Pain between periods
Flares peak around ovulation or your period, but a lower ache or pressure stays in between and makes sitting harder.
Endometriosis pain often follows your cycle, but many people also carry a lower ache, pressure or burning between flares. Sitting, sex, bowel movements and exercise can all set it off. The pain can spread into the hips, low back and groin.
Your gynecologist manages the endometriosis itself, with hormonal treatment or surgery. Alongside the disease, pain often comes from the muscles and nerves around it. The pelvic floor, deep hip muscles and abdominal wall tend to brace and stay tight. Over time the nervous system can learn to expect pain from the pelvis and turn the volume up.
I work alongside your gynecologist and treat the pain and its muscle and nerve contributors with dry needling, a form of acupuncture. A tight piriformis or obturator internus can crowd the pudendal and posterior femoral cutaneous nerves. I needle those muscles to give the nerves room. If your system is amplifying pain, I work at the lower thoracic, upper lumbar and sacral spine that serves the uterus. I also use electroacupuncture to help influence the signaling between the brain and the ovaries. Custom herbal formulas can support circulation and hormone health, while medication and surgery decisions stay with your gynecologist.
Most people have had hormonal treatment, pain medication and sometimes excision surgery. These remain the core of medical care for endometriosis. They aren’t designed to release a pelvic floor that has learned to brace, or to calm nerves that have become sensitive. Imaging doesn’t show muscle tone or nerve sensitivity, so you may hear that everything looks fine while you still hurt. Pelvic floor PT may have been part of your care, but it can’t include needling: New York restricts dry needling, so PTs and chiropractors can’t offer it.
I start by asking where the pain goes through your cycle, what sets off a flare, and what you’ve already had done medically. Then the exam:
Gynecology, endometriosis specialists, surgeons and pelvic floor PT all stay part of your care. When something I find seems worth raising with one of them, I’ll tell you and pass along my findings.
I work alongside your gynecologist, who manages the disease, medication and any surgery. Beyond the pain work, I use electroacupuncture aimed at the hormonal signaling between the brain and the ovaries. Herbal formulas made for you can help support circulation and hormone balance. Results vary, and none of this replaces your medical care.
Surgery removes lesions, but it doesn’t reset a pelvic floor that has been bracing for years. Tight hip muscles, sensitive scar tissue and an amplified nervous system can all remain. I look for what is still contributing and time treatment around your surgeon’s guidance.
Releasing a tight piriformis or obturator internus eases the squeeze on the nerves running past them, which can reduce burning and sitting pain. Spinal work aims to settle a pelvis that has become pain sensitive. Most people need both, because the muscle and nervous system sides tend to overlap.
The two work well together. PT centers on retraining and exercise for the pelvic floor. I use needling to release tight muscles and calm sensitive nerves, which can make PT work easier to hold.
Some tenderness is common because the tissue is already sensitive. I start gently and track how you respond over the next one to three days, especially around your cycle. If you react strongly, I adjust the plan.
Get medical care promptly for severe or rapidly worsening pain, heavy bleeding, fever or a suspected infection. The same goes for pregnancy related pain, fainting, unexplained weight loss, or new nerve symptoms like weakness or numbness. If you don’t have a gynecologist, I’ll encourage you to find one so both kinds of care run together.
Adults with pelvic floor, nerve and orthopedic pain, along with neurological conditions. Most of my patients come to me after other care hasn't fully settled things. If you're looking for general wellness acupuncture, I'm not the right fit.
We review your history and what you've already tried. I assess the muscles and nerves involved, and you're treated the same day.
It depends on the condition. Pelvic and orthopedic plans usually run 4 to 6 weeks. Neurological plans are usually 2 visits a week for 6 weeks or 3 a week for 4. After that, visits space out so the changes hold. These are typical timelines, not promises.
Yes. I work alongside doctors, physical therapists and specialists. If something I find needs a closer look from one of them, I'll tell you.
I'm an out-of-network provider. You pay at the time of your visit, and my office submits the claim so any reimbursement comes to you. Free benefit checks are available before your first visit through the verification form, and HSA and FSA cards work. I don't take Medicare or Medicaid, though some Medicare Advantage plans reimburse out-of-network care. Full insurance details
Yes. I treat adults, teens and children, though I don't specialize in infants or toddlers.
Yes. Book a free discovery call to ask your questions and see whether we're a good fit.
Dry needling is a form of acupuncture. Fine needles go into tight bands of muscle and trigger points to lower muscle tension and change how the area is signaling.
You may feel a brief twitch or a deep ache as the needle reaches tight muscle. It passes quickly, and any soreness afterward usually fades within a day or two.
It's generally safe with a properly trained practitioner. Needles are sterile and single-use, and I check your health history first, including blood thinners. In New York, dry needling can only be performed by licensed acupuncturists, MDs and DOs. Physical therapists and chiropractors aren't permitted to perform it.
Eat something light beforehand and wear loose clothing that lets me reach the area being treated.
Usually not. Ultrasound helps in a few specific cases, but it hasn't been shown to improve results for common trigger points. A careful hands-on exam is what guides the needle. More on ultrasound-guided dry needling
Dry needling aimed at the pelvic floor and the hip and abdominal muscles around it, for pain, tension and urinary symptoms driven by those muscles and their nerves. More on pelvic floor dry needling
Sometimes, depending on the muscles involved, and you'll be draped throughout. Treatment always follows your consent and comfort. I don't do internal exams or internal treatment.
No, though it helps if you've already seen a doctor or pelvic floor physical therapist. Bring any notes or imaging you have.
Completely. I've heard it all, and there's no judgment here, just a straightforward conversation so we can treat what's going on.
Yes, I treat adults of every gender and identity. After gender-affirming surgery involving the pelvis, bring your surgical notes and we'll decide together what fits.
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118 W. 72nd St, Rear Lobby, New York, NY 10023
Evidence-based acupuncture and dry needling on the Upper West Side. From chronic pain and headaches to pelvic floor dysfunction, Dr. Jordan Barber pairs the highest level of training with care that actually listens.
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