Get Pregnant? I Just Want To Get My Period Back
We see hundreds of patients a year in our clinic for fertility and hormone related matters. By our estimate, nearly 10% of our patients have polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). But what is PCOS anyway and how does it affect you?
Many women do not know they have PCOS, but are very familiar with the symptoms. Even if you are not trying to get pregnant, PCOS may affect you.
PCOS is caused by an imbalance of female and male sex hormones. Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not usually harmful but lead to hormone imbalances.
PCOS can cause problems with your periods and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS also may cause unwanted changes in the way you look. Women with PCOS do not ovulate regularly and can experience symptoms such as irregular menstrual periods, excessive hair growth, acne and weight gain.
If PCOS is left untreated, over time it can lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease.
In a heartfelt blog Heather Sundell shares her experience with PCOS. She writes, “almost a year and a half without a period, I find myself acutely aware of every complaint of cramps, every impassioned post about Diva Cups in a women’s-only Facebook group, and every pregnancy announcement — reminders of what it’s like to have a “normally functioning” female reproductive system.”
She writes about feeling separate, apart and an interloper as a women, wishing she could “rejoin the sisterhood and get my period again too.”
Ms. Sundell is not trying to get pregnant but still she wishes to avoid using the contraceptive pill as a stop gap measure to regain her period.
TCM and acupuncture are certainly not a cure-all. However, many women with PCOS find both relief from symptoms and indeed an amelioration of the underlying syndrome, without necessarily resorting to pharmaceutical treatments. Please review our studies regarding acupuncture, TCM and PCOS here.
Our acupuncture and TCM treatments help resolve PCOS, promote ovulation and increase live birthrates* Book Your Appointment Today
*Franconi G, Manni L, Aloe L, Mazzilli F, Giambalvo Dal Ben G, Lenzi A, Fabbri A, Acupuncture in clinical and experimental reproductive medicine: a review., J Endocrinol Invest. 2011 Apr;34(4):307-11. doi: 10.3275/7500. Epub 2011 Feb 4., PMID: 21297382, Endocrinology Unit, S. Eugenio and CTO Hospitals, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
& Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao, Integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine should make new contribution to the reproductive health of women, 2004 Mar;2(2):83-5, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.