Are you particularly moody the week before your period? Feeling low, anxious, or on edge..where EVERY. LITTLE. THING. puts you over the top? Your hormones are sending you a message loud and clear!
Possible causes of your PMS include:
- Hormone imbalance (high or low estrogen/progesterone)
- High prolactin
- Blood sugar imbalance
- Calcium or magnesium deficiency
- Serotonin deficiency
Estrogen and progesterone are two important hormones that fluctuate through your cycle. When these hormones (along with a few others) are in balance, you go through each month without many symptoms. When one or both of these hormones are high or low relative to the other, PMS flares up.
Common symptoms of imbalanced hormones include:
Estrogen Dominance
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Food cravings
- Weight gain
- Water retention/bloating
- Irregular periods
- Breast tenderness
- Migraines around your period
Low Progesterone
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Spotting before your period
- Miscarriages
- Constipation/loose stool before or during your period
Sound familiar? Your hormones are trying to tell you that enough is enough. Your body creates these symptoms as a warning…something is going wrong and you need to pay attention.
Factors affecting your hormone balance
- Xenoestrogens (man-made chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body)
- Found in conventionally raised-meat, plastics, and cosmetics.
- Stress
- Progesterone is needed to make several hormones in the body. High stress uses more progesterone to make more cortisol, causing a relative-low progesterone level.
- Low nutrient diet
- Junk food, sugary or fried foods all increase inflammation, which in turn worsen PMS symptoms.
- PMS can be prevented with a nutrient-rich diet, including fibre, vitamins, and minerals found in fruit and veggies. Protein is also important in making serotonin, which is important to prevent depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
- Skipping meals or restricting calories can also lead to nutrient deficiency and puts added stress on your body. This leads to hormonal imbalance since your body is lacking the necessary building blocks to make hormones.
- Sleep — or lack thereof
Tired of the mood swings and PMS symptoms? Lets work together to get you back on track. Click the [here] to get started.
Sincerely,
Dr McNaughton