5 Areas to focus on to reduce PMS

I will shout it from the rooftops if I have to.

PMS is NOT normal!…It may be common, but it is NOT normal!

About 80% of women report experiencing PMS symptoms, while about 12% suffer from premenstrual disorders such as PMDD.

PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) is a series of physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms that occur in the luteal phase (1-2 weeks before menstruation) and disappear within the first few days of the menstrual phase.

There are actually 5 “Types” of PMS that categorize symptoms and have different natural protocols to minimize the symptoms. You can identify, understand and learn about your PMS type here with my free PMS Type Guide.

Regardless of your PMS Type, there are 5 areas that you can start focusing on today that will improve, and in many cases, completely banish PMS for good.

Image source: Calm Clinic

Why is it so important to reduce PMS symptoms though?

Irregularities in your menstrual cycle, including PMS, are a sign that something may be askew in your body. Doctors are now considering the menstrual cycle to be a woman’s 5th vital sign because of the insights it can provide about overall health.

If you are experiencing PMS symptoms such as mood swings and irritability, cravings, feelings of sadness or depression, bloating, acne, breast tenderness, headaches, or any other symptoms, it is a sign that your body is telling you something is off.

Although many researchers still debate the true cause of PMS, it has been well established that it relates to the estrogen-progesterone balance within your luteal phase. This balance affects water retention, metabolism, and serotonin levels!

Many other factors such as nutrition, weight gain, stress, illness, your environment, medication, and even seasonal changes have all been shown to affect PMS.

Healing PMS is also incredibly important for your overall quality of life!

PMS can affect your

Relationships

Many women experience irritability, mood swings, anxiety, depression, and other cognitive symptoms that can often be placed onto the ones we love. How many times have you snapped at someone you love only to have your period come 2 days later?

Careers

PMS pain, fatigue, low motivation and brain fog can affect how you perform at work or within your business. Many women often have to take off several days of work because their PMS is so bad. Not only can this come with an actual cost (loss of wages) but can also result in loss of confidence in your ability to perform.

Confidence

You may experience guilt for how you’ve acted toward others, you may lose confidence in your ability to stay productive, you may even lose confidence because your anxiety has taken over or you’ve binged or feel as though you’ve gained weight. Whatever the reason is, confidence can take a huge hit when you experience PMS that can have a lingering effect.

A woman will have an average of 451 menstrual cycles spanning 38.5 years. That is a massive part of her that may be looked at negatively or cause distress.

When we are able to heal our cycles and live in tune with them we can use them to our advantage and become unstoppable!

Here are the top 5 areas to focus on to heal PMS!

1. Start Cycle Syncing

Cycle syncing is the practice of tailoring your nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle to the different phases of your cycle to optimize your health, wellness, relationships, and productivity. This has so many benefits for your overall health and well being!

Your menstrual cycle affects you all month long, not just during PMS and your menstrual phase. As women, we have predictable changes in our hormone levels that affect our physical bodies, our mental health, clarity, motivation and more. When we are able to attune our lives to these changes we can improve our overall health and reduce PMS symptoms.

Furthermore, cycle syncing allows for a deep connection to yourself. You begin to understand your patterns, how to support yourself, and how to listen to your body when it is telling you something may be off.

Cycle syncing should be your first line of defence when it comes to healing PMS symptoms. To learn more about what cycle syncing is and how to tailor your nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle to your cycle check out this article!

2. Maintain a hormone-healthy diet

One of the most crucial aspects of healing PMS is supporting your body through food. Incorporating or avoiding certain foods during each phase of your cycle is an important factor in PMS symptom reduction. Nourish your hormones and body with specific nutrients during each phase.

It is important to avoid food stressors, irritants and stimulants that, even if not causing PMS symptoms, can make them worse. These include sugars & refined foods, caffeine, alcohol, chemicals, and in some cases, gluten and dairy.

Let me break it down just a little bit further.

Avoid excess sugars

All the systems in our bodies are connected, our different hormones are also connected. One of the best things you can do for your body is to regulate blood sugar levels.

Avoid highly processed foods as they often contain a hefty dose of sugar that can spike your insulin levels and wreak havoc on your hormones.

Avoid sugary drinks, excess candy, white breads and pastas, as well as alcohol.

*Pro tip - cinnamon has been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels so it is great to incorporate into your diet!

Limit alcohol consumption

Not only does alcohol contain a lot of simple carbohydrates and refined sugars, it also affects estrogen production.

Alcohol is shown to increase estrogen production which can lead to estrogen dominance or an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone in the luteal phase, causing an increase in PMS symptoms.

Alcohol is also dehydrating which can influence fluid retention, reduce the body’s ability to eliminate excess hormones, and cause undue stress on your liver (which is how hormones are processed).

Incorporate more fibre

Make sure to get enough fibre! Fibre should be your best friend, yet the average American gets less than 15g of fibre per day while the daily recommended intake is 25g… Although, I still think that is too low for women of reproductive age.

Fibre helps slow down the absorption of sugar which will reduce insulin spikes. It is also important in the body’s ability to eliminate waste.

Excess estrogen and hormones are excreted through our body’s elimination system. That means to maintain a healthy hormone balance you should be pooping at least once or twice a day! Fibre really helps with this!

Incorporate more plants such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains to make sure you hit your fibre intake!

Identify and eliminate food sensitivities

Food sensitivities may be hard to pinpoint at first as they don’t cause an immediate reaction like an allergy may. You can get a food sensitivities test or use an elimination diet to figure out what your sensitivities are.

When you eat something you have a sensitivity to, you trigger an immune response. This can lead to chronic inflammation, digestive upset, and ultimately wreak havoc on your hormones.

Common sensitivities include dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs, and nightshade vegetables.

3. Create an exercise program

Exercise is extremely important in hormone health and reducing PMS symptoms! To get the most out of your exercise program it is helpful to sync it to the phases of your cycle. During different phases your body has differences in what it may need to ensure releasing excess hormones, not causing added stress as well as your ability to perform.

Many women may over or under exercise which can cause issues with hormones and increase PMS symptoms.

Under-exercising can be detrimental to your hormonal health because it can reduce your body’s ability to remove excess hormones, cause weight gain and negatively influence water retention. While overexercising can result in high cortisol (stress hormone) levels which take precedence over reproductive hormone production and lead to severe PMS, loss of period, and chronic inflammation.

The general standard of exercise is 150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week broken down into 30-45 minute sessions. It is incredibly important to allow your body to rest and recover through rest days and stress reducing exercise such as yoga and walking.

Women with reproductive issues such as PCOS need to be extremely cautious with their exercise routine and should prioritize slower strength training workouts and adequate rest and recovery.

Some PMS Types find greater relief by incorporating exercise in the later luteal phase to process excess hormones, reduce water retention and increase relaxation.

4. Incorporate supplements

Cycle syncing and tailoring supplements to your PMS type can greatly reduce symptoms and improve period health.

Magnesium and B6 are two nutrients that many of my clients have seen great results from as a general standard. Make sure if you are taking a B6 supplement that you do so with a B-Vitamin complex to not throw off your balance of B vitamins.

Learn more about tailoring your supplements to your specific PMS Type here.

There are also many herbs and natural supplements that can greatly reduce PMS symptoms when they arise. For example, Vitex aka. chaste berry seems to support progesterone effects without raising hormones. It can also decrease prolactin which helps to lessen breast swelling and tenderness in some women.

Raspberry leaf, often consumed as a tea can help tone the uterus and reduce cramps.

While ginger root can help with circulation and as a mild stimulant that can be helpful in moving along retained fluid.

Keep in mind that herbal programs seem to work more slowly in the first 1-2 months of use and may need to be taken over a longer period of time than pharmaceuticals.

5. Reduce stress

Stress is a major contributing factor to PMS symptoms and severity! Your body can’t really tell the difference between stressors so it is important to focus on overall stress reduction. Physical stress like back pain and an injury can have a similar response within your body to mental or environmental stress such as a difficult job or relationship problems. Food sensitivities, lack of sleep, and caffeine can also lead to chronic elevated cortisol levels that wreak havoc on your hormones and cause severe PMS symptoms.

Help your body and mind reduce stress by incorporating stress reducing practices like yoga, meditation, walking, epsom salt baths, using essential oils, acupuncture and supplementing with adaptogenic herbs.

I think adaptogenic herbs need to have the spotlight for a second because they have helped me and so many of my clients incredibly!

Adaptogens are herbs that help your body deal with stress better by lowering cortisol production, supporting your adrenal glands, increasing relaxation and lowering inflammation. Some of my favourite adaptogens are medicinal mushrooms such as cordycep, reshi, and maitake, as well as herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola rosea, holy basil and American ginseng. Check out nutrients for stress and adaptogens here.

A friendly reminder: We've done our research, but you should, too! Check our sources against your own, and always exercise sound judgment.

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Haas, E., & Levin, B. (2006). Staying healthy with Nutrition. Berkeley: Celestial arts.

Hofmeister, S., & Bodden, S. (2016, August 1). Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. American Family Physician. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2016/0801/p236.html#afp20160801p236-t1.

Le, J., Thomas, N., & Gurvich, C. (2020). Cognition, The Menstrual Cycle, and Premenstrual Disorders: A Review. Brain Sciences, 10(4), 198. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10040198

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). (2021). Retrieved 12 July 2021, from https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual- syndrome/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd#:~:text=Premenstrual%20dysphoric%20disorder%20(PMDD)%20is,da ys%20after%20your%20period%20starts.