AMENORRHEA AND CHINESE MEDICINE

Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation for more than three consecutive months. Depending on the cause of amenorrhea there can be other symptoms like headaches, milky nipples discharge, pelvic pain and others.

There are two types of amenorrhea:

Primary amenorrhea – when a woman has not had a menstruation at the age of 16

Secondary amenorrhea – when a woman previously had regular cycles but has stopped the menstruation for at least 3 months.

Amenorrhea is a normal state during pregnancy, lactating, and during or after menopause.

Other causes can be:

Chemotherapy, stress, obesity, anemia, excessive exercise, ovarian dysfunction, stopping intake of contraceptive pill after using it for a long time, and more.

Main complications of amenorrhea are infertility and osteoporosis.

Western medicine diagnosis consist in performing a pelvic exam to check problems with you reproductive organs, and different blood tests like, pregnancy test, thyroid function test and ovary function test.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause of your amenorrhea. In some cases, contraceptive pills or other hormone therapies can restart your menstrual cycles. Amenorrhea caused by thyroid or pituitary disorders may be treated with medications.

Chinese medicine diagnosis has 3 main diagnosis for amenorrhea.

Liver and kidney deficiency: Kidney essence is the origin of menstrual blood and liver store it. A deficiency of both organs will cause a deficiency of the flow of blood to the uterus.

Blood deficiency: Lack of menstrual blood is the main cause of amenorrhea.

Blood stasis: This will obstruct the normal flow of menstrual blood to the uterus.

Chinese medicine will use acupuncture and herbs to tonify the Liver and the Kidney increasing the amount of menstrual blood, tonify the blood in your body and break the stagnation of blood allowing its normal flow to the uterus.

It’s time to be healthy.

Doctor Mario Marini