What is atypical bleeding, how does it relate to fertility and how can Chinese Medicine help you?
Atypical bleeding is bleeding outside of the correct part of the cycle. This might present itself as mid-cycle bleeding or spotting or bleeding for longer than 7 days period bleed.
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In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) atypical bleeding can have 1 of 4 causes:
1.   Heat
2.   Deficiency
3.   Blood Stagnation
4.   Trauma
Heat
This is usually referred to a Heat in the Blood. When there is Heat in the Blood it causes the blood to move recklessly out of the blood vessels causing bleeding at inappropriate times of the cycle.
Stagnation causes heat so when you have an excess condition such as Liver Qi Stagnation or Damp and Phlegm Accumulation it can create heat.
Deficiency
This can be a deficiency of the Spleen Qi, Kidney Yin, Kidney Yang or a Blood deficiency.
Spleen deficiency leads to Blood deficiency and not enough blood being produced as the Spleen in TCM is responsible for producing blood from bone marrow. The Kidneys have a role in bone growth and so a Kidney deficiency also affects the Blood. If these organs are weak, the Spleen and Kidney may not hold the blood in the vessels effectively and it would leak out.
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Blood Stagnation
In terms of fertility, the main type of stasis of Blood is Liver Blood Stagnation. When Blood stagnates, pools or clots it exerts a force on the flowing Blood, forcing it to move outside of its usual pathway. This pattern is usually preceded by Heat, Deficiency or a Stasis (Stagnation) of Cold or Phlegm. Polyps and fibroids would be symptoms of Blood and Phlegm stagnation.
Trauma
Trauma can be post-operative for example, from a hysteroscopy or previous C-section. It could also be caused by aggressive sex or physical abuse. If this is the case consider the CreationFertility Healing Programme to heal emotional wounds and move forwards in your fertility journey from a physical and mental perspective.
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Western Medicine causes of atypical bleeding:
-      Polyps – non cancerous growths in uterus – (blood stagnation)
-      Fibroids – (blood stagnation)
-      PCOS – (usually damp, or blood deficiency)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Harmless changes to the cervix
-      Approaching the menopause – (Kidney Yin deficiency)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Miscarriage - (trauma)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Abortion - (trauma)
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-Â Â Â Â Â Â Cervical cancer
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Uterus cancer
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Vaginal cancer
-Â Â Â Â Â Â STIs such as chlamydia
When to see your doctor..
If you notice mid-cycle bleeding, it could indeed be one of the above reasons in TCM and thus easily treated with acupuncture and with the Creation Fertility Healing Programme. However, it is always recommended to get checked out by a doctor for mid-cycle bleeding as it could be an indication of the above cancers or an STI.
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Treatment in Chinese Medicine:
1.   Acupuncture –Acupuncture can treat each of these specific conditions. See an acupuncturist trained in Chinese Medicine.
2.   Chinese Herbal Medicine. Herbs can be very effective for heat and Blood stagnation especially. Find a Chinese herbal practitioner in your area.
3. Acupressure. See point of the week at Creation Acupuncture on Instagram.