PMS is one of the most common disorders of Women in reproductive age, affecting 75% of women, with a higher rate in younger women.
The symptoms can be emotional or physical.
Emotional symptoms can include:
Angry outbursts
Anxiety
Being teary
Confusion
Depression
Irritability
Insomnia
Social Withdrawal
Physical symptoms can include:
Breast tenderness
Bloating and weight gain
Headaches
Swelling of the hands or feet
Fatigue
Abdominal pain
Gastrointestinal symptoms
Skin problems
PMS is diagnosed
when at least one symptom is present for 5 consecutive days prior to your period and for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles in a row.
symptoms end within 4 days after the period starts and
interferes with some of your normal activities.
Lara Briden talks about hormonal resilience in her book “Period Repair Manual”.
This can be achieved by:
Enhancing progesterone (your calming hormone),
Stabilizing estrogen and making sure it is cleared properly and
Reducing inflammation to calm your hormone and neurotransmitter receptors.
Diet
It’s important to reduce inflammatory foods such as sugar, gluten, and dairy not just the week before your period but in general.
Follow a wholefood diet that includes lean protein (including vegetarian sources), lots of fresh vegetables and fruit plus healthy fats (think avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds, oily fish).
Herbal medicine
Vitex to the rescue.
Vitex agnus-castus or chaste berry is a small tress native to the Mediterranean and Western Asia. The fruit of the tree has been traditionally used for treatment of female hormones and menstrual irregularities.
It can help balance the ratio of progesterone to estrogen so that there aren’t huge fluctuations of these hormones.
Please talk to a health car professional before taking Vitex.
Miracle Magnesium
Magnesium is a calming mineral, helping your body recover form stressful events.
It also supports the production of serotonin (your mood boosting hormone) and melatonin (your sleep hormone). Magnesium has been shown to hep in the management of PMS symptoms.
10 foods to boost your magnesium:
Almonds
Avocados
Brown rice
Black beans
Pumpkin seeds
Figs
Bananas
Dark chocolate
Quinoa
Spinach
Reducing stress
While stress is a natural part of life, chronic stress can make PMS worse.
A walk in Nature or short yoga session can help stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest).
Try to spend 5-10 minutes a day doing some meditation or simply focusing on your breathing is very beneficial too.
Stay connected and spend time with your friends, doing things you enjoy.
Prioritize sleep. Allow 7-8 hours a night. Try to keep to a routine and get in a few hours before midnight.
For further help with any hormonal issues, please get in touch for a consultation.
Jules x
References
ACOG. Premenstrual syndrome. 2020. Available at: https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/premenstrual-syndrome
Briden, Lara. (2015) Period Repair Manual. Createspace Independent Publishing (1st ed.).