Menstrual disorders and women’s health

  Every woman wants to be healthy and beautiful, and health is a prerequisite for beauty. One of the easiest and most measurable signs of a woman’s health is her menstruation.  Menstruation is an important physiological feature of adult women and is a prerequisite and guarantee for fertility and youthfulness. Having normal and regular menstruation is not only a sign of a normal gynecological system, but also a sign of normal organ systems throughout the body. Therefore, in Chinese medical theory, women pay special attention to menstruation, and when consulting a doctor, whether or not to see menstrual diseases, they are bound to ask about menstruation, and there is a saying that “women must ask about menstruation”. In the treatment of gynecological diseases, we also pay attention to menstruation, for example, in the treatment of infertility, we emphasize “regulating menstruation to seed”; in the treatment of breast diseases, we put forward the view that “the upper part of a woman’s body is her milk, and the lower part is her menstrual water (i.e. menstruation)”; even in the treatment of other female medical and surgical diseases, we also consider menstruation. Even when treating other medical and surgical diseases of women, the menstrual condition must be taken into consideration, such as the treatment of colds, eczema, rhinitis, etc., all must be based on menstrual conditions.  Menstrual disorders are a broad range of names, collectively known as menstrual disorders in Chinese medicine, and include abnormalities in the cycle, period, volume, color, quality, and pain of menstruation, which usually include premenstruation, late menstruation (21-35 days cycle is normal), irregular menstruation, excessive or scanty menstruation, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, prolonged menstruation, amenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual discomfort, and many other manifestations. From the perspective of modern medicine, it can be explained by the disorders of reproductive endocrine, nervous and immune systems; from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, menstrual disorders are related to the deficiency of qi and blood and the dysfunction of internal organs, especially the liver, spleen and kidney in traditional Chinese medicine. Spleen and kidney dysfunctions are closely related.  In the management of menstrual disorders, the nature and extent of the disease should be clarified to determine the treatment plan and course of treatment. For example, in polycystic ovary syndrome, early treatment can prevent the development of the disease and prevent complications such as infertility, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.  Secondly, in terms of treatment methods, Chinese medicine, or a combination of Chinese and Western medicine, can be used according to the patient’s treatment purpose and the specialties of Chinese and Western medicine. Chinese medicine has a greater advantage in overall adjustment of the balance of female endocrine environment. Although the mechanism of Chinese medicine cannot be fully explained by modern medical theory, it has good clinical efficacy. The adjustment of female endocrine disorders by TCM is one of the major features of TCM.  In addition, for patients with menstrual disorders, attention should also be paid to dietary regulation and mood regulation. Every patient has life factors for the disease, therefore, doctors will also pay attention to guiding patients in the process of treatment, in order to treat and prevent the disease at the same time.