• Balancing Your Menstrual Cycle Using Chinese Medicine | with Rebecca Tanner

    September 22, 2022 2 min read

    Wisdom of Chinese Medicine for Menstrual Cycle Phases
    Our menstrual cycle is a beautiful opportunity to nourish the body in accordance with specific hormonal phases.

    Bleeding Phase
    The first phase of the menstrual cycle, from day 1 to 5 of the period, referred to as the bleeding phase is a time for releasing and clearing. Hormones are at low ebb and the next egg has not started to develop yet.

    A time for:
    Reflecting and using your intuition, slowing down and supporting the body to release any stagnant energy /blood. It is a great opportunity to utilise Chinese herbs or acupuncture to help clear signs of stagnation via the flow of blood. This clearing out opportunity is especially important for girls and women who tend to have clotty or painful menstruation or fertility issues. To optimise the menstrual cycle and fertility, it is helpful to assist the body in releasing any old or stagnant blood, so as to start the architecture of a new lining on good foundations for a more comfortable next period. There are naturopathic and traditional Chinese remedies that can be used at this time to support healthy blood flow.

    Yin Phase
    The second phase is of the cycle is known as the Yin Phase. Yin refers to the feminine, oestrogen, cooler, nutritive, building qualities of the menstrual cycle. This phase enables the egg cell to grow and mature, an d the development of ovarian follicles produces increasing amounts of oestrogen.

    A time for:
    Fortifying the blood and yin of the body as it builds toward ovulation. Around ovulation when oestrogen peaks you should be feeling like dancing on table tops, and have more energy for socialising. Hopefully you are also seeing slippery stretchy “egg white” cervical mucus which heralds ovulation is coming. There are wonderful herbs to build blood and nourish yin thus supporting the developing follicle and the chance of a healthy ovulation phase.

    Yang Phase
    The final phase of a healthy menstrual cycle is the yang phase or luteal phase is characterised by warmth due to the production of progesterone. Progesterone makes the uterus receptive and slightly turns up the body’s temperature. It is also the premenstrual phase when we have both oestrogen and progesterone being produced simultaneously. As such the liver can get overwhelmed as it has to process twice the amount of hormones. In this phase you may feel "hangry", irritable, impatient, angry or depressed.

    A time for:
    Promoting healthy liver energy (Qi) and hence healthy emotions, of which there are certain foods and herbs that you can take to specifically support you in this phase.



    If you are interested in optimising your hormone health through the lens of Chinese Medicine, book a consult with Rebecca here.
    Love Rebecca,
    Naturopath and Acupuncturist, Rebecca Tanner, enjoys blending eastern and western healing traditions and is experienced in treating a wide range of female health concerns.

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