Overview
Irregular menstruation is abnormal disease of menstrual cycle, menstrual color, and menstrual volume and so on, which include preceded menorrhea, delayed menorrhea, and irregular menstrual cycle. Preceded menorrhea is menstrual cycle ahead of schedule more than one week; delayed menorrhea is menstrual cycle delay more than one week; more than twice continuously menstrual cycle proceeds or delays is irregular menstrual cycle.

In TCM the menstruation is related closely to liver, spleen, and kidney. The prosperity of the kidney-qi, harmony of the liver and spleen, and excess of chong and ren channels cause the menstrual flow on time. Preceded menorrhea may come about as a result of innate excess of yang in the body, ingesting too much spicy, which may promote heat fostering fire; or eating and drinking without temperance, overwork, anxiety impairing spleen, so that deficiency spleen-qi fail to control the blood flow. Invasion of exogenous cold pathogenic factor, which will cause cold accumulating in the blood vessels; or invalidism damaged yang failing to translate the blood; or weakness due to chronic disease which lead to deficiency of yin blood; or improper diet and overstrain impairing the spleen to result in the disfunction of the spleen in transports and transforms food essence will cause delayed menstrual cycle. Irregular menstrual cycle is caused by depressed emotion, which may lead to the disfunction of the liver in dredging and regulating the floe of qi, then menstrual cycle delays; stagnated qi transforming into fire to agitate the chong and ren channels will lead to preceded menstrual cycle; or innate weakness of the body, serious illness and invalidism will cause deficiency of kidney-qi, debility to translate the blood; or insufficiency of blood, lack of the Blood Sea will lead to preceded menstrual cycle; if kidney-YIN is deficiency, then deficient fire troubling inside, menstrual cycle will ahead of schedule. Therapeutic principle is tonifying spleen and kidney, warming the meridians and dispelling pathogenic cold, nourish and harmony the blood and regulating menstruation.

Treatment
1. Sanyinjiao (SP6)
Let the patient be sitting or dorsal position, with routine sterilization, choose Sanyinjiao both side, and needle perpendicularly at the depth of about 1-1.5 cun with 1.5-2 curt 28 gauge filiform needle. On the basis of asthenia and sthenia of the pathogenetic condition, the practitioner should choose reinforcing, reducing method or even method after obtaining the qi. With medium intensity stimulation, it should be retained for 30 minutes and manipulating the needles 2 times. The treatment begins 3-4 days before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued when menstruation terminates. The second course of treatment begins in the intermenstruum (ovulation period), and lasts for 3-4 days.|

2. Guanyuan (RN4)
Let the patient lay on the back, with routine sterilization, needle perpendicularly at the depth of about 1.5 cun with 2 curt 28 gauge filiform needle (should empty the bladder). After obtaining the qi, continuously rotate the needles in order to let the needling sensation radiate to lower abdomen, and retain the needle for 30 minutes with manipulating the needles 2 times. Treatment is done once every day. The treatment begins 3-4 days before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued on menstruation terminates. The second course of treatment begins in the intermenstruum (ovulation period), and lasts for 3-4 days.|

Note
1. Acupuncture therapy is the effective way to treat Irregular menstruation. It is proper to use stage therapeutics that means every menstrual cycle should acupuncture 2 course of treatment, and every course needs 3-6 days. The first course begins 3-4 days before menstrual onset, and therapy discontinued when menstruation terminates; the second course of treatment begins in the intermenstruum (ovulation periods), and lasts for 3-4 days to strengthen therapeutic effect.

2. Instruct the patient pay attention to menstrual hygiene, eat less raw, cold and spicy food; regulate emotion, and avoid irritation; to lessen manual labor intensity appropriately.