Physiologically, women are characterized by menstruation, leukorrhea, pregnancy and delivery of baby. Abnormal conditions of menstruation and leukorrhea are the commonly encountered diseases in women, which are also the signs of diseases of the whole body. Therefore, attention should be paid to menstruation, leukorrhea, pregnancy and delivery of baby in diagnosing diseases in women. The following is a brief introduction to the inquiry of menstruation and leukorrhea.

Inquiry of menstruation
Menstruation refers to regular uterine bleeding in women of childbearing age. Menstruation normally occurs once a month. Inquiry of menstruation includes the cycle, duration, quantity, color, nature and accompanied symptoms of menstruation. If necessary, inquiry of menstruation should also include the date of the last menstruation, menarche or age of menopause.

Abnormal menstrual cycle:
Normally menstruation occurs once every 28 days and lasts for 3 - 5 days. If menstruation occurs 8 - 9 days in advance, it is called advanced menstruation, usually due to qi asthenia and weakness of the thoroughfare and conception vessels, or due to yang exuberance and blood heat, liver depression and blood heat as well as yin asthenia and exuberant fire which disturb the thoroughfare and conception vessels and uterus. Menstruation occurs 8 - 9 days later than usual is called delayed menstruation, usually caused by asthenia of blood, or by decline of yangqi and lack of warmth and nourishment which deprive the uterus of having regular sufficient blood, or by qi stagnation and blood stasis which prevent blood and qi from free circulation in the thoroughfare and conception vessels, or by coagulation of cold and blood stasis which obstruct the thoroughfare and conception vessels.
 
Blood:
The menstrual blood discharged in healthy women is 50- 100 ml, which may vary due to constitutional and age factors. Evident increase of menstrual blood with normal menstrual cycle is called polymenorrhea, usually caused by bleeding due to blood heat and damage of the thoroughfare and conception vessels, or by qi asthenia, weakness of the thoroughfare and conception vessels to control blood, or by blood stagnation in the uterus collateral and bleeding due to collateral impairment. Normal menstrual cycle with evident reduction of menstrual blood or even scanty menstruation is called oligomenorrhea, usually caused by deficiency of blood and insufficient blood in the uterus, or by asthenia of kidney qi, insufficiency of essence and blood and insufficient blood in the uterus, or by cold coagulation, blood stasis or obstruction of phlegmatic dampness.
 
Abnormal color and texture of menstrual blood:
The normal color of menstrual blood is marked by red color, proper in density and mixture of blood clot. Pale and thin menstrual blood is a sign of deficiency of blood. Brownish and thick menstrual blood indicates exuberant heat in blood. Purplish menstrual blood with blood clot accompanied by lower abdominal pain is caused by cold coagulation and blood stasis.
 
Bleeding:
This morbid condition refers to irregular uterine bleeding, not in menstruation, or continuous uterine bleeding. Sudden and profuse uterine bleeding is called uterine burst of bleeding; gradual uterine bleeding with moderate amount of blood is called uterine leakage. Though different in occurrence, uterine burst and uterine leakage of blood usually appear simultaneously, usually caused by heat impairing the thoroughfare and conception vessels and driving blood to extravasate, or by asthenia of the spleen and kidney qi, weakness of the thoroughfare and conception vessels which fail to control menstrual blood, or by blood stagnation in the thoroughfare and conception vessels and extravasation of blood.
 
Amenorrhea:
Amenorrhea refers to stoppage of menstruation for over three months without pregnancy at the age of menstruation or not during lactation in women. It is usually caused by qi asthenia and blood deficiency and vacuity of the thoroughfare vessel, or by asthenia of liver and kidney yin, failure of essence to transform blood and malnutrition of the thoroughfare and conception vessels, or by qi stagnation and blood stasis, or by cold coagulation and retention of phlegm as well as obstruction of the uterine vessels.
 
Dysmenorrhea:
Dysmenorrhea refers to regular lower abdominal pain, during menstruation or before and after menstruation, or pain involving the waist and sacrum, or even unbearable pain. Regular lower abdominal distending pain or sharp pain during or before menstruation is usually caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis; lower abdominal pain alleviated with warmth is often due to cold coagulation or yang asthenia; lower abdominal dull pain during or after menstruation is frequently brought about by asthenia of both qi and blood and malnutrition of the uterus.

Leukorrhea:
Leukorrhea is a kind of milky, odorless and scanty vaginal excreta which can lubricate vagina. Inquiry of leukorrhea includes the quantity, color, texture and odor of leukorrhea. If leukorrhea is profuse and dripping, or colored and varying in texture, or foul in smell, it is a disease of leukorrhagia; whitish, thin and dripping leukorrhea is usually due to asthenia of spleen and kidney yang and downward migration of cold dampness; yellowish, sticky and foul leukorrhea is known as yellow leukorrhea due to downward migration of damp heat~ whitish leukorrhea mingled with blood is called bloody and whitish leukorrhea, often caused by stagnation of heat in the liver meridian, or by downward migration of damp heat.