Endometriosis is more than just a painful period. For many women, it can be a long, frustrating health journey filled with pain, bloating, fatigue, and not enough answers.
Treatment options like pain meds, hormonal birth control, or even surgery may help some. But they don’t work for everyone. And for those who want a natural, more sustainable way to manage endometriosis symptoms, there are other options.
That’s where acupuncture and herbal medicine step in. At 120 Acupuncture Clinic, we’ve seen how powerful acupuncture can be for reducing pain, regulating cycles, enhancing fertility, improving digestion, and helping women feel like themselves again.
If you’re struggling with endometriosis symptoms, acupuncture could be a powerful natural solution for you, too. Let’s find out why this gentle method is so effective for endometriosis and reproductive health.
What Is Endometriosis?
Not all “period pain” is the same. Sometimes, that irritating cramping is related to hormone imbalances, other times it could be linked to fibroids or scarring in the uterus. For at least 6.5 million women in the United States, however, painful periods and other symptoms are related to endometriosis.
Endometriosis happens when tissue similar to the uterine lining (endometrium) grows outside of the uterus, like the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and pelvis. This tissue still responds to hormonal changes each month, which means it can swell and become inflamed, leading to pain and sometimes scarring in these areas.
Because endometriosis is an inflammatory condition, it doesn’t just affect your reproductive organs – inflammation can spread to and impact your entire system, from digestion to mental health.
Endometriosis symptoms vary widely from person to person, but here are some of the most common:
- Pelvic pain and cramping (not just during your period)
- Heavy or irregular bleeding
- Pain during sex or bowel movements
- Bloating, constipation, or nausea
- Chronic fatigue
- Fertility challenges
How Acupuncture Helps with Endometriosis
While conventional medicine focuses on covering up symptoms with hormonal drugs or surgery to remove endometrial tissue, acupuncture for endometriosis takes a different approach. It works with your body to restore balance, reduce inflammation, and regulate the systems that are out of sync.
Dr. Ko explains further: “Western medicine treatments temporarily relieve pain with painkillers or suppress hormones. And if the condition gets worse, they perform surgery, but after surgery, the chance of recurrence is almost 99%. These treatments do not address the root cause and can damage organs like the uterus and kidneys, ultimately worsening the condition. In contrast, Korean traditional medicine restores the body’s disrupted balance and improves blood circulation. By treating the fundamental problem in the most natural way, it is highly effective.”
Whether you use acupuncture and herbal medicine alone to address your symptoms or in conjunction with medication or surgery recommended by your gynecologist, this natural approach helps restore balance faster and keep symptoms from coming back.
Here’s how it helps:
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Acupuncture Relieves Pelvic Pain and Cramping
Pelvic pain is often the endometriosis symptom that brings most patients to acupuncture. When pain medications don’t work, acupuncture helps quiet the pain naturally. How? Acupuncture stimulates your body’s natural painkillers (endorphins), calms the nervous system, and increases blood flow through the pelvic region. This helps reduce inflammation, release muscle tension, and decrease pain signals being sent to the brain.
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Balances Hormones (Without Hormone Therapy)
Hormonal imbalances – especially excess estrogen (estrogen dominance) – often fuel the growth of endometrial tissue. As this tissue swells and grows, pain and inflammation worsen.
Acupuncture helps regulate your body’s hormone levels by supporting the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, your body’s natural hormone communication system.
In Oriental Medicine, this is viewed as supporting the Liver (which helps regulate hormones and menstrual cycles) and Kidney (linked to reproductive health and vitality). When these systems are balanced, your hormones stabilize naturally so no synthetic hormones are needed.
- Reduces Inflammation and Improves Circulation
Endometriosis is rooted in chronic inflammation. The more inflammation present, the more intense and far-reaching our symptoms will be.
Thankfully, acupuncture is a powerful natural way to reduce inflammation throughout the body. By moving blood and energy (what Oriental Medicine calls “Qi”) through the pelvic area, acupuncture helps prevent the stagnation and pain that come from endometrial tissue buildup and scarring.
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Eases Bloating and Digestive Upset
Many people with endo also struggle with digestive issues like bloating, constipation, nausea, or IBS-like symptoms. These aren’t just a coincidence – because the digestive organs sit near the reproductive organs, inflammation in the lower abdomen affects it all. These symptoms are even worse if endometrial tissue has developed on the digestive organs (such as the large intestine), which can cause pain or dysfunction.
In both Western and Chinese medicine, we know that inflammation and hormonal shifts can disrupt gut function. Acupuncture helps restore balance by regulating gut motility, reducing inflammation, and supporting healthy digestion.
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Supports Mental Health and Energy
Living with endometriosis can take a toll on your energy and mental health. Chronic pain, fatigue, hormone swings, and the emotional burden of feeling misunderstood or dismissed can lead to anxiety, depression, or burnout.
Acupuncture helps rebalance the nervous system by shifting your body out of “fight or flight” mode and into “rest and repair.” Many patients report feeling calmer, more energized, and emotionally more resilient after just a few sessions.
We also address adrenal fatigue, mood swings, and sleep issues, all of which are commonly tied to endometriosis and hormone imbalance.
What to Expect from Acupuncture for Endometriosis
Acupuncture is gentle and customized to your unique body and symptoms. At your first visit, we’ll talk through your full health history, including your endo symptoms and cycles, so we can create a treatment plan that is designed around your needs.
While every patient is different, at 120 Acupuncture Clinic, we’ve worked with many women navigating endometriosis and are familiar with the range of challenges this condition can cause. For instance, as Dr. Ko explains, “patients with endometriosis often experience anxiety and frustration due to pain, as well as stress and worry about the possibility of becoming pregnant. Through Korean medicine treatments that address the root cause with acupuncture and herbal medicine, their quality of life can be improved.”
Most patients start with weekly or biweekly sessions, then taper off as symptoms improve. We may combine acupuncture with herbal medicine to support hormone balance, digestion, and energy. You’ll also receive guidance on nutrition and lifestyle to support healing from the inside out.
Remember: acupuncture works over time. It’s not a one-and-done fix, but with consistent treatments, it does help your body heal in a deeper, more lasting way.
You Don’t Have to Power Through the Pain
Endometriosis can be isolating. But you’re not alone, and you certainly don’t have to just “live with it.”
Acupuncture is a supportive, natural way to manage your symptoms, reduce pain, and feel better in your body again. Whether you’re trying to avoid more medication or surgeries, or simply want a more natural way to manage your cycles, we’re here to help.
Ready to try a new approach to endometriosis relief? Book a consultation today or call us at 1-818-980-7979 to find out how acupuncture can make a difference for you.
