Menstrual Disorders
A cycle that hurts, disappears, or runs the month is a pattern Chinese medicine has read for centuries.
PMS, painful or absent periods, endometriosis, fibroids, and cysts are often the outward signs of a hormonal balance that has been pushed off course. We work on the pattern underneath with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and whole food nutrition, so the cycle has what it needs to settle.
Dr. Susan G. Schiff, A.P., DOM, has served patients in South Florida for more than 25 years, with a special concentration in gynecology and reproductive wellness, and menstrual disorders are one of the concerns the practice has specialized in throughout.
Reviewed by Dr. Susan G. Schiff, A.P., DOM. Last reviewed October 2026.
Understanding
Menstrual Disorders
Women’s lives today look very different than they did even 20 years ago. Constant physical and emotional demands, along with environmental and social pressures, can offset hormonal balance and leave a woman with a range of symptoms that are easy to dismiss as normal.
Many of these show up through the cycle itself: premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, and the growth of fibroids or cysts. Chinese medicine treats these conditions by stabilizing and balancing the flow of Qi throughout the body, using acupuncture, herbs, and whole food nutrition together.
PMS is the cyclic return of a group of symptoms that tend to peak seven to ten days before a period and lift within hours of the flow beginning. The number, type, and severity of symptoms vary from woman to woman and from month to month. For some the symptoms are mild and brief; for others they last for days and disrupt normal life.
Endometriosis and fibroids are different conditions with different mechanics, but Chinese medicine approaches both through the same lens: the circulation of blood, the balance of estrogen and progesterone, and the liver’s role in clearing hormones the body no longer needs.
The aim is not to override the cycle but to give the body room to find its own balance again.
PMS follows unbalanced hormonal fluctuations. Regular acupuncture is often used to help balance female hormonal function and the autonomic nervous system, and it is commonly relied on for the long-term management of PMS, alongside correct diet, adequate exercise, and emotional clarity.
Endometriosis is a condition in which cells that form the lining of the uterus grow outside of it. Some women are debilitated by it, others have few symptoms. Chinese medicine has long been used to address its symptoms: pelvic pain, irregular menstruation, pain during intercourse, intestinal irregularity, low back pain, and infertility.
Fibroids are solid muscle tissue growths in the uterus, and they are common. Their cause is unknown, but estrogens promote their growth. Strengthening the liver with herbs supports the body in metabolizing estrogen, which is how we approach fibroids.
Chinese medicine reads amenorrhea and irregular cycles through the endocrine glands involved in the balance of estrogen and progesterone. Acupuncture and herbs work to remove energy blockages and stabilize those fluctuations so the cycle can regulate.
Our approach to every menstrual disorder is built to support the body in maintaining its own balance, not to override it.
Dr. Schiff has treated these disorders for over 20 years. Acupuncture removes energy blockages and helps stabilize hormonal fluctuations while providing deep relaxation that calms the mind. Herbs work with it to regulate the flow of energy and substances in the body. Together they encourage the body’s natural functions toward balance.
Endocrine function
Supporting the glands involved in the balance of estrogen and progesterone.
Circulation of blood
Blood is the medium hormones travel through to reach the ovaries, uterus, and endometrium.
Liver function
The liver breaks down and eliminates hormones, preventing the excess accumulation of ones the body no longer needs.
Cyclic symptoms
Cramping, breast tenderness, mood swings, clotting, or bloating that return with the cycle, month after month.
Irregular or missing periods
Cycles that arrive early, late, or not at all, including amenorrhea.
A diagnosis you are living with
Endometriosis, fibroids, or ovarian cysts, whether you are managing symptoms or preparing for a family.
Five questions women ask usbefore their first visit for a menstrual disorder.
Chinese medicine reads menstrual problems as a disruption in the flow of Qi and blood. Acupuncture works to remove those blockages and stabilize hormonal fluctuations, and it provides a deep relaxation that settles the nervous system. Herbal medicine and food therapy work on the same imbalance from the inside. The goal is a body that maintains its own balance rather than one managed symptom by symptom.
Premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, and the growth of fibroids or cysts are the menstrual conditions our approach is built around. Irregular cycles that have not been given a name are just as welcome. The first visit is about understanding your pattern, whatever the diagnosis.
No. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are used alongside conventional care, and we ask about everything you are taking so your plan fits around it. Any change to a prescribed medication is a conversation with the doctor who prescribed it.
A long conversation. We go through your health history and your cycle in detail, along with sleep, digestion, energy, and stress, and use the diagnostic methods of Chinese medicine, such as reading the tongue and pulse, to look at the person as a whole. From that we put together a plan of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutrition.
Yes. Coverage for acupuncture varies by plan, so we can verify your benefits before you arrive. Complete the online form on our New Patient Forms page and we will contact you as soon as your benefits are established.
Where to next?
Painful Periods
Common concern
Cramps that stop your month.
Start from the concernEndometriosis
Common concern
Pain, heavy bleeding, and fertility.
Start from the concernCan acupuncture help with painful periods?
Learn More
For primary dysmenorrhea, trials report less pain and less use of painkillers, though a Cochrane review called the evidence insufficient.
Read the answer
Your cycle should not
run your month.
Over 25 years of serving patients in South Florida. Tell us what your cycle has been doing and we will take it from there.
All visits are by appointment only, in the office, at your clinic, at home, or by video.