Since 1200, PCOS has been known as Tian Gui (Menstrual Blood – Heavenly Dew).
Within traditional Chinese medicine there are 2 main types of PCOS.
- Vapor Type
The patient often shows molar formation, is lethargic, suffers from mood swings, weight gain, ovulates less often or not at all (anovulation) and may have more hair growth.
The treatment protocol for this type is to dissolve vapor.
Special nutritional advice for dissolving vapour, fertility reflexology, herbs and probiotics can help with this. Clomid is a drug that is sometimes effective at drying out vapor. - The Empty Type
This type of PCOS is less common (but growing in number) and often the patient is not properly diagnosed due to a lack of characteristic PCOS symptoms. This patient may be thin or underweight, tense, have low iron levels and not have the same blood values for PCOS. In Chinese medicine, this type is known as Kidney Yin Void or Blood Void.
The treatment protocol for this type is the opposite (feeding Yin and Blood instead of dissolving vapor). Iron supplementation is often used together with fertility reflexology and herbs.
Unfortunately, in my practice I often see that these patients in a fertility process are also prescribed clomid. While this can be effective with Vapor types, it is less effective with Empty types. They are often already dehydrated and then dehydrate even more. It's like planting a flower from a flourishing garden in the desert.