Prolonged Lochia

How Chinese medicine differentiates lochia that continues beyond the normal three to four postpartum weeks into 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. Foul-smelling discharge with fever, heavy bleeding soaking a pad within an hour, or large clots after the first postpartum week needs prompt medical evaluation (retained products of conception or infection must be ruled out) before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for prolonged lochia — 11 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
BL-20	Tonifies Spleen and Stomach. Resolves Dampness. Lifts Spleen-Qi.
REN-6	Tonifies Qi and Yang. Raises sinking Qi.
ST-36	Tonifies Qi and Blood. Tonifies the Stomach and Spleen.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin. Regulates the uterus and menstruation.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
REN-4	Nourishes Blood and Yin. Strengthens the Uterus and regulates menstruation.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Regulates the uterus.
KI-6	Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Regulates the uterus and menstruation.
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Invigorates Blood and regulates menstruation.
LR-2	Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Cools Blood and stops bleeding.
L.I.-11	Clears Heat and cools the Blood.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Qi and Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Pale, thin, profuse lochia without foul odor, overwhelming fatigue and weakness, dizziness or lightheadedness, pale or sallow complexion, poor appetite.

Tongue: Pale body with possible teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine and weak.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi and Blood to strengthen the Chong and Ren vessels.

BL-20 ↑ REN-6 ↑ ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. This site has no combined Qi-and-Blood-deficiency slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

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

Clinical manifestations: Dark purplish lochia with clots, sharp fixed lower abdominal pain worsening with pressure, bleeding stops and starts, with pain easing after passing clots.

Tongue: Purple or dusky body with possible stasis spots, engorged sublingual veins, thin white coat. Pulse: Choppy and often wiry, especially at the left middle position.

Treatment principle: Warm the channels and alleviate pain by moving Blood and dispelling stasis.

SP-10 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ REN-4 ↑ ST-36 ⊥

Note: moxa applicable on REN-4. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the established discoloration-marker rule, with the same Chong/Ren-vessel naming nuance flagged as on last batch's Menstrual Blood Clots page.

3. Empty-Heat Caused by Yin Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Red or dark red, thick, sometimes malodorous lochia, five-palm heat, night sweats, dry mouth and throat, low-grade afternoon fever.

Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with cracks, little or no coating. Pulse: Fine and rapid.

Treatment principle: Nourish Yin and clear deficiency Heat.

KI-3 ↑ SP-6 ⊥ KI-6 ↑

Note: no moxa. Matched to this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.

4. Heat and Blood Stagnation in the Lower Burner View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Purplish, sticky lochia with foul odor, lower abdominal distension and pain worsening with pressure, mental restlessness or irritability, fever worsening at night, dry mouth and throat.

Tongue: Reddish-purple body with stasis spots, distended sublingual veins, dry yellow coating. Pulse: Deep, choppy, rapid, left Chi position full and wiry.

Treatment principle: Break Blood and dispel stasis while draining Heat from the lower burner.

SP-10 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ LR-2 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓

Note: no moxa; foul-smelling discharge with restlessness/night fever should be medically evaluated to rule out infection. Also linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the established Blood-stasis-with-Heat extension — the second and last use of that slide on this page, within the established two-per-page cap.

Related conditions

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