Ancient traditional Chinese medicine has observed women’s unique physiology and developed treatment protocols for gynecological conditions. In this newsletter, I will share how TCM sees PCOS. Before we jump right in talking about PCOS, let’s talk about how important it is to address women’s health in TCM. 

Many of you know, my mission in this practice is to “nurture women to nurture the world”. This is because traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of emphasizing the importance of women’s health as the foundation of society. TCM views women’s and children’s health as the most essential foundation of a community. A lot of reproductive health protocols and theories were created for women because of their unique physiology. 

By observing a woman’s menstruation flow, changes in puberty, progress and physical changes during pregnancy, and cessation of menstruation, TCM has developed a very comprehensive theory in gynecology. The theory does not only emphasize the usage of herbal medicine, it includes lifestyle changes, stress management and strengthening of one's physical health, and energy. That’s why even after 20 years of practice, I am still amazed how TCM can help women in a very holistic way.

The pathology of PCOS includes elevated serum levels of luteinizing hormone, testosterone and increased insulin resistance. However, when a patient comes in for PCOS treatment, what the practitioner will do first is to differentiate the pattern.

In TCM, the flow of menstruation is governed by the energy stored in the kidney, called kidney essence, and flows into the two meridians that connects to the uterus and ovaries, called Chong and Ren meridian; in short, Ren meridian runs in the front of the trunk to connect all the organs, and Chong meridian travels into the reproductive organs. When a woman reaches the age of puberty, the energy matured in the organs will open up the flow into the Chong meridian, and allow the kidney essence to nurture the reproductive system. However, the flow of Qi, blood, and essence can be affected by emotions, the environment, pathogens, nutrition, and one’s constitution.

The manifestation of PCOS can vary. 

In modern society, women can live under a lot of mental and physical stress. This type of stress can result in the obstruction of Qi flow. We can see in ancient TCM texts that emotional health was always addressed when we talked about women’s health. 

Liver Qi stagnation, heart fire, and spleen Qi deficiency can all lead to the obstructed menstrual flow. The obstruction can further damage the essence that nourishes and supports the reproductive and hormonal function in women. 

Over processed food such as high fat, high sugar, and chemicals that are available in modern life also contributes to the pathological change in the reproductive function. Over processed food can damage Spleen Qi and accumulate phlegm and blood stasis in the body. The accumulation of phlegm and blood stasis can lead to weight gain, fatigue, brain fog and even complete obstruction of menstrual flow.