Chinese Medicine for Endometriosis
By Dr (TCM) Attilio D'Alberto | Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Wokingham
Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women and is one of the conditions where traditional Chinese medicine has its most compelling evidence base. In TCM, endometriosis is understood as blood stasis in the lower burner — old, congealed blood accumulating in the pelvis and causing inflammation, adhesions, and pain. This maps closely to the biomedical understanding: retrograde menstrual tissue implanting and proliferating in the pelvic cavity, driven by oestrogen and inflammation.
TCM Patterns
The most common patterns are liver qi stagnation with blood stasis (the most prevalent — stress, frustration, and emotional tension causing qi to stagnate and blood to follow), cold in the uterus with blood stasis (where constitutional cold congeals blood, producing pain relieved by heat and warmth), and kidney deficiency with blood stasis (more common in older women or those with concurrent low AMH).
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan is the most researched formula for endometriosis — multiple RCTs have shown it reduces endometrioma size, alleviates dysmenorrhoea, and lowers CA-125 (an endometriosis inflammatory marker). For cold-stasis patterns, Wen Jing Tang warms and moves simultaneously. I prescribe pharmaceutical-grade granules from Sun Ten in Taiwan, adjusted across the menstrual cycle — blood-moving herbs in the follicular phase, gentler formulas in the luteal phase and around ovulation when trying to conceive.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture reduces prostaglandin-driven inflammation, improves pelvic circulation, regulates the immune response to endometrial implants, and reduces pain. Research confirms significant reductions in dysmenorrhoea and pelvic pain scores. Points on the liver, spleen, and kidney meridians combined with local abdominal points form the core treatment.
Fertility and Endometriosis
Endometriosis reduces fertility through multiple mechanisms — adhesions, inflammation, immune dysfunction, and in the case of endometriomas, direct damage to ovarian reserve. TCM treatment addresses all of these, and women with endometriosis who receive pre-conception TCM treatment consistently show better fertility outcomes than those who do not. See also our article on getting pregnant with endometriosis.
To discuss endometriosis treatment, contact me or book a consultation in Wokingham.
