Period Pain: Why You Don’t Have To (and Shouldn’t) Put Up With It
Period pain is reported to be experienced by a significant proportion of menstruators.
While medical misogyny has often normalised this pain as something that is to be expected and should be suffered silently, there is another way of understanding and addressing it.
Why does your period pain deserve attention?
In 2015, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommended that the menstrual cycle be used as a fifth vital sign for menstruating teenagers. However, many experts argue this perspective should extend beyond adolescence and across the reproductive years, something I completely support.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care states that periods should not be so heavy or painful that they disrupt normal functioning.
So, needing to take pain killers around the clock should not be something you have to accept as normal.
Period pain can be deeply disruptive. When pain strikes, it can make everyday tasks like work, study or socialising with friends completely out of reach.
When we consider what leading health bodies define as a healthy period, alongside the increasing recognition of the menstrual cycle as a vital sign, it becomes clear that all women deserve both an understanding of what a healthy period looks like and the support to achieve it.
Biomedical understanding…
Biomedicine understands period pain as being largely driven by the release of prostaglandins, which are hormone-like compounds produced by the uterine lining.
As the period begins, prostaglandins stimulate the uterus to contract in order to shed the endometrium.
When levels of prostaglandins are high, these contractions become more intense and frequent, which can temporarily reduce blood flow to the uterus. The decrease in oxygenated blood supply contributes to the characteristic cramping pain.
A TCM perspective…
In Chinese medicine, a healthy period should flow smoothly, without clots and minimal discomfort. When period pain occurs, it is often understood through a simple principle:
“Where there is pain, there is stagnation”
This means that pain arises when Qi (energy) is unable to flow freely.
There are a few common patterns that are seen in clinic:
Qi stagnation: pain can feel crampy and is often accompanied by irritability or PMS
Blood stasis: This is typically experienced as a sharp fixed pain, often with dark menstrual clots.
Cold in the uterus: period pain is often relieved by heat, the pain itself can be deep and cramping.
Deficiency in Qi or Blood: the pain is experienced as dull and lingering, it may improve with pressure, it is often seen alongside fatigue and light periods.
These patterns develop gradually over time. Rather than treating all types of period pain the same, acupuncture aims to identify the specific pattern and treat accordingly.
How acupuncture can help
Acupuncture works on multiple levels to support menstrual health.
From a biomedical perspective:
Reduce pain by stimulating endorphin release
Improve blood flow to the uterus
Regulate the nervous system
Decrease inflammation
From a TCM perspective:
Restore healthy Qi and blood movement
Warm the uterus
Support underlying deficiencies
Improve blood flow to the pelvis
Reduce inflammation
Nervous system regulation
Regulate the menstrual cycle over time
Importantly, Chinese medicine is not just about pain relief in the short term, it is about shifting the underlying pattern so each cycle becomes more manageable. Because of this, many people find that with regular treatment their cycle and other aspects of their health begin to fall into place.
Studies
Randomised control trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that acupuncture can reduce menstrual pain. For example, in a RCT conducted by the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the use of acupuncture or NSAID therapy for period pain was compared. The trial found that pain scores decreased substantially in both groups, with acupuncture resulting in a comparable reduction in the intensity of pain (Kiran et al., 2013).
These findings are supported by a meta-analysis of 23 RCTs, which concluded that acupuncture can be effective in reducing pain intensity and offers results similar to standard medical therapies (Liu et al., 2017).
What would treatment look like?
For period pain, consistency and timing matters.
Treatments typically occur before your period arrives
To begin with, treatments are done weekly to help support the body with consistent care, then as things improve they are spaced out
Treatment may include a combination of acupuncture, moxibustion (heat therapy), cupping and sometimes herbs depending on the presentation
With consistent treatment many people can make large improvements in their cycle, including:
Reduced pain and cramping
Improved energy before and during menstruation
A more regular period
Fewer and smaller blood clots
Better moods during the luteal and menstrual phase
Your period is a reflection of your overall health.
Understanding what a healthy cycle looks like and having the right support to move towards that can be life altering.
Period pain should not disrupt your work, sleep, life or wellbeing. If you are ready for individualised support for your period pain, acupuncture offers a gentle and holistic approach that supports your whole health.
Citations
Kiran, G., Gumusalan, Y., Ekerbicer, H., Kiran, H., Coskun, A., & Arikan, D. (2013). A randomized pilot study of acupuncture treatment for primary dysmenorrhea. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 169(2), 292–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2013.02.016.%2520Epub%25202013%2520Mar%252020.
Liu, T., Yu, J.-N., Cao, B.-Y., Peng, Y.-Y., Chen, Y.-P., & Zhang, L. (2017). Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Alternative Therapies In Health And Medicine, 23(7), 46–53. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29112942/
