Logout 📊 Admin
🏠 Home

Bleeding Between Periods

How Chinese medicine differentiates intermenstrual bleeding — distinct from Menorrhagia and Delayed Menstruation already covered — the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Bleeding between periods always needs medical evaluation (hormonal, structural, and — rarely — malignant causes must be ruled out) before assuming a simple pattern.
General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for bleeding between periods — 10 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

PointKey action
BL-23Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence.
REN-4Strengthens the Kidneys. Strengthens the Uterus and regulates menstruation.
KI-3Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence.
SP-6Strengthens the Spleen. Regulates the uterus and menstruation.
ST-36Benefits Stomach and Spleen. Tonifies Qi and Blood.
LR-3Subdues Liver-Yang. Invigorates Blood and regulates menstruation.
SP-9Regulates the Spleen. Resolves Dampness.
SP-10Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
BL-20Tonifies Spleen and Stomach. Lifts Spleen-Qi and stops bleeding.
SP-1Regulates the Spleen. Stops bleeding. Calms the Mind.
The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing   ↓ reducing   ⊥ even method.

1. Kidney-Yin Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Scanty, bright red bleeding occurring around ovulation, dizziness, night sweats, heat in the palms/soles, lower back soreness, dry mouth and throat.
Tongue: Red with a thin body, little coating, dry surface. Pulse: Fine and rapid.
Treatment principle: Nourish Yin and clear deficiency Heat to stabilize the Chong and Ren vessels.
Note: no moxa given the Yin deficiency. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency slide.

2. Damp-Heat in the Liver Channel View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Sticky, dark red bleeding with yellow vaginal discharge, lower abdominal heaviness, bitter taste in the mouth.
Tongue: Red with yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Wiry, slippery, rapid.
Treatment principle: Drain Damp-Heat from the Liver and Lower Burner to stop reckless Blood flow.
Note: no moxa except on SP-6. This is a genuine match to this site's genital-specific Damp-Heat-in-the-Liver slide — the source's own explicit vaginal-discharge content directly matches, the same confirmed-match logic as Vaginal Itching and Oligospermia.

3. Blood Stagnation in the Directing and Penetrating Vessels View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Dark purple or brownish bleeding with clots, sharp stabbing pain worsening with pressure, pain relief after passing clots.
Tongue: Dark purple or dusky body with purplish spots. Pulse: Choppy and wiry.
Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis while stopping bleeding without retaining obstruction.
Note: moxa applicable on REN-4 only. Direct match with this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the well-established dark/purple stasis-spot-tongue marker.

4. Spleen Not Controlling Blood View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Bleeding is pale and thin, fatigue, poor appetite, bloating, pale complexion, loose stools.
Tongue: Pale, puffy body with teeth marks. Pulse: Fine and weak.
Treatment principle: Tonify Spleen-Qi to restore Blood-holding capacity.
Note: moxa applicable on the tonifying points. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Spleen-not-controlling-Blood slide.

5. Kidney-Qi Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Pale, thin, watery spotting, dull lower back ache, cold hands/feet, fatigue, frequent urination at night.
Tongue: Pale, slightly puffy body with tooth marks. Pulse: Deep and weak.
Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Qi to warm and secure the uterus and vessels.
Note: moxa applicable throughout. This site's Kidney deck only recognises Kidney-Qi-not-Firm (dribbling-urine-type) rather than a plain reproductive Kidney-Qi-deficiency slide, consistent with the precedent set across Nasal Polyps, Recurrent Miscarriage, Uterine Prolapse and Fetus Malposition — this pattern's own spotting/fatigue picture doesn't carry that slide's urinary-dribbling marker, so no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.
Related conditions

Spot an error, or have more to add? Send it to admin on WhatsApp and it'll be corrected/added here.