If you have irregular menstruation or vaginal bleeding, or your menstrual period lasts longer than usual, you may suffer from Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding. It is especially common among adolescent female students, menopausal women and affects the daily life of many women. Taking hemostatic drugs can sometimes stop bleeding, but in most cases it fails to regulate menstruation and cure the underlying cause. The following will share with you real cases and suggestions on the treatment of Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB/menometrorrhagia) and irregular menstruation with traditional Chinese medicine.
Causes of abnormal uterine bleeding/menstrual bleeding
Abnormal uterine bleeding can occur with many gynecological diseases, including but not limited to:
- Menstrual disorders, which can be divided into two types: “ovulatory” and “anovulatory” bleeding.
- Uterine fibroids
- Cervicitis, cervical polyps
- vaginal infection or sexually transmitted infection
- endometriosis
- Endometrial cancer, cervical cancer
The above reasons can lead to abnormal bleeding from the vagina. Blindly taking hemostatic drugs may delay treatment. Especially if women over 40 years old have irregular menstrual bleeding, it is recommended to undergo a gynecological examination first to rule out the possibility of cancer.
Real case study: Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment of for abnormal uterine bleeding/long menstrual period
49-year-old Ms. Li: “My period has been very irregular for a year or so. Sometimes it won’t stop and bleed for several weeks…”
Patient’s condition: Ms. Li, 49 years old, had frequent menstrual disorders and irregular bleeding in the past year. Just after her last menstrual period, she had vaginal bleeding again after 8 days. When she came to my clinic, the bleeding have been happening for more than a week. The amount of blood was heavy, there were blood clots, and bleeding for many days made her feel tired. Ms. Li once had a gynecological ultrasound examination, but no abnormalities were found.
Treatment and effect: I first prescribed traditional Chinese medicine for her for 5 days, mainly based on the principle of replenishing qi, removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding. Ms. Li said that after taking the medicine, she discharged a gel-like blood clot, and the bleeding stopped on the third day of medication.
Case analysis: Ms. Li is 49 years old and is in the menopausal stage. Her hormone levels have changed, especially the secretion of estrogen is significantly reduced. Moreover, Ms. Li was under intensive stress at work, and lacked maintenance after each menstrual period when she was younger, which led to liver and kidney qi and blood deficiency and aggravated menstrual disorders arround menopause.
Therefore, I explained to Ms. Li that the root cause of irregular menstrual bleeding is due to imbalance of endocrine hormone levels and qi and bloog deficiency, which leads to irregular shredding of the endometrium. Taking hemostatic drugs to treat the symptoms may easily lead to prolonged bleeding time. This maybe due to blood clots caused by hemostatic drugs, which may make it difficult for the body to activate its own hemostatic mechanism.
→→ Follow-up treatment effects: After one month of traditional Chinese medicine conditioning to nourish liver and kidney qi and blood, Ms. Li no longer had abnormal uterine bleeding. When menstruation came in the second month, it lasted for 5 days and ended without any other discomfort.
Which age group are more likely to suffer from abnormal uterine bleeding/menstrual bleeding?
Adolescent girls
The ovarian function of adolescent girls haven’t get mature, and the levels of estrogen and progesterone are unstable. Traditional Chinese medicine theory see this as a result of insufficient kidney qi. Therefore, adolescent can have irregular menstrual cycles. They are also prone to abnormal menstrual bleeding, long and excessively heavy menstrual peiod, which is called abnormal uterine bleeding.
Menopause/menopausal women
Women who are going through menopause are facing a transition period in their life cycle, when their ovaries gradually reduce their production of estrogen and progesterone. This hormonal change may lead to irregular growth and shedding of the endometrium, which can lead to abnormal uterine bleeding.
In addition, menopause is the peak period for the incidence of endometrial cancer and cervical cancer. Therefore, if women over 40 years old experience irregular and abnormal bleeding from the vagina, it is recommended to undergo a gynecological examination first to rule out the possibility of cancer.
How does Traditional Chinese medicine treating abnormal uterine bleeding/long menstrual periods?
The TCM method of treating abnormal uterine bleeding/menstrual disorders is tailor-made based on each patient’s condition and physical characteristics. The following are commonly used methods in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat abnormal menstrual bleeding:
- Herbal Chinese Medicine Treatment: Herbal Chinese Medicine treatment is one of the main methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat abnormal menstrual bleeding and hormonal imbalance. Chinese medicine practitioners will prescribe appropriate Chinese medicine prescriptions based on the patient’s constitution to replenish qi and blood, nourish the liver and kidneys, stop bleeding and remove blood stasis, etc., to restore the body’s balance.
- Acupuncture therapy: Acupuncture is another important treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine. It stimulates acupoints, regulates qi and blood, and reconciles yin and yang to achieve the purpose of dredging meridians and balancing yin and yang. As a result, it helps hormones to retain to a balanced level. Acupuncture can be used in combination with Chinese herbal treatments.
- Dietary and Nutrition Plan: Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the relationship between diet, nutrition and health. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners will give suitable dietary suggestions based on the patient’s constitution and condition. Avoid spicy foods, raw and cold foods, and eat more foods that nourish yin and blood, especially during the menstrual period. After periods, replenishing qi and blood are important.
