Menstruation
Three common causes of PMS: Start reducing your symptoms today
by Marcy Holmes, Women’s Health NP
According to researchers, there are more than 200 possible symptoms of PMS.
Listening to the many women I know, we can experience every single symptom in one day!
Okay, while we know this isn’t actually possible, doesn’t it sometimes feel like it is — with bloating in the morning, cravings by 10:00 AM, and crawling into bed, exhausted, at 7:00 PM?
Whether you’re suffering from one symptom or 100, I want you to know you can change how you are feeling. In our practice, we see the majority of women who suffer from PMS symptoms can find relief through diet and lifestyle changes that reduce hormonal imbalance.
Let’s take a closer look at three common causes of PMS and how you can start improving your symptoms today:
What’s causing your PMS symptoms: Unstable blood sugar
If you feel like you’re on an energetic and emotional roller-coaster ride with PMS, your blood sugar levels may very well be going way up then way down, over and over again. Some women are far more sensitive to symptom-causing fluctuations in blood sugar in the premenstrual period. And fluctuations are going to be much wider with too much sugar and refined carbohydrates in your diet. What’s more, women who are more susceptible to these wide fluctuations can not only be more prone to intense sugar cravings just before their periods, but for some, throughout the month.
Symptoms: Feeling shaky, lightheadedness, dizziness, uncontrollable cravings, for some women.
What you can do right now:
- Start to eat regular meals and snacks to keep blood sugar steady and fend off cravings. I find if I fix a good breakfast, the rest of the day often falls into place. For me, breakfast is often an egg and fresh fruit. Have healthy snacks on hand through the day, like nuts and veggie sticks.
- Avoid high-fructose corn syrup and sugar rich items to promote more balanced blood sugar and less emotional swings.
- Cut morning caffeine at least in half. And try to curb it later in the day, avoiding diet colas for a pick me up. They may just agitate you later.
- Reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates in your diet — anything with white flour, white sugar, white potatoes, or otherwise highly refined and processed — they act like sugar.
- Skip the cocktails as much as possible, especially the week before your period! It can disrupt your sleep and mood later.
What's causing your PMS symptoms: High-stress lifestyle
In one recent study, women who perceived their stress levels to be high during the early weeks of their monthly cycles were two to three times more likely to experience both physical and psychological PMS symptoms. Seems logical enough, right? But when women reported being stressed-out for two consecutive cycles in a row, their chances of having both types of symptoms spiked up to 25 times higher!
What is your PMS trying to tell you?
PMS has been called an exaggeration of how we feel all the time. And I’ve heard one expert explain that at this time of the month a woman’s hormones give her the courage to speak her truth.
At the clinic, Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN NP, also talks with women about unresolved issues from the past to help improve symptoms.
Learn more about how to resolve your PMS symptoms naturally.
Symptoms: Poor response to stressful events and situations; feeling chronically on-edge, overwhelmed, or out of control; tendency toward anxiety and/or depression, especially notable before your period.
What you can do right now:
- Take a high-quality, daily multivitamin-mineral complex rich in B-complex and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Consider an herbal formulation containing chasteberry, such as our Herbal Equilibrium, which additionally includes ashwagandha and passionflower to provide relief for PMS symptoms.
- Cut back on evening activities and get to bed earlier — work your bedtime back to 10:00 PM, if possible. Strive for healthy dinner before 7:00 PM, no computer work after 8:00 PM, no TV in bed, and reading and winding down before hitting the pillow by 10:00 PM.
- Take up or resume a meditation or yoga practice, along with getting regular exercise to calm your nervous system (especially premenstrually). I'm a big Pilates advocate — but choose whatever appeals to you most to clear your head, get your heart pumping, and focus on your breathing.
- Consider other methods to address your emotional health — learn to take special care of yourself! Counseling, meditation, body work or even just a ritual like a hot bath every evening is a start to nurture yourself.
What's causing your PMS symptoms: Depleted nutrients (calcium, magnesium, vitamins K, B6, and E)
Without a ready supply of the nutrients they need each day, our bodies are going to demand urgent attention through intensifying our PMS symptoms — especially if we’ve been running on empty for years. It’s not uncommon for PMS symptoms of all kinds to escalate in women in their 40's, especially when their bodies lack adequate key vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Symptoms: Poor sleep, irritability, fatigue, muscle cramps, aches and pains — overall worsening of all symptoms!
What you can do right now:
- Increase your calcium-to-magnesium intake to help prevent poor sleep, emotional distress, and mood fluctuations. In terms of highly bioavailable supplemental forms, most women do well with a ratio of calcium citrate to magnesium glycinate of 2:1, but a 1:1 ratio might work better for severe symptoms.
- Ensure you’re getting enough essential fatty acids. EPA/DHA from a fish oil source is a more effective form than flax oil and other plant-derived sources. Get 1,000–3,000 mg daily.
- Avoid mineral-depleting sugar, salt, alcohol, and caffeine.
- Consider a high-quality vitamin that combines the most-needed vitamins, minerals, and cofactors.
- Take our Hormonal Health Profile and learn more about what support you can give your body.
Getting started today
Many women tell me that they always assumed PMS was just part of life — and were never given a detailed explanation as to why the symptoms occurred or what tools were available to help them feel better. My patient Jenny is a good example. Every year at her annual check-up, her previous practitioner would simply say, "You work too much" in response to her questions about mood swings. Jenny knew she was stressed — but obviously, not working wasn’t an option!
After Jenny and I talked, she started to understand the connection between her diet and stress, and committed to making small changes — such as cutting out soda and adding healthy snacks and vitamins to her everyday routine. She started some counseling to help her marriage be stronger and to communicate better. And while she certainly isn’t stress-free, she’s learning how to manage it better, and is experiencing fewer ups and downs before her period.
We have found that our patients and Members enjoy the greatest success reducing symptoms when they make diet and lifestyle changes that become everyday habits — not just around the time of their PMS. And I know that each one of you has the ability to start making those beneficial changes today! I hope that each one of you who tries will share your success story with us.
PMS is personal, and your solution should be too.
Real relief for PMS symptoms with our Personal Program
Until our Personal Program, the best non-drug option for women with PMS was to just
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Get rid of your PMS and turn your "time of the month" into a non-event:
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