Overcome Infertility - Period Modification - What is a Normal Menstrual Cycle? In TCM Perspective

A normal menstrual cycle is normally from 28-35 days with no symptom, causing discomfort to a woman and excluding dull pain. Menstrual discharge is red and last from 3-5 days without spotting. Not all women with abnormal menstrual cycle are infertile, if you are diagnosed with the unexplained cause of infertility, then your abnormal menstrual cycle may be the cause. Traditional Chinese medicine always helps a woman to restore the normal menstrual cycle, before treating the underlined cause of infertility. Girls in southeast Asia has learnt early from grandmother wisdom that maintaining a normal menstrual cycle is the main objective for easy conception and any menstrual disorder should be look after immediately.

Depending on how the Chinese practitioner divides the menstrual cycle, it may be 4 or 5 phases.

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I would like to make it easy for the reader, by dividing it to 4 phases (it is still the same).

I. Phase I – the yin phase (about 12 – 14 days)

At the beginning of the yin phase, yin surges (the rise of estrogen) that leads to the growth of fluids in the uterus that helps to moisten the uterus, and thicken the endometriosis to prepare the uterus for normal conception. The rise of yin also supports the production of blood and production of sperm friendly mucus for sperm invasion.

In conventional medicine, as estrogen rises, the brain signals the hypothalamus to secrete gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (FSH), which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland to produce the follicle stimulating hormone, thus initiating the growth and recruitment of immature follicles in the ovary.

II. Phase II – ovulation phase (about 4 days)

As the yin (estrogen) is at its peak, the liver triggers the start of the ovulation phase by extruding the mature follicles into the fallopian tube. In this phase, the uterus continues to produce sperm friendly mucus as qi and blood moves downward to warm the uterus and promotes the implantation of the egg.

III. Phase III – the yang or luteal phase (about 12 -14 days)

When the egg is extruded into the fallopian tube, the liver transforms yin energy to yang that triggers the yang (progesterone) phase. In this phase, blood and qi also move downward. The endometrial lining becomes softer to prepare for the implantation of the fertilized egg, if pregnancy occurs.

In conventional medicine, in this phase, corpus luteum starts to produce progesterone that triggers the softening of the endometrial lining for fertilized egg implantation.

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IV. Phase IV- menstruation phase (about 3-5 days)

If there is no conception occurred, the yang drops. causing the shedding of the uterus lining. The menstrual discharge is bright red and profuse, and only lasts between 3 – 5 days (spotting does not count).

I will continue to provide you with more information which contribute to the causes of abnormal menstrual cycle, including what causes the prolonged and shortened in each phase, and how you can cure them. The aim of this series is to provide the information of which how you can modify your menstrual cycle for easy conception. I believe it is helpful for women whom are diagnosed with the unexplained cause of infertility with symptoms of menstruation disorders.