Hello. I am Ji-yeon Hong, Director of Yon Oriental Medicine Clinic, a restful clinic in Ilsan.
Until now, I have been sharing news about the clinic's interior design. Today, I would like to talk about something a little different: your uterine health.
Let's start with a light topic that we can easily discuss.
When treating patients, Oriental medicine practitioners base their diagnosis on four methods: Observation (望), Listening/Smelling (聞), Inquiry (問), and Palpation (切). Simply put, our diagnosis is based on looking at, listening to, asking, and touching the patient. To understand the overall state of your health, we end up asking quite a lot of questions.
I ask questions that may seem so trivial that you might think, "Why are you asking this? It doesn't seem related to my symptoms." Sometimes, patients may feel embarrassed, avoid answering, or hesitate. However, while observation, listening, and touch are my responsibilities, your active cooperation in answering my questions is essential for an accurate diagnosis.
In particular, when female patients of childbearing age visit, one of the essential questions I ask is about 'menstruation'. This is because everything related to your period—cycle, patterns, pain, PMS, ovulation pain, etc.—serves as crucial diagnostic evidence for understanding the health of your uterus and ovaries.
Nowadays, many people use apps to track their cycles, but it is unfortunate that many overlook important details such as the volume and color of blood, the presence of clots, duration, and when the pain is most severe.
Persistent dark red
clots during period
It is easy to mistake this as "normal for everyone," but if it persists and the volume increases, it may indicate uterine fibroids or adenomyosis caused by blood stasis and coldness.
Significantly low flow
and watery blood
This falls outside the normal range and could be a symptom of general deficiency of Qi and Blood (氣血虛) in the body, not just the uterus.
Amenorrhea for 3+ months,
weight gain and hirsutism
Don't ignore it just because it's convenient not to have a period. There could be various causes such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or issues with the H-P-O axis.
Sudden changes in
discharge (volume/color/odor)
Periods of high discharge or the presence of pruritus (itching) are important criteria for identifying common gynecological conditions like vaginitis.