Can Acupuncture Help Solve Menstrual Problems?


Dealing with menstrual pain is terrible. Some girls are lucky not to feel cramps during their monthly period.  But for those who may not be as fortunate, don’t lose hope. There may still be a solution to solve those monthly cramps. 

Have you heard of acupuncture for menstruation-related problems?  Can acupuncture help with irregular menstruation?  How about dysmenorrhea? 

The answer is yes. Acupuncture can help deal with many gynecological problems. These include dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, and other menstrual disorders. Acupuncture may not always be the sole treatment needed for serious cases. But studies show it can help facilitate better treatment.

Acupuncture is a natural way of treatment. It is traditionally used by the Chinese before becoming popular worldwide.   The process of acupuncture is inserting very thin needles through the skin at strategic points on a person’s body. It is used for overall wellness and stress management. But many studies show that it also helps treat many other diseases. Acupuncture has been a proven remedy in helping regulate menstrual cycles and dealing with menstrual disorders.

Known Benefits of Acupuncture

Regulate Hormone – Women have hormones responsible for menstrual cycles. Acupuncture helps regulate hormones through the feedback loop between the brain and the ovaries. This is called the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian (HPO) axis.

Promote Ovulation – Acupuncture helps balance hormones. It also helps in increasing blood flow to the uterus. The effect of this promotes healthy ovulation for women. 

Improve Ovarian and Uterine blood Flow – Another benefit of acupuncture is to calm the nervous system. It causes the blood vessels to dilate. The result is then an increase in the flow of blood. 

More Scientific Studies on Acupuncture

A study of acupuncture for gynecological health-related concerns was released in 2009 from the medical schools in London and China. It researched traditional Chinese medicine in dealing with gynecological disorders. The study covered the treatment of endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, pre and post menstrual syndrome. It also studied infertility, abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, chronic pelvic inflammation. Other disorders examined were polycystic ovarian syndrome, cervicitis, and vaginitis. Below are more details of the scientific studies.


Studies also showed an effect in dealing with primary dysmenorrhea. Acupuncture helps regulate prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) levels in menstrual fluid. 


Acupuncture helps treat endometriosis. The reason is because it helps regulate the abnormal increase of MMP-2 levels. These stop the invasion of ectopic tissue to the extracellular matrix. Therefore, it reduces these ectopic tissues that may be causing endometriosis. 


Acupuncture together with other Chinese herbal medicine has been found effective in dealing with infertility issues.

What acupuncture does is to regulate the gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH). These in effect induce ovulation. It also improves the blood flow of the uterus It also helps deal with menstrual changes in the endometrium. All these help address the infertility issue. 

Acupuncture also helps with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), anxiety, stress, and immunological disorders. These are reasons for infertility. Hence, resolving these issues through acupuncture can lead to fertility.  

Premenstrual Syndrome 

Acupuncture is seen to also be effective for treating premenstrual syndrome. It reduces the physical and psychological symptoms. These include headache, depression, anxiety, and even anger. It also helps with edema. To explain this, edema is a type of swelling that can happen in any part of the body, like hands, arms, feet, or legs. It is caused by excess fluid trapped in the tissues. 

Menopausal Syndrome 

Other than premenstrual is also the actual menopausal syndrome. Acupuncture reduces hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and mood changes.

Uterine Fibroids

Acupuncture can regulate the pituitary gland, thyroid gland system, and the central nervous system. This then helps treat uterine fibroids.


In Vitro Fertilization or popularly-known as IVF is an assisted reproductive technology (ART).  It is the process of fertilization involving the extraction of eggs, retrieving a sperm sample, and combining them in a lab. After this, the embryo(s) is planted in the woman’s uterus.

Studies showed that the control groups who had acupuncture had higher chances of success for IVF.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) 

PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects the ability to have a child. It also stops period or menstruation. It can also be very irregular making it hard to predict. PCOS can also cause acne and other unwanted hair in the body. It may even increase risks of getting diabetes and high blood pressure.

Many clinical studies of acupuncture showed improvement not only in menstrual cycles but also in inducing ovulation for PCOS patients. 

Cervicitis and Vaginitis 

Cervicitis involves the inflammation of the cervix. This is the lower part of the uterus that opens up into the vagina. The cause of cervicitis may be due to infections, chemical or physical irritations. It may also be caused by allergies.  

Meanwhile, vaginitis or also called vulvovaginitis is an inflammation of the vagina. It is an infection that causes itching and pain. It also brings about discharge and foul odor. 

Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective in treating cervicitis and vaginitis 

Chronic Pelvic Inflammation

This inflammation is the infection of the female reproductive organ. This happens when bacteria move from the vagina to the cervix. Then it moves up to the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes.  If not treated, chronic pelvic inflammation can be life-threatening. 

Acupuncture together with Chinese herbal formulas helps decrease the inflammation of the chronic pelvic.

If you are experiencing any of these problems, see if acupuncture can help you. Visit a credible acupuncturist.