Absence of menstrual periods and acupuncture treatment
Regular menstrual periods are a sign of well functioned
reproductive system in women. Menstrual cycles are very important in women not
only for reproduction but also for general health. If a woman’s periods are
missing, this could cause infertility as well as some other health problems
such as cardiovascular problems and osteoporosis.
Absence of menstruation is called amenorrhea in medical
field which is a condition that menstrual periods have stopped for more than
three cycles. This is not rare condition and many factors affect menstruation. If
your periods are missing, If your periods disappeared for some time, you need
to get it checked with your doctor and you need to rule out of pregnancy and
menopause depending on your age. If you are not pregnant and you don’t have
periods, it is most likely that your ovary is not working.
Common conditions that could cause absent periods are those
affecting hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovarian axis. These cause hormonal
level changes responsible for reproductive function. For example, extreme
weight loss, emotional or physical stress, high intensive exercise and severe
illness could affect the hypothalamus and cause absent periods; pituitary gland
conditions lead to increasing level of hormone prolactin, hypothyroidism
causing missing periods; If you are under extreme stress, this could be the
reason for disappeared periods. Though it has long been recognised, there are
no specific diagnostic tests for this and diagnosis is usually made by
exclusion. The mechanisms how psychological stress affects the women’s period
cycle are still not clear. But it is widely accepted that it is linked to
hypothalamic pituitary axis. In the situation of stress, corticotrophin-releasing
hormone (CRH) production from hypothalamus is increased. The effects of
increased CRH on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis reduce circulating luteinising
hormone (LH) levels. Absence of period cycle caused by psychological stress may
last from a few months to many years. Women with stress related absence of
period cycle have increased basal plasma cortisol and decrease response to CRH
administration. In many cases, normal periods return after the psychological
problems are overcome. But in other cases, missing periods could cause new
stress and help is needed to get periods return.
Ovarian conditions can also cause absence of periods, which
include premature ovarian failure, polycystic ovary syndrome. It is very common
that menstrual period does not return after stop taking contraceptive pills in
three months. Infertility is one of the complications of absence of periods.
Treatments are also depending on the causes. Correcting hormone imbalance is
the target of the treatments to reestablish menstrual cycles and prevent
complications.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), missing periods are
divided into five types according to the symptoms:
1 kidney and liver deficiency, symptoms include missing
menstrual periods or light or less frequent periods, feeling week, lower back
pain, dizziness, tinnitus, red tongue and week pulse.
2 qi and blood deficiency, symptoms include missing
menstrual periods, dizziness, blur vision, short of breath, tiredness, pale,
light tongue and week pulse.
3 yin deficiency, symptoms include missing menstrual
periods, hot flashes, fever, night sweating, cough with blood, red tongue, week
pulse.
4 qi and blood stasis, symptoms include missing menstrual
periods, depression, feeling anger, feeling bloated, lower tummy pain, dark
tongue, floating pulse.
5 dampness and phlegm blockage, obesity, cough with phlegm,
swelling, excessive vaginal discharge, thick tongue coating, and slippery
pulse.
Acupuncture could help correcting hormonal imbalance,
reducing stress level and resuming menstrual cycles by stimulating nerve ends
at particular acupuncture points and improving hypothalamus function.
There were some researches showing that effectiveness of
acupuncture on resuming menstruations. Here are some examples.
There was a study with women with premature ovarian failure.
11 women had absence of periods. They received 3 month acupuncture treatments.
10 women had resumed their periods.
There was a random control clinical trials with women
diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. 16 weeks of acupuncture treatment,
menstruation frequency is increased.
There was a case report from China. In this report, 33 women
aged from 23 -45 had absence of periods for 3 months to 3 years. They were
received acupuncture treatments and 29 women out of 33 resumed their periods; 4
women did not respond to acupuncture treatments. About 63% had regular periods
during the course of 6 months followup and about 24% had irregular periods
during that time.
Stop taking the pills and no periods, acupuncture could help
When will your periods come back after you stop taking the
pills? This is a good question. This is may vary depending on individuals. It
could take a while for your periods to come back after you stop taking the
pill. Most women will have a period two to four weeks after stopping the pill.
It could take longer. Your periods may not be regular when you first stop the
pills and this could take six months to become normal again. If your periods
never come back, this may suggest a problem in your ovaries and you need to see
your doctor to investigate what is wrong. Contraceptive pills suppress
ovulation and follicle developments. Acupuncture could help ovarian blood flow
to help restoring ovarian function when stopping the pills. Regular periods
indicate that your ovaries are functioning well. If your ovaries are
functioning well, your periods would come back and become regular.
References
Zhou K Evid Based Complement Alternat Med (2013) 2013:657234
Jedel E et al Am J Physiol Endocrinol Medtab (2011)
300:E37-45
Han Y J Trads Chin Med (2004) 24:42-43
