Women who are having problems with conception, premenstrual symptoms, or menopausal issues will often see positive results with Oriental medicine. It may be possible to reduce or eliminate the need for Western pharmaceuticals. If drugs or hormones must be used, side effects may be reduced.

The treatment of gynecologic imbalances is a well established specialty in Oriental medicine. Symptoms which have only been recently recognized in the West, such as "premenstrual syndrome" or "premenstrual dysphoric disease", as well as many other syndromes which are hard to classify or tend to involve multiple organ systems, are more exactly diagnosed in the Oriental system. For women who are experiencing disorders of conception, acupuncture and Chinese herbology is more effective and much less unpleasant and dangerous than hormonal treatments or in vitro fertilization procedures. The cost of these procedures is also 40 to 100 times greater than a comparable course of Oriental medicine.

In addition, acupuncture and certain dietary changes may be helpful to reduce many of the normal discomforts associated with pregnancy. Morning sickness, insomnia, fatigue, and mood changes can often be helped, and some of the discomforts that occur in the later stages of pregnancy, such as back and pelvic discomfort and swelling of the lower extremities, can be reduced. Another very interesting application of acupuncture and moxibustion is to convince a baby to turn head-down before delivery. This technique is very successful if applied before the 32nd week of pregnancy, and is much more comfortable for the mother than "modern" methods.

After delivery, acupuncture is very helpful in addressing post partum depression and mood changes, nursing difficulties, and also assists in restoring a mother's body and function to non pregnant status. Chinese medicine understands that pregnancy, delivery and nursing create tremendous demands on a woman's physiology and reserve, and a variety of effective solutions are available to help restore stamina and assist the adjustments to motherhood.

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