Uterine Subinvolution

How Chinese medicine differentiates uterine subinvolution — a uterus that fails to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size on schedule — into the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Distinct from this site's own Prolonged Lochia page. 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. Ongoing heavy bleeding, fever, or a uterus not shrinking as expected needs medical evaluation to rule out retained tissue or infection before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for uterine subinvolution — 12 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
ST-36	Benefits Stomach and Spleen. Tonifies Qi and Blood.
REN-6	Tonifies Qi and Yang. Raises sinking Qi.
REN-4	Nourishes Blood and Yin. Strengthens the Uterus and regulates menstruation.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin. Regulates the uterus and menstruation.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi. Invigorates Blood.
KI-6	Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Regulates the uterus and menstruation.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence. Regulates the uterus.
DU-14	Clears Heat. Releases the Exterior and expels exterior Wind.
L.I.-11	Clears Heat and cools Blood. Resolves Dampness.
L.I.-4	Removes obstructions from the channel. Stops pain.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Spleen and Kidney Qi Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Pale or light pink, thin and watery lochia, prolonged lochia that is scanty rather than heavy, deep dragging soreness in the lower back and knees, severe persistent fatigue and shortness of breath, poor appetite and loose stools, empty sagging sensation in the lower abdomen.

Tongue: Pale and swollen with teeth marks, white moist or slippery coating. Pulse: Deep, weak, and fine, especially weak at the right Guan (Spleen) and both Chi (Kidney) positions.

Treatment principle: Tonifies Spleen-Qi, raises sunken Yang, warms and nourishes the Penetrating Vessel.

ST-36 ↑ REN-6 ↑ REN-4 ↑ SP-6 ⊥

Note: moxa strongly indicated throughout. Linked to this site's own Spleen-Qi-sinking slide — the sagging, sunken-Qi presentation and raise-sunken-Yang principle match closely, with the Kidney component (back and knee soreness) flagged as a gap that slide alone does not cover.

2. Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed stabbing lower abdominal pain, pain worse with pressure and at night, dark purplish lochia with clots, dark or purplish complexion.

Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots, distended dark sublingual veins. Pulse: Choppy or wiry.

Treatment principle: Nourishes Blood and dispels Blood stasis, warms the channels and alleviates pain.

SP-10 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ LR-3 ↓ REN-4 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the established discoloration-marker rule.

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

Clinical manifestations: Bright red, sticky lochia, afternoon or evening feeling of heat, night sweats, dry mouth and throat with thirst for small sips, irritability and trouble sleeping.

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

Treatment principle: Nourishes Yin, clears Heat, cools the Blood and stops bleeding.

SP-6 ⊥ REN-4 ↑ KI-6 ↑ KI-3 ↑ Zigong (EX-CA-1) ↓

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

4. Toxic-Heat Stagnation

Clinical manifestations: Lochia dark purple or turbid, foul-smelling, fever and feeling of heat, lower abdominal pain and tenderness, thirst with desire for cold drinks, restlessness and irritability, dark scanty urine.

Tongue: Deep red or crimson body with thick, dry yellow coating. Pulse: Rapid and forceful, or wiry and slippery-rapid.

Treatment principle: Clears Heat and resolves toxicity, cools the Blood, disperses swelling.

DU-14 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓ SP-6 ⊥ L.I.-4 ↓ Zigong (EX-CA-1) ↓

Note: no moxa; fever with foul lochia needs urgent medical evaluation regardless (possible postpartum infection). This site has no standalone Toxic-Heat slide on any deck — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

Related conditions

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