Chinese Medicine Perspective of Dysmenorrhea (Period Pain)

Dysmenorrhea (Period Pain)

Have you ever wondered about period pain and why it occurs or just accepted it as the normal part of your monthly cycle?

In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), many factors cause pain before, during or after periods. Most of the Chinese medicine patterns are centred around the Liver. Some of these include stagnation of Qi, Stasis of blood and stagnation of cold. We can also see it as a deficiency of Qi and blood, with such Chinese medicine diagnostic patterns of Kidney and Liver yin, Blood, and Qi deficiencies. TCM theory behind the Liver Qi is if the Liver Qi movement stagnates it may cause pain before the period, and if the Liver-Blood stagnates it can cause pain during the period. In Chinese medicine treatment, we can use acupuncture, Moxibustion ( the burning of mugwort to create heat), as well as herbal formulas. Let's look at the research, In 2022 a systemic review and meta-analysis on using acupuncture and moxibustion for managing primary dysmenorrhea. Analysed databases and pooled 13 RCTs with 675 participants. In this article, It was found that using the combination of acupuncture and moxibustion was safe and effective in reducing symptoms of painful periods (primary dysmenorrhea) by following a treatment regime.

Research article: Liu, W et al (2022). Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture and or moxibustion for Managing Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Nursing Research, 31(7), 1362–1375. https://doi.org/10.1177/10547738221086984