Bleeding between periods

Diagnosis

Bleeding between periods can occour anytime around ovulation lasting 3-5 days.  There is spotting or bleeding for 2-3 days which is scanty but significant. This bleeding can last for 2-3 days and generally recurrs cycle after cycle.  Accompanying symptoms with bleeding between periods can have low back soreness, pain in lower abdomen over the ovaries, sticky egg-white discharge or vaginal discharge.

Differential Diagnosis

Similar to that of early periods check amount of blood to see if it is actual menstruation (early periods) or not (bleeding btween periods). If you follow basal temperature charting, if bleeding comes while temperature is consistently high (after ovulation) then it is early, if it is before this rise bleeding between periods.

Etiology (causes):

1. Kidney Qi and or Yin - (essence and blood), generally more in young women Yin-essence transforms Qi (Qi is needed to make ovulation happen) Qi is not transformed and KI Qi can't consolidate Ren/Chong = bleeding

2. Damp Heat - interior or exterior injures Ren/Chong. Damp/Heat is Yang - too much Yang around ovulation (which has a Yang Qi action) pushes too hard = bleeding

3. Blood Stasis - in uterus. If also Yin more Heat injures collaterals = bleeding.

Chinese Medicine Differentiation and Treatment

Kidney Yin - scanty bright-red blood (earlier in cycle) Plus - KI Yin sym. T-red-scanty coat P-thin-rapid

Principle of Treatment: - nourish KI Yin, clear Heat to stop bleeding

Herbal Medicine Formula:- Liu Wei Di Huang Wan

Kidney Qi - scanty pale-red blood (later in cycle). Plus - Qi sym. T-pale P-weak

Principle of Treatment:- nourish KI Qi to consolidate Ren/Chong

Herbal Medicine Formula:- Shen Qi Wan -or Yu Ling Zhu - stimulate ovulation

Damp Heat - sticky thick blood, thick yellow smelly vaginal leukorrhea. Plus - Low Jiao Damp/Heat sym T-red-yellow slippery P-slippery-rapid

Principle of Treatment: - clear Heat - induce diuresis to stop bleeding

Herbal Medicine Formula:- Ba Zheng San

Blood Stasis - dark-purple blood w/ clots, stabbing pain in lower abdomen. Plus - T-purple dots P-thin-wiry

Principle of Treatment: - remove Blood Stasis to stop bleeding

Herbal Medicine Formula: Zhu Yu Zhi Xue Tang