Acupuncture for Irregular Menstruation

Irregular Menstruation

Case1

A 29 year old woman with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and cervical stenosis had never had a regular menstrual cycle since her teenage years due to the high demands of her athletic activities. Her mother was a DES daughter who had many miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. Her husband has low sperm morphology.  They have been attempting to conceive for one and a half years. She has tried fertility drugs for 4 cycles with no results.  She is very sensitive to medication.  Since she started taking Metformin, the side effects of this drug proved to be too much giving her feelings of nausea, poor appetite, vomit, and fatigue. She came to HolliBalance Well-being Center hoping to enhance the chance of getting pregnant with IVF. After 4 acupuncture treatments, she got her regular period within a month after not having a period for 3 months.  Her digestive system reaction to Metformin was gone as well. She regained her regular appetite.  She went through 2 cycles of in vitro fertilization.  During the first cycle, her ovaries were over stimulated and had nausea and vomiting from the hormones used in the stimulation. Acupuncture helped her go through the IVF cycles without being completely wiped out by the side effects of hormone injections. Although the first cycle did not result in pregnancy, the 2nd was a success.

Case2

A 22 year old woman diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 2 years ago.  She has been having irregular period since menarche and has been on birth control pill since she was 15 years old.  She was playing field hockey in high and has been having shoulder, arm, and ulnar nerve pain.  She also had frequent headaches.  She had been advised by her doctor to take Metformin for the past 2 years.  She has been struggling with weight control due to Hypothyroidism and has been having digestive problems.  She tended to feel hungry and craved carbohydrates while she was on Metformin making it very difficult to control her weight.  One year ago, suddenly she started having bloating and diarrhea after eating dairy products.  Her doctor determined that she developed lactose intolerance; therefore, she has not been able to enjoy eating dairy products which she really likes. 

Upon the initial consultation at HolliBalance Well-Being Center, Dr. Song did not feel she needed to take Metformin for her condition.  After consulting her physician, she stopped taking Metformin and has a much better control of her hunger.  After 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment with customized herbal formula she now can eat all types of diary and feels much lighter.  Her headaches, shoulder pain, and hand pain has improved tremendously.  In reference to her hypothyroidism, she has been feeling much more energetic.  She used to feel that her thyroid gland was swollen but now she claims that it is rarely swollen.

She recently stopped taking the birth control pills and after getting her blood tested, the results showed that the hormones for reproduction are normal.  She just started her period a few days ago one month after she stopped taking the birth control pill.