Menstrual Pain: Stop It With Acupuncture

Each month many women dread menstrual pain.  Did you know acupuncture can get you out of monthly menstrual pain? The diagnosis which medical doctors give period pain is called Dysmenorrhea. This can be either Primary dysmenorrhea or Secondary dysmenorrhea.

Primary dysmenorrhea causing menstrual pain means:

there appears to be no physical cause for your pain during menstrual bleeding.

Secondary dysmenorrhea causing menstrual pain means:

there is a known source of your pain i.e.: endometriosis, fibroids or following a post-traumatic injury.

Irrespective of type of menstrual pain: Dysmenorrhea causes severe, cramping pain and is debilitating. It also can lead to extreme stress, loss of quality family time, missed social events, and absences from work.

Other Dymenorrhea Symptoms
Anxiety	Nausea & Vomiting	Leg pain
Dizziness	Fatigue	Back pain
Mood changes	Headache	Diarrhea

 

Usual treatments for Dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain)

Typical conventional medicine approaches to treating menstrual pain include:

Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and/or oral contraceptives (birth control pills).

While many people can take several days of NSAIDs without issue, there are risks such as the side effects noted below. Two times in this year alone, I have had patients develop stomach perforation (hole in the stomach) due to taking NSAIDs. Both required emergency surgery. In one a case, my patient had only been on NSAIDs for a day or so following a dental procedure and had taken the medication exactly as prescribed.

 

Mild or Not-So-Mild NSAID Side Effects
Stomach pain/burning	Dizziness	Wheezing
Stomach ulcers	Ear ringing	Liver problems
Stomach bleeding	Skin rashes	Kidney problems
Headache	Throat tightness	Leg swelling

 

Common over-the-counter Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Ibuprofen

Advil

Motrin

Naproxen

{There are additionally many prescription strength NSAIDs}

Birth control pills can be helpful for menstrual pain. The progesterone in oral contraceptives blocks some of the substances (called prostaglandins) which aggravate the uterus each month. Prostaglandins are released as the uterine lining breaks down each month. It is prostaglandins which reduce blood flow to the uterus and then cause the contracting pain during the period. ¹ However, some women do not tolerate BC pills and younger women may be hesitant to start them in their teenage years.

 

Acupuncture and electro-acupuncture are immensely effective for painful periods

Clinical trials of women with dysmenorrhea who received acupuncture found:

• 
• Decreased pain,
• Improved blood flow to the uterus,
• Reduction in prostaglandin levels,
• On-going reduction in prostaglandin levels even 3 months after acupuncture treatments,
• Reduced use of pain medications (in both frequencey and dosage),
• Improved quality of social function, vitality, as well as physical, mental and emotional health. ²

Acupuncture is an option to reduce your monthly suffering. Contact me for a free 10-minute phone consultation. If you are not located in the Bay area, contact your local licensed acupuncturist to find out how acupuncture and electro-acupuncture can help you with menstrual cycle pain!

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Karen Reynolds, LAc, RN Acupuncture for Optimal Health 

All content here is written personally by me in with the goal that it is be helpful to you. As long as you include the link for this blog entry to credit me as the author, it is fine to repost or share if you wish.

For scheduling information and appointment availability, do please visit my website at: KReynoldsAcupuncture.com.

Be well! Karen Reynolds, RN, MS, LAc