This is the third in a series of blogs that address different aspects of health. The pandemic we are currently immersed in has taught us that being healthy is so important to our life, health and longevity. This blog is directed towards women’s health, specifically menstrual and reproductive health.
Menstrual Health
Women who are of reproductive age can consider themselves lucky as they have a monthly opportunity to assess their health through the lens of the menstrual cycle.
First, let’s look at what is considered a normal, healthy menstrual cycle. The cycle length is measured from the first day of the period (bleeding) to the last day of bleeding. The average length of this cycle is 28 days, but the normal range is from 21-35 days. To find out your normal range, keep track of your cycle for at least 3 months. Using an app such as Flo, or Period Tracker can be very helpful though keeping track on a calander works just fine. Bleeding typically lasts 3-5 days, again keep track so you know what is normal for you. You may expect some variation form your own normal due to stress, travel, diet, so if you are a day or two off this is still considered normal, just keep track. With a healthy menstrual cycle there should be little to no pain, and your period should not interfere with your normal life.
Signs that the cycle is not normal may include bleeding during the cycle, an absent, short or long (for you) cycle, unusually light (short) flow, or unusually heavy flow (normal protection is not adequate), clots in the flow. Additional signs are heavy cramps requiring medication, headaches, breast pain, significant mood changes, significant bloating, nausea.
If you experience any of these, your body is out of balance, your health is not optimal and can be improved. If you decide to see a Dr. of Chinese Medicine, she will take a full health history, and complete a full evaluation. After that she will develop a treatment plan which will include one or more of the following: acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and lifestyle recommendations. You may need to work together for a few months. The goal will be to achieve a regular (for you) menstrual cycle that does not interfere with your normal life.
Healthy Fertility
Maybe you have decided it is time to start a family. You may have been taking steps to prevent pregnancy in the past, but now you have decided it is time to move forward. It can be surprising if pregnancy does not happen right away. It is normal to take up to a year for this to happen even if both partners are completely healthy.
If it is taking longer than a year, it might be time to take a closer look at the health of both partners. There are many variables, getting pregnant can be surprisingly complicated. Chinese medicine is a great option for evaluating all the factors that contribute to pregnancy. We can provide a treatment plan that includes acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and lifestyle medicine. We can coordinate with your OB/Gyn or Fertility specialist if you would like. Both human egg and sperm take 90-100 days to develop so it will likely take at least that amount of time to get the health improvement needed to assure pregnancy.
Please let us know if you have questions. You can book a 15-minute consultation if you have specific questions we can answer for you.
We look forward to seeing you
Dr’s Ann & Emily
