Delayed Menstruation (Late Periods)

How Chinese medicine differentiates delayed menstruation, the four 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. A missed period could mean pregnancy — rule that out first. Periods that stop entirely for 3+ months, or delay alongside significant weight change, needs medical evaluation before assuming it is a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for delayed menstruation — 9 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
SP-6	Master point for gynecological issues, tonifies Blood and regulates menstruation.
ST-36	Tonifies Qi and Blood to strengthen Spleen and Stomach production.
REN-4	Nourishes the uterus and Chong/Ren vessels.
BL-20	Tonifies Spleen Qi to improve Blood production.
LR-3	Source point of the Liver channel, strongly moves stagnant Liver Qi.
LR-14	Relieves chest and rib-side distension.
DU-4	Moxa tonifies Kidney Yang and Gate of Life Fire.
BL-23	Moxa strengthens the Kidneys and warms Yang to dispel cold.
ST-40	Master point for resolving Phlegm and Dampness.
SP-9	Drains dampness and regulates the Spleen.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Pale, scanty menstrual blood, dizziness, pale complexion, heart palpitations, poor memory, difficulty sleeping.

Tongue: Pale, thin body with a thin white coating. Pulse: Fine, weak, potentially choppy.

Treatment principle: Nourish and tonify Blood to fill the Chong and Ren vessels.

SP-6 ↑ ST-36 ↑ REN-4 ↑ BL-20 ↑

Note: moxa applicable. No deck on this site has a plain, organ-nonspecific Blood-deficiency slide, so no pattern link is given here.

2. Liver Qi Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Delayed cycle with dark, clotted blood, premenstrual breast tenderness and distension, irritability and mood swings, frequent sighing, rib-side or lower abdominal bloating.

Tongue: Normal or slightly dark body with red/purplish sides, thin white coat. Pulse: Wiry, taut like a guitar string.

Treatment principle: Course the Liver and resolve constraint to unblock Qi flow through the Chong and Ren.

LR-3 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ LR-14 ↓

Note: no moxa. Direct match on the core distension/irritability/sighing picture.

3. Kidney Yang Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Dull ache and cold sensation in lower back and abdomen, scanty dark or pale menstrual flow, frequent urination especially at night, feeling cold all over, fatigue.

Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender body with teeth marks, wet white coating. Pulse: Deep, slow, and weak, especially at Kidney positions.

Treatment principle: Warm the Kidney Yang and dispel cold from the uterus.

REN-4 ↑ DU-4 ↑ BL-23 ↑

Note: moxa strongly indicated throughout. Direct match with this site's own Kidney-Yang deficiency slide.

4. Damp-Phlegm in the Uterus

Clinical manifestations: Scanty, delayed or absent periods, profuse thick white vaginal discharge, heaviness and fullness in lower abdomen, overweight or unexplained weight gain, poor appetite with loose or sticky stools.

Tongue: Pale, swollen body with teeth marks, white greasy coating thicker at the root. Pulse: Slippery and deep, often soft or slightly slow.

Treatment principle: Dry dampness and transform phlegm to clear obstruction from the uterus.

ST-40 ↓ SP-9 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ ST-36 ⊥

Note: no moxa except tonifying points. No deck on this site has a uterus-specific Damp-Phlegm slide, so no pattern link is given here.

Related conditions

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