Acupuncture for Missing or Irregular Periods

How Chinese medicine understands missing or irregular periods

A missing or erratic period is different from a painful one. If pain is your main problem, see period cramps. This page is about periods that stop, come months apart, or arrive on no schedule you can predict.

In Chinese medicine, a period needs two things: enough Blood to build up during the month, and free movement so it can arrive on time. When a period is missing or late, the question is whether something is lacking, or whether something is blocking the way. The patterns most often described are:

• Blood deficiency. Not enough to build a period. Cycles get longer, flow gets lighter or stops, with tiredness, dizziness, pale skin and poor sleep. Often seen after illness, blood loss, weight loss or under-eating.
• Kidney deficiency. The Kidneys are seen as the root of reproductive health. Late or absent periods with low back ache, feeling cold or tired, and sometimes low libido.
• Liver Qi stagnation. Stress holds things up. The cycle shifts with stressful months, with irritability, breast tenderness and bloating before a late period.
• Phlegm-Damp. Long cycles with a heavy, sluggish feeling, weight gain and poor digestion. In Chinese medicine terms, this is the pattern often seen alongside a PCOS diagnosis, though not always.
• Blood stasis. Periods that stop and start, with dark clots and fixed pain.

These overlap, and the mix decides the treatment. Someone who is run down and under-eating needs building up. Someone who is stuck needs things moving. That is why the diagnosis comes first.

What treatment involves

Your first visit at the Keswick clinic covers the whole cycle: when your last period was, whether it starts and stops, the colour and amount of flow, PMS symptoms, and any tracking you have from the last 6 to 12 months. Any medical diagnosis, recent bloodwork and whether you know if you are ovulating are part of the picture too. Then I look at your tongue and take your pulse.

In Chinese medicine, acupuncture is used to regulate the cycle, and it is often combined with Chinese herbal medicine: a formula of several herbs written for your pattern and adjusted as your cycle changes. Many formulas are now prescribed as granules or tinctures rather than raw herbs to boil. Where cold is part of the picture, moxibustion may be added.

Plan on 5–10 treatments to judge progress. The cycle only shows change once a month, so it is worth tracking every day of it while you are in treatment.

Between visits

• Track your cycle: first day of bleeding, how many days, the flow, and any spotting or ovulation signs.
• Eat enough. Under-eating and rapid weight loss are common reasons periods stop.
• If you train hard, talk with your doctor about whether your training load and food intake match.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule. Irregular sleep and shift work can unsettle the cycle.
• Take a pregnancy test any time your period is late and pregnancy is possible.

When to see your doctor first

Periods that stop or become erratic need a medical workup, because some causes need medical treatment. See your family doctor if:

• Your period is late and you could be pregnant. Take a test first.
• You have missed more than one period and you are not pregnant, breastfeeding or in menopause.
• You are over 15 and have never had a period, or 14 with no other signs of puberty.
• You have signs of PCOS or a hormone problem: excess facial or body hair, acne, or weight changes you can’t explain.
• You have symptoms of a thyroid problem, such as a racing heart, heat or cold intolerance, or unusual fatigue.
• You have milky discharge from the nipples, headaches or changes in your vision.
• You have hot flashes or night sweats before age 40.
• Your periods stopped after significant weight loss, an eating disorder or very intense training.

Your doctor can check for pregnancy, thyroid problems, high prolactin, PCOS and other causes. Chinese medicine can then work alongside that care.