Gynecology is one of the specialties of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Its rich clinical experiences and significant results make TCM a popular therapeutic choice for woman health care. Traditionally, TCM gynecology is classified into four aspects, including menstruation, vaginal discharges, pregnancy and delivery problems.

 

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to a combination of emotional and physical signs occurred before the onset of menstrual flow. TCM has no specific chapter for PMS, but TCM management on it is scattered in different menstrual-related monographs, such as hysteria, infertility, breast tenderness, diarrhea, puffiness, headaches, body aches, hot flashes, dizziness, blood in the stool, mouth sores and skin rashes. PMS symptoms can be in single or complex forms, and are always recurrent and cyclical with every period.

 

From a TCM viewpoint, PMS tends to occur in those who have liver qi stagnation or kidney deficiency. Before the onset of menstruation, a periodic flush of blood and qi (vital energy) in the Conceptionl and Thoroughfare Vesses (the Extra Meridians) leads to a temporary disturbance and organ dysfunctions, resulting in various PMS symptoms. When menstruation starts, blood and qi flow back to the mainstream circulation, the temporary disturbance ceases and PMS symptoms will fade out.
     

 

There are different factors that lead to internal disturbance of the body, the goal of TCM management is always focused on rectifying the unbalance state. What is unique about TCM management is that individual variations are acknowledged, physicians will find out the PMS disharmony according to the signs and symptoms (syndrome differentiation) of each individual, and then use it to formulate a treatment plan for rebalancing. Instead of giving a particular drug for one or two intractable problems, the remedies are tailor-made for specific conditions and are able to exert multiple effects, for example fighting pathogens, regulating the organs or promoting the balance between organs so as to shift a new balance state of the body.

For women problems, the therapies are usually aimed at nourishing and reinforcing kidney, soothing and nourishing liver, invigorating spleen and harmonizing stomach, reinforcing qi (vital energy) and nourishing blood, cooling blood and supporting yin, warming meridian and dispersing coldness, draining dampness and resolving phlegm. Among the numerous therapies, TCM way of menstruation regulation is especially effective to conditions like irregular periods, missed periods, functional uterine blooding, and infertility.  

 

TCM treats women problems in a holistic manner and is able to reach the root causes, which have been proved by many scientific studies, including those institutions in the western countries. Studies have showed that reinforcing kidney and activating blood therapies can increase estrogen level, promote follicle development and ovulation; soothing liver and nourishing kidney therapies can improve corpus luteum functioning, and increase its secretion. It has also been proved that the effective mechanism for reinforcing kidney to ovulate was occurred in the hypothalamus; while the mechanism for reinforcing kidney to promote corpus luteum functioning was occurred in the anterior pituitary and ovaries.