Summer and Menstrual Health
The Heart–Uterus Connection in Chinese Medicine
This is part 3 of 5 in the Summer health Series. Explore the full series below:
(We recommend starting with the Five Elements Series for deeper context if you haven't yet.)
The Heart Organ in Traditional Chinese Medicine - Passion, Love, and Expansive Energy
Summer and Menstrual Health (You are here)
Summer Fashion: TCM-Inspired Tips for Staying Seasonally Smart (coming soon)
Summer Food & Preparation: Eating with the Season in Mind (coming soon)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the menstrual cycle moves like the seasons—and ovulation is the bright, blossoming summer. In this post, we explore the connection between the Heart and Uterus through the Bao Mai, how emotions shape ovulation, and why joy, warmth, and gentle protection are essential to menstrual health.
We move through seasons—not just under the sky, but within our bodies. In Chinese Medicine, each phase of the menstrual cycle echoes a season:
Menstruation is winter—quiet, inward, conserving.
Follicular phase is spring—fresh, growing.
Ovulation is summer—radiant and outward.
Luteal phase is autumn—harvesting, preparing.
So, when ovulation arrives, the body is at its most yang. There’s warmth, openness, and the natural movement toward connection, intimacy, and expression. Some people feel more energetic or social at this time, and yes—more interested in sex. The Heart is active here, and the body often drives the desire to connect. No surprise, really—this is summer, after all.
Heart and Uterus: A Special Relationship
In TCM, the Heart and Uterus are linked by a channel called the Bao Mai—a meridian unique to the uterus, connecting it directly with the Heart. It’s a poetic and powerful image: the heart reaching toward the womb, allowing spirit and emotion to touch the possibility of life.
This connection is especially active around ovulation. When the Heart is full—when there is joy, safety, and spaciousness—the Bao Mai is open, and the Uterus can receive. But if something shocking or upsetting happens at this time, it can affect the flow between Heart and Uterus, sometimes altering the cycle or disrupting ovulation itself.
Uterus as an Extraordinary Organ
In Chinese Medicine, the Uterus is not treated as a problem to be fixed—it is revered as an extraordinary organ, capable of transformation. It’s not “angry” or “lazy” or “rebellious.” If there’s pain, heaviness, or change in the cycle, it’s not about blaming the uterus—it’s about asking why.
What message is it trying to send?
The Uterus is sensitive—to emotion, temperature, nourishment, and even the environment around us. It doesn't do well in cold or damp settings (or food!), and it responds deeply to emotional states that haven’t been fully felt. Unexpressed sadness, frustration, fear, or grief can all settle into the womb space, making it feel tight, numb, or painful.
Tend the Heart, Honour the Uterus
To care for your menstrual health in summer:
Seek moments of real joy: small pleasures, kind laughter, beauty in daily life.
Acknowledge what you feel, even if it's uncomfortable. Uterus listens to what Heart does not speak.
Avoid cold pools or drafts on the lower belly—especially around ovulation.
Nourish yourself with warm, easy-to-digest foods (more in Part 5).
Honour ovulation as a creative, receptive, and tender time—not just biologically, but emotionally.
In the next post, we’ll explore TCM fashion wisdom for summer—yes, grandma was right about keeping your belly and feet warm. Even in July.