The A to Z of Menstrual Health

It’s an empowering time to be a woman. We have access to what seems to be a limitless number of resources, we’re able to connect with one another through community and we have so many choices when it comes to our reproductive and menstrual health.

Yet it seems many of us are still totally clueless when it comes to our hormonal health.
It’s time for that to change, and at Angea, we want to start the conversation.

It is our fundamental belief that as women, when we become educated on our body and taught how to connect into ourselves (perhaps for the first time in our life) we become embodied.

Once a woman feels embodied, she is then empowered. Empowered to take her health into her own hands. Empowered to make informed decisions. And empowered to know when enough is enough. 
The world of menstrual health can be confusing. Our periods and how we experience them are all unique, so it’s not always easy to ascertain what is ‘normal’. For many of us we’ve been told that painful periods, sore breasts and erratic mood swings are all just ‘part of being a woman’. Perhaps your mother suffered from painful periods, so you’ve never sought external support and have simply ‘put up with it’, believing it was normal.  Or perhaps you have sought medical support yet have been faced with disbelief by practitioners and few hopeful options for treatment. 

As women, we are resilient by nature and often we begin to normalise things like cancelling plans due to period pain or routinely calling in sick to work because of cramps. In Chinese Medicine the symptoms listed above are all indicators that you may be experiencing a hormonal imbalance or are in fact, one of the many women that remain undiagnosed with menstrual conditions like Endometriosis and PCOS. 

The symptoms you’re experiencing may not be new, and in some cases you may have been experiencing excruciating periods since your very first one. Whether you’re periods are painful, irregular or just don’t show up, you do not need to suffer in silence. Angea offers a supportive space for you to explore your symptoms in a judgment free setting.

For many young women menstrual health is equated to wanting to fall pregnant. At Angea we believe that every woman, regardless of their fertility goals, deserves to live in hormonal balance. Our aim is to leave you feeling truly embodied, empowered and educated on your body. It is our goal for you to leave our clinic living and breathing true body wisdom.

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may want to book an appointment to discuss your menstrual health with one of our Chinese Medicine practitioners.  
  • Irregular periods 
  • Bleeding for longer than 5 days 
  • Heavy periods (using more than 1 pad or tampon every 2-3 hours) 
  • Painful periods 
  • Spotting 
  • Abdominal pain when not menstruating 
  • Mood swings 
  • Depression around your period 
  • Anxiety around your period 
  • Vomiting from period pain 
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea 
  • Acne 
  • Fatigue
  • Weight gain 

Download our free hormonal guide

Endometriosis

Endometriosis affects one in ten Australian women and is an inflammatory, estrogen-dependent gynecological condition.

Endometriosis is a condition characterized by the presence of endometriotic tissue outside the cavity of the uterus. Women with Endometriosis report symptoms such as excruciating pain both during menstruation and at other times of their cycle and some women feel no pain at all and may go undiagnosed for years until they are trying to fall pregnant. 

Unfortunately many women receive an Endometriosis diagnosis after experiencing fertility challenges.

Research has shown a link between Endometriosis and fertility challenges with data indicating that 50% of women with Endometriosis face fertility challenges. If you have Endometriosis and would like to fall pregnant our team of practitioners are able to provide you with the information, support and guidance you need in order to navigate your journey.
Endometriosis often lays undiagnosed and evidence shows that there is often an up to eight year diagnostic delay from the time you first start experiencing painful periods. Eight years is too long to suffer in silence. If you do not have an Endometriosis diagnosis and would like support in obtaining the appropriate diagnostic screens, at Angea we are able to support. By starting the conversation, we hope to engage with women before they would like to fall pregnant. 

Acupuncture offers a non-invasive and side effect free alternative to surgery which may reduce the symptoms associated with Endometriosis.

In fact, research has indicated that women with Endometriosis who receive acupuncture treatment report decreased pelvic pain and an increased quality of life¹. Additional research indicates that in groups treated with acupuncture stress levels and reliance on analgesics were reduced². By inserting fine needles into specific areas of the body, acupuncture promotes the flow of qi and blood, thereby reducing pain-like symptoms associated with Endometriosis. 

Common symptoms associated with Endometriosis are:  
  • Pelvic pain 
  • Dysmenorrhea (pain during menses); 
  • Dysparenunia (pain with intercourse); 
  • Vomiting, bed rest or hospitalisation due to excruciating pain; 
  • Chronic digestive issues like 
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome; 
  • Bladder urgency and pain; 
  • Depression; 
  • Pain at any time in the lower back, leg, sciatica; 
  • Bloating; 
  • Irregular & abnormal bleeding and/or periods; 
  • Infertility

Research: 

  1. https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/science/article/pii/S1744388116300834