Living a healthy lifestyle should always be a priority, yet many people are unable to commit to this due to hectic schedules. This leads to unbalanced diets, poor eating habits, lack of exercise and inadequate sleep. Such lifestyles may have a negative impact on women's health including the menstrual cycle.

A woman is experiencing menstrual problems if the cycle is less than 21 days or more than 35 days apart, or if her period only comes once in three months or more, or menstrual flow is much heavier or lighter than usual.

Some may prefer natural remedies to address this problem and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has protocols to treat women experiencing irregular, heavy, light or no periods.

TCM believes that regulating the menstrual cycle will not only have a positive effect in terms of increasing fertility outcomes and assisting with conception, but also for the general health and vitality of the patient.

TCM treats people according to how they present on a given day. For example, one day we might be well-hydrated, happy and well-slept but on the next day, we may have eaten a greasy meal or been up all night due to work. These are two very different presentations and each require different treatments.

Acupuncture has an effect on the endocrine system and it will improve the body's natural systems.

Acupuncture sessions can help women maintain regular menstrual cycles and the frequency of treatments would depend on the severity of the patient's condition.

There are three ways that acupuncture can help maintain a healthy menstrual cycle.

1. Firstly, it improves circulation – acupuncture can activate the energy gateways to remove "qi" stagnation or blockages in the body's meridians. This stimulates energy and blood supply that improves circulation.

2. It also helps in lowering levels of the stress hormone. Stress is known to have a negative effect on reproduction and the menstrual cycle.

3. Finally, it regulates yin yang harmony – where there is yin yang harmony, good health will follow.

There are various studies which indicate that acupuncture may improve menstrual health and assist women who are experiencing delays in getting pregnant and improving their chances of conceiving.