Patient's question:
Irregular menstruation, with particularly low menstrual flowDoctor's answer:
Irregular menstruation can be caused by various factors, and the treatment methods differ depending on the cause. Therefore, the choice of medication for irregular menstruation should be determined based on the specific condition. Irregular menstruation refers to a group of diseases related to menstruation, characterized by changes in the menstrual cycle, volume, color, quality, or the occurrence of certain symptoms before or after the menstrual period.(1) For cases of early menstruation, excessive volume, pale color, and thin, watery quality, it is often due to qi deficiency. Treatment for such menstrual disorders should involve Chinese herbal medicines that tonify qi, nourish blood, and astringe.
(2) For delayed menstruation, dark red color, small volume, lower abdominal pain, and chills, it is often due to cold. Warm herbal medicines can be used in such cases.
(3) For irregular menstruation without a regular cycle, accompanied by difficulty during menstruation, breast tenderness, fullness in the flanks, and lower abdominal hardness, or for cases where menstruation is either early or delayed, with small volume, pale color, thin quality, dizziness, tinnitus, and lower back pain, it is often due to kidney deficiency. Chinese herbal medicines that tonify the kidneys can be used.