Gynaecological

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal condition. PCOS can be associated with problems such as irregular menstrual cycles, excessive facial and body hair growth, acne, obesity, reduced fertility and increased risk of diabetes. PCOS can be diagnosed by taking a medical history, examination, blood tests and an ultrasound.

Treatment for PCOS includes a healthy lifestyle, weight loss if overweight, and targeted therapy such as hormones and medication. TCM looks at the individual pattern of each person and not just the diagnosis. From A TCM viewpoint, we assist with PCOS by regulating the menstrual cycle – therefore assisting you to ovulate, regulating hormones, giving lifestyle advice assisting with weight loss / management and improving your overall health. MENOPAUSE: Menopause, also known as ‘the change of life’, is the end of menstruation (having periods) in a woman’s life. It is a natural occurrence at the end of the reproductive years, just as the first period during puberty was the start. Menopause from a TCM perspective usually begins around the age of 49 – 7×7 cycle of a female but can occur from 45-55 years. Hormone levels fluctuate leading to menopause As you approach menopause, the production of ‘female’ hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) by the ovaries starts to slow down. Hormone levels tend to fluctuate, and you may notice changes in your menstrual cycle such as: period cycles may become longer, shorter or totally irregular bleeding may become lighter bleeding may become unpredictable and heavy (get advice from your doctor).

Eventually, your hormone levels will fall to a point where your ovaries stop releasing eggs, your periods stop, and menopause is reached. Menopause symptoms Some of the symptom’s women may have include: hot flushes night sweats aches and pains crawling or itching sensations under the skin forgetfulness headaches irritability lack of self-esteem reduced sex drive (libido) tiredness difficulty sleeping – wakefulness or waking hot and sweaty urinary frequency vaginal dryness discomfort with sexual intercourse. TCM may assist with Menopausal hot flushes, mood changes, vaginal dryness and much more – by balancing the body back to its new state of “normal”. This is achieved through a variety of treatments; however, acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine are used together to obtain a faster result. We also advise on Chinese Dietary therapy and will design a treatment plan specifically for each woman to assist with rebalancing their body as it moves into its next phase.

It seems that today, painful periods, PMS, heavy periods, irregular periods, PCOS, mood swings, menopausal hot flushes, and mood changes are now just considered an everyday occurrence and to be the normal state. Did you know that it is not normal to have a painful period? That we should just wake up and have had it begun without any pain, any breast tenderness or changes to our mood? Many of the above symptoms occur according to Chinese Medicine because our body is not functioning correctly or at its true potential.

We view the body as being out of balance and from the state of imbalance, we have the chance to rebalance both the hormones of our body, our body’s brain chemistry and to correct the flow and function of the body’s energetic system (QI) and move blood circulation. By addressing these issues, we rebalance, restore and encourage hormonal balance within the body. Hormones have a profound effect on our bodies’ mental, physical and emotional health PMS Pre-menstrual Syndrome PMS affects approximately 70% of women aged between 20-40 years of age. PMS is the emotional and physical symptoms which may occur 1-2 week prior to a female having her period. Symptoms can include ache, bloating and irritability, breast tenderness, upset stomach or bowel movements, clumsiness, lowered moods or depression, anxiety, confusion and may also affect sleep, cause fluid retention and weight gain. PMS is caused due to a female being hypertensive to her own cyclic hormones – progesterone and oestrogen, however, progesterone is the main hormone which causes PMS and increases after ovulation.

TCM will always treat the individual and treat the root cause of the PMS. From a TCM viewpoint this will mainly use acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine alongside breathing techniques. These will enable the energy to flow freely, we use Acupuncture to assist with balancing hormones and herbs to assist mood, depression, breast tenderness, stress, anger and irritability. Irregular periods Irregular periods can be caused by many issues. Mainly it is due to a hormone imbalance. We aim to regulate the cycle, while also asking for other investigations such as hormone panel tests and we will also ask you to Basal Body Temperature chart (BBT) so that we can see how your body is functioning. From the BBT chart – through temperature and length we can tell a lot about what is occurring within your body. To regulate the cycle we incorporate Acupuncture, body massage, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Chinese Dietary Therapy to assist your body to achieve a “normal” cycle.