Supporting the Female Cycle, Hormones, & Fertility with Chinese Medicine
Hi Friends,
It is becoming more and more common for women to look to East Asian and holistic medicine practices for support on women’s health and fertility issues, so I wanted to share a bit on this topic.
The essence of treatment in Chinese Medicine is always to support the innate intelligence of the body.
For women and their cycles, this means we enhance and follow the normal ebb and flow of yin/yang and qi/blood, that occurs naturally every menstrual cycle, to optimize health, hormones, and fertility.
As an acupuncturist and herbalist, here is brief breakdown of what we are looking at throughout the cycle.
Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
Phase 1: Menstruation / The Period (~ days 1-4): Moving phase - Chong and Ren Channels
Here we focus on regulating qi and blood. The lining of the uterus is discharged, shedding the endometrium. We move qi and blood to make sure there is a smooth, thorough discharge. We want the endometrium to clear out completely so we can create a new lining. (In the background there is the rippenning of the follicles.)
Phase 2: Post Period (Proliferation of Endometrium / Development of Follicles): The Follicular Phase (~days 4-12): Nourishing phase - Yin and Blood
Here we need to build and tonfiy the blood and yin, and fill the chong channel, to rebuild the endometrium (see depth of lining go from 1-2 mm to 6-10 mm). This is an important phase when talking about fertility, because as we nourish the yin, we are nourishing both the endometrium lining as well as the egg. In this phase, often 10-30 follicles begin to grow, 1-2 become dominant, the dominant follicle eventually producing estrogen triggering the pituitary to decrease FSH, priming us to head into ovulation.
In western medicine say we need estrogen to prime the endometrium. In TCM we say we need blood + yin to fill the chong channel.
Phase 3: Ovulation (~ days 12-16): Moving phase - Qi, Fluids, and Blood (Reinforce Yang)
Here yin switches to yang, the pituitary produces LH, the egg is released, and enters the fallopian tubes. We want to stabilize the Heart Qi (responsible for clear signaling between pituitary and uterus), regulate movement of qi and blood, and clear damp, and promote yang. This is the most complex phase, and an important time in the cycle for acupuncture, as can help keep the qi of the pelvic area moving well.
Phase 4: Post Ovulation (Secretory Endometrium): The Luteal Phase (~days 16-25): Nourishing phase - Yang, Blood and Qi
Post ovulation we want to warm and boost the yang. As the embryo passes down the fallopian tubes, want to keep the uterus warm, to support the womb in holding the embryo and aiding in implantation. We want to continue to nourish the blood, to support the embryo with enough nutrition. Once the egg escapes out of the follicle, the follicle that’s empty forms a corpus luteum (gland) producing progesterone, which helps maintain pregnancy moving forward.
Phase 5: Pre-Period (~days 25-28)
If not pregnant, endometrium begins to break down, and head into PMS.
(Of course, with women’s health issues we also need to consider other factors that could be contributing to endocrine disruption, such as environmental toxins/exposure, diet, lifestyle, inflammatory issues, etc.)
