Anovulation, Amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea or Oligoovulation

Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used to help anovulation or amenorrhea and oligoovulation. In general, we calls these condition Kidney deficiency including Yin and Yang part. For the part which is lacking, tonificaiton/enhancement is needed which includes Qi and Blood and Jin.

Following is the definitions,

In an average 28 day menstrual cycle, ovulation usually occurs on day 14, with day 1 being the first day of menstrual bleeding. If a woman has cycle lengths that are shorter or longer than 28 days, then the day of ovulation will usually be 14 days before her next period. So if she has a 26 day cycle length, then her ovulation should be on about day 12 and if she has a 32 day cycle, the ovulation is about day 18.

The length of time it takes a follicle to mature and ovulate is somewhat variable in different women (and in different cycles in the same woman), but the number of days from ovulation to the next period is much less variable and should be close to 14 days in everyone.


Developing follicle during a 28 day cycle with ovulation on day 14
Menstrual cycle days are shown at the bottom
Some women do not properly develop and release a mature egg every month - they do not ovulate regularly. We call this anovulation (lack of ovulation) - or oligoovulation (infrequent or irregular ovulation).

Some women never develop and release an egg without medication - we say they are anovulatory. These women have no menstrual periods for several months or years at a time. The medical term for this is amenorrhea - lack of menstrual periods. Often, when they do have a period it is quite heavy. In some cases, they may even require medical attention because of the degree of blood loss.
Some women ovulate occasionally (oligoovulation), for example, several times a year. They will often need medication to stimulate more regular egg development and ovulation to increase the chances for pregnancy.
Diagnostic testing for ovulation disorders

Usually blood testing and ultrasound studies of the ovaries at various times of the menstrual cycle can clarify whether ovulation is occurring. BBT Chart is another tool we use to estimate ovulation work.

Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea and PMS

How much blood flow is considered normal? Doctors consider about 30 to 80 milliliters (2 tablespoons to about 1/3 cup) normal; anything less or more than that could be considered abnormal menstrual bleeding.

Irregular menstruation and abnormal menstrual bleeding fall into several different categories.

Amenorrhea is the failure to start menstruation during puberty or cessation of menstruation. Some of the normal causes of amenorrhea are pregnancy, lactation and menopause.

Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for menstrual cramps. "Primary dysmenorrhea" is not caused by an underlying medical condition and generally begins when a girl first starts having her period. "Secondary dysmenorrhea" typically occurs later in life and is the result of a problem with the woman's reproductive system.

Menorrhagia is excessive, dysfunctional uterine bleeding that occurs as a normal part of a woman's menstrual cycle. Blood flow may be high in volume (over 80 milliliters—about 1/3 cup) and may last longer than a normal period (usually eight to ten days).

Premenstrual Disorders

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a group of physical and emotional symptoms that occur in the latter half of the menstrual cycle following ovulation. Symptoms, which can include backache, bloating, irritability and headache, are typically most intense during the seven days prior to the start of menses.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a more severe form of PMS that also includes a psychological component. For a PMDD diagnosis certain symptomatic criteria must be met and the symptoms must interfere with daily living.

Menstrual irregularities can be addressed by acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Attentions shall be on Qi, Blood, Ying and Yang manifested on Heart, Kidney, Spleen and Liver.