Blood cold delayed menstruation

Delayed menstruation due to blood cold, most commonly observed in postpartum patients who contract external cold that seizes a vacuity and storms the uterus, where it causes stagnation of the blood. Arrival of periods is delayed and flow is dark, clotted, and scant. The condition is associated with gripping abdominal pain relieved by warmth, green-blue or white facial complexion, physical cold, and aversion to cold. If flow is scant and pale and accompanied by dull abdominal pain relieved by warmth and pressure, a bright-white facial complexion, dizziness and shortness of breath, the pattern is one of thoroughfare (chōng) and controlling (rèn) vessel vacuity cold making the blood powerless to move.

Medicinal therapy: Repletion cold is treated by warming the channels and moving stagnation using Channel-Warming (Menses-Warming) Decoction (温经汤 wēn jīng tāng); vacuity cold is treated by warming the channels and nourishing the blood with Major Provisioning Brew (大营煎 dà yíng jiān).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment on the CV and the three yīn channels of the foot. Main points: CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi), KI-13 (Qì Point, 气穴 qì xué), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), needle with supplementation and add moxa. To warm the channels and move stagnation, add ST-29 (Return, 归来 guī lái), ST-25 (Celestial Pivot, 天枢 tiān shū), and LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng); to warm the channels and nourish the blood, add BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), BL-17 (Diaphragm Transport, 膈俞 gé shù), GV-4 (Life Gate, 命门 mìng mén), and KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī).

See delayed menstruation.