treatment to correct any problems that have been identified.
Once the initial month of treatments is complete your practitioner will ask you to return at particular phases for month 2. This will be based on information gained from the first month and will be at times when you most require assistance. In cases of PCOS this is often ovulation, with endometriosis at the time of the period and so on. In our experience most people require 3 months of treatment in order for changes to be observed.
Everyone is individual and has different experiences. Commonly women report that menstrual symptoms improve; less pain, more regular bleeds and less moody! These are all signs that the body is coming back into balance and is good news in fertility terms.
Of course some gynaecological problems are beyond the scope of acupuncture and complementary therapies alone, in which case I would recommend the patient also seek orthodox treatment.
Studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can be highly effective in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea (excessive pain during menstruation), dysfunctional uterine bleeding (irregular, heavy, prolonged or frequent bleeding) and pelvic inflammatory disease, often helping over 80% of patients. Studies include Helms 1987, Thomas et al 1995, Lui 1988, and Zang & Wang 1994.
