What painful periods are
Most people feel some cramping with a period, as the uterus contracts and inflammatory signals called prostaglandins rise. When the pain is bad enough to stop your day, it is called dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea has no underlying disease and often starts in the teens. Secondary dysmenorrhea is driven by something else, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis or fibroids, and often starts later or worsens with time. Anti-inflammatory pain relief and hormonal contraception are the usual conventional options.
Reading the pain itself
The character of the pain is half the diagnosis. Pain before the bleed that eases once it flows suggests stagnation. Sharp, fixed pain with dark clots points to stasis. Pain that loves a heating pad and comes with a cold belly reads as cold. A dull, dragging ache late in the period or after it, with fatigue, means there is too little blood and qi to keep things moving. Many people show two of these at once, which is why the treatment and the formula vary from person to person. When cold and deficiency are tangled together, a practitioner might consider Wen Jing Tang (Warm the Menses Decoction); stasis without cold calls for a blood-moving formula instead.
How we work with it
Before and during the period, acupuncture, including Master Tung's points on the limbs, aims to ease the cramping, with electro-acupuncture where it helps. Warming moxibustion over the lower abdomen is often part of a visit, and we show you acupressure points for the worst days at home. Between periods, a classical formula goes after the root. We track the pain on a simple scale each cycle, along with clots, flow and how many hours or days it takes from you.
Formulas here illustrate how pattern diagnosis shapes treatment. They are not recommendations; a practitioner selects and adjusts formulas for the individual.
Questions people ask
Can acupuncture help menstrual cramps?
Painful periods are one of the more studied uses of acupuncture in women's health, and research is ongoing. Many people find it eases the worst days. We treat both the pain in the moment and the pattern that sets it up each month.
When in my cycle should I come in?
Often in the days before the period, to ease the coming cramps, and again after it, to work on the root. We adjust that rhythm to your cycle and your schedule.
Is period pain just something I have to live with?
Pain bad enough to miss school or work deserves a look from your gynecologist, because it can be a sign of endometriosis or another condition. Whatever the cause, it is worth treating.
Is this safe for teenagers?
Yes, with a parent or guardian's consent and present at the visit. We use fewer, gentler needles, along with moxibustion and acupressure points to use at home.
This is general wellness information, not medical advice.
