Excessive dampness seems to be a common problem among women's bodies today. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, the harms of excessive dampness in women are numerous, and in severe cases, it can lead to some gynecological diseases. So, what gynecological diseases can excessive dampness easily cause?
What gynecological diseases can excessive dampness in women easily lead to?
1. Menstrual Diseases
Living in damp places for a long time or being exposed to rain and water can often lead to external dampness invasion, resulting in fatigue and pain in the limbs before and after menstruation, a heavy head, poor appetite, or a low fever that is hard to subside. It can also cause irregular menstruation, diarrhea before menstruation, light menstrual flow, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and in severe cases, infertility.
2. Leukorrhea Diseases
"Damp earth attracts its own kind." When internal and external dampness combine, dampness can impair the spleen's function, leading to water retention and dampness pouring into the uterus, which disrupts the regulation of the Dai Mai (Belt Vessel) and results in excessive vaginal discharge. If the damp evil transforms into heat and damages the collaterals or becomes damp-heat or damp-toxin, the discharge can appear in colors of blue, yellow, red, white, or black. The book "Fu Qingzhu's Gynecology" states: "All cases of leukorrhea are caused by dampness."
3. Pregnancy Diseases
When water-dampness accumulates internally and the transformation of Qi is impeded, it can often worsen morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy, leading to a heavy head, nausea and vomiting, chest tightness, poor appetite, and vomiting with no desire to eat.
Excessive dampness during pregnancy can often cause fetal hydrops, pregnancy-related edema, and diarrhea. These conditions can often be treated with modifications to the "Bu Zhong Yi Tang" (Tonify the Middle Qi Decoction).
4. Postpartum Diseases
Postpartum, a woman is characterized by "deficiency and blood stasis." With a deficiency of both Qi and blood and a weakened spleen and stomach, she is most susceptible to dampness invasion, which can lead to postpartum vomiting and diarrhea, edema, retention of lochia, and soreness and pain in the limbs.