Acupuncture and TCM For Women's Health: Holistic Approaches to Hormonal Balance and Fertility
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture and other related holistic therapies, offers a deeply rooted and effective approach to women’s health. From reducing menstrual cycle pain, to increasing fertility, TCM supports and enhances the body’s natural hormonal rhythms and promotes harmony throughout every phase of your cycle. Whether you are managing PMS or debilitating cramps, working on increasing fertility, or looking to optimize reproductive vitality, here are a few ways we can help you with acupuncture and TCM.
In your first session, we do a deep dive into your health history, cycle history, menses quality, digestion, sleep, and so much more. We listen, assess, and treat you holistically each session, slowly building on the rewiring from the previous sessions to create a vital environment in your body, mind and spirit. Typically, the results speak for themself as you tend to feel better over time.
Menstrual Cycle Conditions Treated by Acupuncture and TCM
TCM addresses a wide range of menstrual and hormonal imbalances by targeting the root causes, not just the symptoms. The beauty is in how TCM understands the complexity of the female reproductive system as a whole, deeply connected to all facets of your daily life. Each organ system has a specific role with how Qi, blood, yin and yang is nourished, used, transferred, etc. Each organ contributes to your cycle and therefore needs to be harmonized holistically to treat the underlying causes. Typically, you will notice changes with each session. Treatments for 3-9 months may be recommended depending on the severity.
Clinically, we commonly treat the following conditions successfully:
PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome):
Mood swings, irritability, breast tenderness, nausea, bloating, and hormonal headaches
Acupuncture moves Liver Qi, which often becomes stagnant before menstruation, promoting mood imbalances, irritability and increased pain/physical tension.
Sessions during specific phases of your cycle help to treat and prevent the condition from reoccurring.
Chinese Herbal Supplements, such as Xiao Yao San, are often utilized to provide further support outside of your acupuncture sessions.
Lifestyle recommendations based on ancient TCM wisdom or chinese food energetic recommendations may be added.
Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhea)
Sharp or dull cramping, sharp pain, clots, lower back pain, mood swings
Pain is often seen as a result of Qi and blood stagnation, often due to cold or damp accumulation. Treatments utilize specific points for clearing the excess and improving what is deficient or stagnant to promote balance and ease.
Moxibustion (ancient TCM heat therapy utilizing the burning of mugwort) may be applied to warm the channels and reduce the pain typically caused by deep, chronic cold, especially if applying heat alleviates your cramps typically.
Chinese Herbal supplements may be prescribed to nourish and circulate blood to alleviate your specific symptoms.
Irregular or Absent Periods (Oligomenorrhea/Amenorrhea)
Long/short cycles, missed periods, irregular cycles
TCM looks at all of the organ systems and how they operate as a unit to assess which organs need to be harmonized. These conditions are often due to Kidney deficiency, blood deficiency, or Liver Qi stagnation.
Acupuncture works by regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and harmonizing hormones with each session and may target different things at different phases of your cycle.
Treatment may take 6 months to a year depending on how chronic the issue is.
Chinese Herbal supplements nourish the Kidneys, blood and Qi to support regular ovulation and menstruation over time.
Heavy or Light Periods
Excessive or minimal menstrual flow
Heavy bleeding in TCM can be due to Heat in the Blood or Spleen Qi not holding blood properly. Light bleeding in TCM is often caused by blood deficiency or cold obstructing blood flow. Sessions would focus on treating the organs directly involved with these functions and may target different phases of your cycle for best results.
Acupuncture regulates the flow and tonifies underlying deficiencies.
Chinese herbal supplements help Spleen Qi to ‘contain blood’, one of its key functions in TCM, while nourishing blood in the case of light periods.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), Fibroids, Cysts
Irregular cycles, anovulation, weight gain, acne, fibroids, cysts
PCOS, fibroids, and cysts are commonly associated with Phlegm-Damp accumulation, blood stasis, Kidney deficiency, and Liver Qi stagnation.
Acupuncture improves insulin sensitivity, regulates cycles, and supports ovulation regulation. Phlegm often takes more time to resolve and expel from the body, but symptoms around your cycle/menses should improve over time.
Chinese herbal supplements help dissolve phlegm, move blood and regulate menstruation. Other supplements, like Inositol, may be recommended as well.
Endometriosis
Pelvic pain, painful periods, spotting, infertility, sharp pain
TCM sees endometriosis as a form of Blood stasis with possible heat or dampness.
Acupuncture improves blood circulation and reduces inflammation and pain, often improving pain within a couple sessions.
Chinese herbal supplements can break up stagnation, improve uterine health, and increase fertility. Other supplements may be recommended as well.
Acupuncture & TCM Support for Fertility, Cycle Health, Pregnancy & Beyond
The ‘fertility journey’, as we like to call it, is a tough road for most women. Oftentimes, we hear complaints of how discouraging and devastating it can feel once you hit a certain age or have been trying for months without success. Miscarriages are occurring at a higher rate today as well. The good news is, we see fertility as a cycle that ebbs and flows, meaning it changes – it is not something on a ticking time clock for women. Fertility is not just about conception, or your AMH levels, or your eggs; it's about the overall quality of your entire cycle, relationship with yourself and your partner, and being in a receptive state.
At Nu Wave, we aim to restore hope and optimism surrounding fertility, where it is often lost, while also helping your body and mind release grief, stress, frustration, and loneliness. This is why studies have shown acupuncture to help improve fertility - it helps with each phase of your cycle, as well as harmonizing your body, mind and spirit. TCM understands fertility is a reflection of a woman’s overall vitality, and works to improve each phase, like restoring a garden from the soil up. Over time, the results are smoother cycles, less stress, more hope, and most importantly, a healthy pregnancy. Clinically, Acupuncture & TCM helps the most with:
Ovulation Support
Acupuncture improves blood flow to the ovaries, helping follicles develop and rupture effectively.
It also regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis to encourage timely ovulation.
Egg Quality
Poor egg quality often stems from long-term depletion (of Qi, Blood, or Jing). Acupuncture treatments aim to restore these elements to improve egg quality each cycle.
Chinese Herbal supplements and targeted acupuncture help nourish the Kidney and Liver systems, which are essential for egg health. Inositol supplementation also helps to promote egg quality and pregnancy success.
Regulating Cycles
Acupuncture brings the body into a balanced rhythm, addressing underlying patterns like stagnation, deficiency, or excess.
Over time, cycles become more predictable and aligned with a healthy 28-30 day pattern so you can effectively track your ovulation window.
Reducing Cysts & Fibroids
By improving blood circulation and reducing damp stagnation or phlegm accumulation, TCM can help reduce the size of cysts and fibroids, specifically in cases of PCOS and uterine fibroids.
Supports Fertility Treatments (IUI, IVF, FET, Egg Retrievals)
Acupuncture and TCM help improve blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, regulate hormones, reduce stress, and support implantation, especially during FET.
Whether you're undergoing IUI, IVF, FET, or egg retrievals, TCM based acupuncture enhances outcomes and promotes a more balanced body during each phase of treatment.
Pregnancy & Post Partum
Acupuncture and TCM regulate hormones at all stages, including pregnancy and post partum. During your first trimester, common symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, or headaches are treated. During your third trimester, treatments aim to help with breech presentation, labor induction preparation, and more.
Post Partum depression and hormonal dysregulation receive great results from acupuncture and TCM treatments, including Chinese herbal supplements and other lifestyle recommendations.
Acupuncture and TCM are not instant cures, but they are both powerful tools that work in sync with your body’s natural cycles. Whether you’re managing painful periods or preparing for pregnancy, consistent treatments and customized supplements & lifestyle recommendations can make a major difference in how you feel long term. If you are curious about how TCM can help with your cycle or fertility goals, consider calling for a free consultation or booking a Comprehensive Acupuncture appointment at Nu Wave Acupuncture.
