[Menstrual Disorders] Delayed menstruation, premature ovarian failure, and abnormal menstrual color are considered good signs. Traditional Chinese medicine doctor teaches acupressure to regulate me...

Most women have experienced menstrual problems: early or late periods, irregular flow, different colors of menstrual blood… In short, it's both frustrating and bothersome, affecting people of all ages. Below, registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing has compiled three frequently asked questions about menstruation and provided solutions to alleviate the anxieties of many women.

Q1: What should I do if I haven't had my period for a month?

A1: If you have had sexual intercourse in the past two months, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor would recommend taking a urine test to confirm whether you are pregnant. If your periods are usually regular but are significantly delayed this month, traditional Chinese medicine calls this "late menstruation," which is mostly related to changes in diet and lifestyle, as well as increased stress. For example, short-term dieting, a sudden increase in work pressure, or a sudden major change in life can all cause a normally regular period to be delayed.

Solutions: Eat on time, maintain a regular sleep schedule, and manage stress and emotions. Menstruation usually returns smoothly after resuming a regular diet and sleep schedule. However, if menstruation is more than 40 days late, it is recommended to consult a doctor or a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners typically prescribe herbal remedies to replenish qi and blood, soothe the liver and relieve depression, or warm the kidney yang, as well as abdominal acupuncture to help regulate menstruation.

Q2: I haven't had my period for six months. Does that mean I've stopped menstruating?

A2: Menopause refers to the cessation of menstruation in women during menopause (generally between the ages of 45 and 55) due to the gradual decline of kidney qi. Menstruation may become irregular or completely absent, and symptoms such as hot flashes, sweating, irritability, depression, dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, insomnia, and lower back pain may occur.

If a woman is 40 years of age or younger and has not menstruated for more than six months, it is called amenorrhea in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The causes of amenorrhea are often quite complex and it is considered a chronic disease among the thirty-six diseases of women. Chronic diseases are difficult to cure and have a long course of illness, often requiring the assistance of both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine for diagnosis.

Solutions: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian failure, and hormonal abnormalities caused by psychological factors are common causes of amenorrhea. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that amenorrhea is related to liver and kidney deficiency, deficiency of both qi and blood, blood deficiency and qi stagnation, and phlegm-dampness obstruction. The longer the amenorrhea lasts, the longer the treatment period will be. In addition to prescription Chinese medicine, acupuncture is also relatively effective in maintaining the menstrual cycle.

▲ In Traditional Chinese Medicine, amenorrhea is defined as the absence of menstruation for women aged 40 or under for more than six months, and the causes are often complex. (iStock)

Q3: Can massaging or acupuncture at acupoints help to clear the meridians?

A3: The first acupoint for clearing the meridians: Hegu (LI4), located on the back of the hand between the first and second metacarpal bones, at the midpoint of the radial side of the second metacarpal bone, commonly known as the tiger's mouth. Its functions include opening the orifices, regulating menstruation and inducing labor. It can be used to treat delayed menstruation and dysmenorrhea by needling or pressing Hegu (LI4).

The second acupoint for regulating menstruation: Sanyinjiao (SP6), located on the medial side of the lower leg, 3 cun above the tip of the medial malleolus, in the depression behind the medial border of the tibia. Its functions include clearing stagnation of qi, regulating blood and essence, and treating gynecological conditions such as irregular menstruation and amenorrhea. Acupuncture at this point produces an electric shock and distending sensation, and can nourish yin and promote menstruation.

The third acupoint for regulating menstruation: Zusanli (ST36), located on the anterolateral aspect of the lower leg, 3 cun below the lateral knee eye, one finger-width (middle finger) lateral to the anterior border of the tibia. Its functions include regulating the spleen and stomach, clearing heat and dampness, and strengthening the body's vital energy. Zusanli can replenish qi and blood, improve digestion, and thus help with delayed menstruation and amenorrhea caused by deficiency of both qi and blood. Acupuncture or massage of Zusanli can also relieve symptoms such as menstrual cramps, abdominal pain and diarrhea during menstruation, and cold hands and feet.

Tea for regulating menstruation

If menstruation is delayed but not due to pregnancy, and symptoms such as dry mouth, irritability, hot flashes, breast tenderness, headaches, and constipation occur, it is often due to liver qi stagnation caused by emotions or stress, manifesting as liver fire. Traditional Chinese medicine often uses Xiaoyao San or Jiawei Xiaoyao San, which have the effects of soothing the liver, clearing heat, harmonizing blood, and regulating menstruation. A recommended daily remedy is rose and goji berry tea. Use 3-4 rosebuds and 8-10 goji berries. Place the ingredients in a tea bag, rinse with boiling water for 10 seconds, then steep in boiling water for 15 minutes before drinking. Those whose periods have not yet started can drink this once daily until their period arrives.

Roses can regulate qi and relieve depression, promote blood circulation and relieve pain, improve premenstrual breast pain and irregular menstruation, and make it easier to relax; goji berries can nourish the liver and kidneys, benefit essence and blood, and help to make menstrual blood more abundant.

Does premature ovarian failure lead to amenorrhea?

Premature ovarian failure (POF) has become an increasingly prominent issue of female infertility in recent years. POF refers to the failure of ovarian function in women before the age of 40 due to depletion of follicles or iatrogenic damage. In addition to symptoms such as amenorrhea, decreased menstrual flow, delayed menstruation, and difficulty conceiving, patients often experience atrophy of the reproductive organs and osteoporosis, severely threatening their quality of life.

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Traditional Chinese medicine believes that premature ovarian failure is often related to deficiency of liver, kidney, and spleen function, as well as stagnation of qi and blood. Common Chinese herbs such as Cuscuta chinensis, Epimedium, Lycium barbarum, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Bupleurum chinense, and Rehmannia glutinosa have the effects of regulating and tonifying the liver and kidneys, nourishing essence and blood, and soothing the liver and promoting blood circulation. These herbs can improve amenorrhea caused by premature ovarian failure and increase the chances of conception for women with premature ovarian failure. In addition, Dr. Huang recommends a liver- and kidney-tonifying soup suitable for amenorrhea patients with liver and kidney deficiency to brew regularly.

Morinda officinalis and black-boned chicken soup

Material	15g Morinda officinalis, 15g Polygonum multiflorum, 10g Astragalus membranaceus, 10g Longan, 15g Lycium barbarum, 10g Walnut, 5 cored red dates, 1 black-boned chicken, 3 slices of ginger.
practice	Wash all ingredients. Remove the internal organs from the black-boned chicken, boil it in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Put all ingredients except the goji berries into a soup pot, add 1,500 ml of water, and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours. Add the goji berries last and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste before serving.
Benefits	This soup can replenish qi and blood, and nourish the liver and kidneys. Those with suitable constitutions can drink it 1-2 times a week.
Not suitable	People with symptoms such as colds and fever, sore throat with phlegm, constipation and body heat, itchy skin, and heavy menstrual bleeding, who have heat, dampness, phlegm and blood stasis.

Reporter: Zhou Meihua