The Treatment with Complementary and Alternative Traditional Chinese Medicine for Menstrual Disorders with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a frequent gynecological female endocrinopathy, characterized by chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and insulin resistance (IR). Menstrual disorders are one of the main clinical manifestations of PCOS. Other symptoms include hirsutism and/acne. At present, the treatment of PCOS with irregular menstruation is mainly based on oral contraceptives, but there are some side effects and adverse reactions. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which has been widely used in clinical practice. Modern Western medicine is called “conventional medicine” or “orthodox medicine,” and the complementary and alternative medicine is called “unconventional medicine” or “unorthodox medicine.” CAM includes traditional medicine and folk therapy around the world. Around 65–80% of world health management business is classified into traditional medicine by the World Health Organization, which is used as alternative medicine in Western countries. In our country, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and other therapies are commonly used due to their significant efficacy and higher safety. Therefore, this review aims to summarize and evaluate the mechanisms and the effect of current complementary replacement therapy in the treatment of menstrual disorders caused by PCOS, so as to provide guidance for the following basic and clinical research.

Study on the Influencing Mechanism of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) on Oocyte Maturation in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

“…Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease, prone to occur in women during the reproductive age, with main symptoms of menstrual disorders and infertility [1][2][3]. According to statistics, PCOS-caused infertility accounts for approximately 50%-70% of ovulatory infertility [4].…”

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review of Pathogenesis, Management, and Drug Repurposing

“…One of the significant merits of CAM is that people often tend to accept these methods due to their beliefs and cultures; this leads to their improved adherence or tolerance to the therapy. Taking a look at prior studies, various methods of CAM including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), immunotherapy, diet therapy (herbal and medicinal foods, probiotics, and vitamin or supplementation therapy), psychotherapy, spa, yoga, Tai Chi, and oxygen therapy have been considered as effective strategies in reducing the severity of PCOS and its complications [ 89 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 ]. Two critical subgroups of CAM effective in PCOS management are discussed in the following sections.…”

Ancient Concepts in Gynecology : A Historical Review

“…(10) In India, the leaves and roots of plants from the family Fabaceae were administered orally to treat dysmenorrhea. (11) In South Africa, extracts from Commelina africana and Pterocarpus angolensis (bloodwood), was used to treat dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. Enemas containing juice of Euclea crispa was an alternative.…”