Problem: Katy came to see Jane at the end of Oct 2018 with stage 3 Endometriosis. She’d undergone a laparoscopy the month before but the pain came back 2 weeks later. She was told because of her complicated condition she was not able to have a 2nd laparoscopy.

Katy had her 1st menstruation at 11 years old which immediately came with nausea and pain. She went on the pill when she was 19 years old which helped. When she stopped taking the pill in 2015 the pain got worse. She developed middle cycle pain and went to see GP and Gynaecologist.

The gynaecologist diagnosed her with extreme pelvic pain and period pain due to endometriosis. The endometriosis had grown to touch the bowel and everywhere in the pelvis, making her unsuitable for laparoscopic surgeries in the future. They suggested she try going on the pill or an IUD or a GnRh injection, though they added it would not be a long term solution.

She went back on the pill for 3 months and her pain reduced from 3 weeks to 2 weeks. She had severe pain on the first 3 days, plus the pill affected her mood. Katy went to see a naturopath in Mar 2018, who had her change diet and start herbal supplements. She had mild improvement.

Symptoms: Period pain,  ovulation pain, pain in pelvis and lower back, nausea and fatigue. The pain during period was a 9/10  and with lower grade pain constantly for following 2 weeks. At her last period before seeing us she had to miss 4 days of work and social life because of the pain and nausea.

Our solution: Start BBT charting, weekly acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

Results: Katy’s first treatment with Jane was on her cycle day 25. At her second treatment she reported that on her day 1 of period her pain was 7/10, day 2  her pain was 8/10 with nausea and vomiting and day 3 was 3/10 pain. Day 4 and 5 her pain was 1/10.

After her third treatment during her middle cycle she felt less sore in her lower back and at the top of her thighs.

Leading up to her next period she felt mild pain and bloating in her lower abdomen and started feeling sore in her lower back a few days before her period. At that period the worst of the pain （6-7/10）was on the first two days which was an improvement and she could still go to work.

At her 7th treatment she began feeling pain after she stopped bleeding and felt abdominal pain that started around day 6 and worsened days 11 and 12. Jane treated this as ovulation pain. The day after her treatment the pain was gone.

By her 9th visit at the end of January 2019 her period pain was gone except for 2/10 pain on cycle days 1 and 2. No lower back or leg pain and no ovulation pain either.

Since then she has begun our maintenance program with either once or twice monthly appointments.

Conclusion: Katy has 3rd stage endometriosis with complications and is unable to have any further laparoscopies. After receiving TCM and acupuncture treatment her 8-9/10 period pain that lasted two weeks reduced to 2/10 for 2 days. She also experiences none of the constant pelvic pain from before treatment. Other symptoms such as low energy, anxiety and depression improved too, allowing for Katy to go to work and have a normal social life again. Most importantly she has hope for the future.

Problem: Carmen came recommended to Acunatural Health by her sister. She first came to Jane because of sciatica and shoulder pain after an injury in 2013. She lives an active life with lots of physical work and playing sports which aggravated her pain. While seeing Jane for her pain she mentioned she would get soreness in her lower back and severe menstruation pain.

Symptoms: Menstruation pain, lower back pain, shoulder and neck pain.

Our solution: Regular acupuncture and TCM treatments

Results: Carmen did not believe acupuncture could help with menstruation pain. Until an appointment in March 2019 where Jane not only treated her for lower back and shoulder pain but also her menstruation pain. She was so surprised when 2 days later she had her period with no pain.

She called back to tell us how amazed she was and began treatment for menstruation pain. She told us that before she had consistent whole body 8-9/10 pain for 3 days.  After acupuncture she now experiences 6/10 pain for 8 hours rather than consistently.

Conclusion: Acupuncture and TCM helps treat all sorts of pain as it is holistic in its approach. Acupuncture and TCM consider the whole body when treating pain rather than focus on the musculoskeletal system . For period pain this means balancing hormones.

Problem: Kitty first saw Jane Ma in the middle of Oct 2018. Her main concern was chronic pelvic pain which she’d had for 18 months. Out of this time she’d only had 6 weeks with no pain. She’d tried many different pain medications, surgery, and recommended lifestyle changes by a Naturopath. The pain persisted.

At the time she was on the pill Norimin 28 for pain management. She reached a diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain after seeing a GP, gynaecologist, pain specialist and pelvic specialist.

Symptoms: chronic pelvic pain, headaches, heavy period with clotting,  fatigue/tiredness, muscular pain/cramps/tremors, poor memory and concentration

Her pain remained day and night. It was easier to manage during day time but it was so severe at night it would wake her up. The medication she was on for the pain often made her sleepy.  By the time she saw Jane for treatment she’d been experiencing a headache every day for the previous two weeks.

Our solution：Weekly acupuncture and TCM treatments until 7 weeks no pelvic pain. Then switch aim to hormone balancing which involved stopping the pill and start BBT charting.

Results: Kitty got her period after her first treatment with Jane. At her next appointment she said it was less painful, lighter in bleeding and no clotting.

At 3rd appointment she’d experienced some pelvic pain for a day but otherwise no bad pain for 2 and a half weeks. Our goal before changing treatment was to aim for 7 weeks with no pelvic pain.

At the next appointment there had been mild pain twice in the previous week but she was still feeling good. The next seven weeks there was no pain, achieving our goal.

We then switched our attentions to balancing hormones. Kitty stopped taking the pill and started BBT charting. Kitty has since stayed off the pill as she no longer needs it to control her pain or cycles. She continues regular acupuncture and TCM appointments for maintenance and to prepare her for future fertility plans.

Conclusion: Acupuncture can reduce period pain but  also eliminate it altogether as it helps regulate cycles. Acupuncture can also help with severe pelvic pain. A good measure for success with treating related menstruation pain with acupuncture is to go 7 weeks without pain.