Period pain can involve cramps or aching in the lower abdomen, back or thighs. Some people also experience nausea, headaches, fatigue or digestive changes.
Mild discomfort is common, but pain that disrupts work, education, sleep, exercise or normal activities deserves attention. Painful periods may occur without another condition, or relate to concerns including endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids or pelvic inflammatory disease.
During treatment, Jamie considers when pain occurs, its character and severity, cycle regularity, bleeding, associated symptoms and its effect on everyday life. The wider assessment may include digestion, sleep, stress, energy, fertility concerns, medication and medical investigations.
Medical care may include pain relief, hormonal contraception, tests or referral to a gynaecologist depending on the symptoms and possible cause.
Chinese medicine uses an individual diagnosis rather than treating everybody with painful periods in the same way. Treatment is adapted according to the person's symptoms, cycle, health history and wider presentation.
Jamie combines more than 20 years of clinical experience with detailed pulse diagnosis. Acupuncture may be considered as one part of wider care and should not delay investigation of severe or changing symptoms.
The first appointment provides time to discuss the menstrual pain, cycle, bleeding, associated symptoms and any diagnosis or treatment. The appointment includes an individual Chinese medicine assessment and, where appropriate, your first acupuncture treatment.
Jamie will explain the initial approach and suitable review points. No fixed outcome can be promised.
Menstrual pain connects naturally with the Wellbeing and Health Pathway. Where fertility is a significant concern, the Fertility and IVF Pathway may also inform care.
The British Acupuncture Council's dysmenorrhoea fact sheet summarises studies reporting reductions in menstrual pain. It also notes that systematic reviews identify inconsistent data, risk of bias and the need for larger, well-designed trials before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Further reading:
https://acupuncture.org.uk/fact-sheets/dysmenorrhoea/
https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/period-pain/
Seek urgent advice if pelvic or period pain is severe or worse than usual and pain relief has not helped. See a GP if periods become more painful, heavy or irregular, pain stops normal activities, or you experience bleeding between periods, pain during sex, or pain when urinating or opening your bowels.
If painful periods are affecting everyday life, a first appointment gives us time to understand your individual presentation and discuss whether acupuncture may be a suitable part of wider care.