Part 1 of an ongoing series
In the last year I’ve worked with quite a few women seeking help to get pregnant. They come for Arvigo therapy and/or Chinese medicine to support them in the process. Some are trying fertility treatments, others are doing it on their own. In all of their processes one of the common themes I’ve noticed is how little women are encouraged to understand their own bodies and their reproductive process.
With these series of posts I hope to provide a bit of education and empowerment so a woman can make the choices that work best for her body, her lifestyle, and any future she hopes to create. Whether you want to get pregnant or wish to prevent pregnancy, knowing the way your body works provides the understanding necessary to make informed choices that best serve your life.
Much of what I say is influenced by Chinese Medicine, which has a long history of studying women’s health, and the traditional medicines taught by Rosita Arvigo. Check these links to learn more about Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Arvigo Therapy.
The Basics
Once a girl enters puberty her body begins the hormonal changes which bring the possibility of pregnancy. As all the scientific details of estrogen, FSH & progesterone are available in many places, I will focus on how those processes might play out in your body.
The menstrual cycle begins with day one of the menstrual period. There is so much to learn about the state of your body by examining your period. For example:
- How does the flow start: spotting? heavy flow? with cramps?
- What color is the blood: pink? bright red? brownish? purplish?
- Are there any clots? What size? What color?
- How long does the period last: one day, three days, seven days, 10?
- Do you have pain: when? what kind of pain? Is it better after passing clots?
While every woman is different, there are certain parameters that help us determine if the blood and fluid flow of the pelvis is functioning smoothly or not. So, looking at the blood:
- Any tendency of flow to start either very slowly: spotting, or very quickly: heavy flow, or with pain such as cramps indicates the uterus is having an issue releasing the lining. That’s easy to see with spotting, however it is also true for heavy flow: the uterus can’t hold the lining and so it just releases like an avalanche.
- Color of the blood indicates one aspect of blood quality. Pink: blood is slightly deficient (that’s Chinese Medicine for needing more richness, something I’ll talk about at a later date.) Bright red: healthy. Brownish: cold of some sort in the uterus. Purplish: some form of blood stagnation (again, more to come on this).
- Clots: size matters but in this case it tells you whether the lining is not coming off evenly. The amount of clotting indicates how much clumping is going on in the lining. Whether the clots are stringy or very solid indicate how much phlegm (thickened fluid in the blood) is present.
- How long the flow lasts indicates how thick the lining is.
- Pain of any type indicates some form of stagnation: the blood isn’t flowing smoothly. There can be many causes for stagnation, but that too is another topic. The bottom line: stagnation of blood flow impedes the movement of blood and can lead to a host of other problems.
Start paying attention to your menstrual flow and get to know what is typical for your period. Then you can begin to make changes that will help you live the life you want. Chinese Medicine and Arvigo Therapy are great tools to help you make changes, and there are many things you can do on your own. More on that in following posts.
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