our menstrual cycle can provide valuable information about your overall health. Changes in cycle length, flow, pain, spotting, and premenstrual symptoms can all offer useful clues about your menstrual health and patterns throughout the month.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we pay close attention to these details. Rather than focusing only on the days you bleed, we look at patterns throughout the entire cycle and how they connect with the rest of your health.
Is your cycle fairly consistent?
A menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. For most adults, cycles typically fall between 24-38 days, although some variation from month to month can be normal.
Cycle timing is also part of the clinical picture in TCM. Consistently short, long, or unpredictable cycles can give us additional information, especially when we consider them alongside other symptoms.
What are your periods like?
A typical period generally lasts up to about 7 days. Some cramping can happen, but pain that regularly interferes with work, sleep, exercise, or daily activities deserves a closer look. And it's not just about how many days you bleed. Flow, colour, consistency, clotting, pain, and how you feel before, during, and after your period can all provide useful information about your menstrual health.
For example, very heavy or unusually light bleeding, repeatedly passing large clots, significant pain, or noticeable changes from your usual pattern can sometimes occur alongside conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, PCOS, and thyroid disorders.
This is where a TCM assessment looks a little different. Instead of treating one symptom in isolation, we put these details together with the rest of your health, including digestion, sleep, energy, stress, temperature, and other symptoms. This helps us identify patterns and individualize your acupuncture treatment.
What happens BEFORE your period?
Your cycle is more than the days you bleed. Bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, sleep changes, lower back pain, acne, changes in bowel movements, irritability, anxiety, and mood changes can all show up during the premenstrual phase.
Many of us have been told that these symptoms are simply a “normal” part of having a period. While some mild changes can be common, symptoms that are persistent, severe, or disruptive to your quality of life shouldn't simply be dismissed as normal.
When these symptoms start, how intense they become, and whether they improve once your period begins can be just as informative as the symptoms themselves. Looking at how symptoms appear and change throughout the month helps us see your menstrual cycle as a pattern rather than a collection of isolated symptoms.
When should you start paying attention to your cycle?
You don't have to wait until you're actively trying to conceive. Understanding your usual cycle length, recognizing your individual patterns, and noticing changes throughout the month can provide valuable information about your menstrual and overall health.
If pregnancy is part of your plans now or in the future, paying closer attention to your body's signs around ovulation can also help you become more familiar with your cycle and fertile window.
When it comes to acupuncture, treatment can be individualized based on your unique TCM diagnosis and where you are in your cycle, including menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. This individualized approach can support menstrual health and can also complement your care when trying to conceive naturally or going through medicated cycles, IUI, or IVF.
One simple thing to try this month: Track your cycle length, flow, colour, clotting, pain, spotting, and physical or emotional symptoms. You may be surprised by what you start to notice. If something stands out or you're curious about what your cycle may be telling you, bring your notes to your next acupuncture appointment and we can take a closer look together.
Book an appointment with Jaynee Kim, R.TCMP, R.Ac to learn more.