PMS: if your hormones could talk.
Monthly symptoms like fatigue, moodiness, anxiety, insomnia, night sweats, and bloating are all messages from your body that it’s time for some hormone help. Let’s dive in.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen a huge uptick of moms in my practice seeking help for their PMS or PMDD (that’s premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a more severe form of PMS).
Symptoms tend to get worse with age, especially as we approach perimenopause. And of course, they're also related to the hormonal fluctuations in your cycle, which can happen at any time and at any age.
So, if you feel like a yelly rage monster one week out of every month (or maybe for you it presents more like terrible anxiety or deep sadness), you’re not alone, my friend.
The cool thing?
While PMS doesn’t respond well to medical intervention (the go-to treatment being the birth control pill), it responds SUPER well to dietary changes. So well, in fact, even *I'm* surprised sometimes.
This is pretty major…so let’s taco ‘bout it!
In this post, I’m diving into the causes of, and quick fixes for, PMS so you can feel like the same person all month long, instead of having that bloated, yelly rage monster take over 7-10 days out of every month.
PMS is not just your hormones acting batsh*t for no reason.
There are actual reasons you feel like a dumpster fire before you get your period.
Let’s go through the most common PMS symptoms, along with some of the biology of what’s actually going on behind the scenes.
MOOD CHANGES
These mood changes can be a pretty severe Jekyll meets Hyde sitch. What may have previously been a more manageable few days of depression, anxiety, irritation, or get-away-from-me-now vibes can worsen into 7 to 10 days of feeling like a completely different person.
No surprise here: this makes parenting about a bajillion times more difficult.
Mood changes happen because of a rapid dip in two key mood regulating hormones: estrogen and progesterone—making your brain’s ability to chill out and handle stress a lot more difficult.
SORE BOOBS
Sometimes subtle, sometimes so bad you have to hold 'em when you walk down stairs.
Low progesterone and certain nutrient deficiencies are typically at play here.
BLOATING AND WEIGHT GAIN
A small amount of extra poundage is fairly normal at points during your cycle, but when the scale is up 5+ pounds and you have to wear different clothes for a week, this is excessive.
Changes in your metabolism during the luteal phase of your cycle, plus estrogen and progesterone changes are responsible for this one.
CRAVINGS
Usually for chocolate and other carb-packed or sugary foods. Who can relate??
night sweats
Night sweats aren’t just for my postpartum or menopause ladies. Night sweats each month, before or during your period, are a classic sign that your hormones need some support.
fatigue
Part of feeling tired before your cycle is your body telling you to slow down (pro-tip: listen to these messages). But like anything, there's “normal” and then there's “way too f’ing much.”
Need a bit more sleep or compelled to take your workout down a notch? Normal. Please do that.
Hitting the snooze button more times than you can count or dragging all day long? Not so much.
STRESS inTOLERANCE
This probably should go up there with mood changes, but ima give it its own shout-out.
Stress intolerance is when you have BIG reactions to things that don’t typically ruffle your feathers. Like the time I went postal after noticing my husband ate the last piece of chocolate that he KNEW I was saving for after the kids went to bed. (Jérôme, if you’re reading this, don’t act all innocent. I KNOW YOU KNEW!!!)
Anyhoo
Stress intolerance is also a common symptom of burnout. But, if it's happening cyclically and tends to go away after you get your period, then it's probably hormonally driven.
Which symptom resonates most with you?
For most of my patients, mood changes are the most bothersome symptom (and the least likely to respond to meds).
This is exactly what happened to my patient, Tiffany. She’s 39 and her PMS was getting so bad that she only had about seven “good days” per cycle. A cycle that was getting shorter and shorter—she was getting her period about every 24 days. Not cool!
Her first stop was her OBGYN who offered up a combo of the pill (to suppress her hormone production) plus an antidepressant (to use for the second half of her cycle to help boost her mood). While that treatment plan may be the right choice for some, Tiffany wanted to see if she could figure out the root of the issue and balance her hormones.
So here’s what we did:
Comprehensive nutrient testing to see what her vitamin and mineral gaps looked like. We found MANY deficiencies that are linked to PMS: magnesium, calcium, B6, and copper to name a few.
Daily hormone testing to see her personal “ups and downs” of estrogen and progesterone all throughout her cycle. We then mapped that alongside her symptoms to see exactly when we needed to support each hormone.
Nutrition changes to ensure that she was eating to support her body’s basic foundational needs. Then we filled in her nutrient gaps and fed her hormones. We rounded things out with a replenishing exercise plan that didn’t rely too heavily on depleting activities like HIIT workouts.
The results?
Tiffany’s PMS dramatically improved in just the first cycle and her day-to-day stress tolerance became much more manageable at home and at work.
Oh, and those 24 day cycles? Now they’re closer to 30. Boom!
What not to do
Before diving into the treatment, let’s pull a Stacy London and talk about what not to do.
Here are the most common mistakes I see being made by my mama clients who struggle with PMS:
Working too hard without enough rest, and staying up too late. This is the typical "mom life" hustle that leads to legit burnout—and sometimes the first sign is bad PMS. It’s time to get some sh*t off your plate.
Totally depleted nutritionally, and those deficiencies are linked to symptoms of PMS (B6, calcium, D, magnesium, zinc, and iodine are just a few that are directly linked). This one is the biggest factor I see with my clients, and why I *always* run a comprehensive nutrient panel when I work with someone one-on-one. The gaps in our nutrient stores tell a HUGE story. (Fun fact: chocolate cravings are often caused by magnesium deficiencies.)
Skipping meals or cutting carbs, especially in the luteal phase. You will always feel like crap if you are not eating three full meals per day. Also, your metabolism changes throughout your cycle and your need for carbohydrates is slightly higher after ovulation. So cutting the carbs then can lead to more fatigue and those sudden cravings from above.
Exercising at the same intensity every day, even when your body is giving off signals that it wants a break. The ups and downs of our cyclic hormones really do need us to make changes. We're on a 28(-ish) day cycle, not a 24-hour cycle. We gotta listen to our mom bods and make adjustments.
Your PMS remedy
So here’s what I want you to know:
If you currently feel like Tiffany, you’re not alone.
You're also not going crazy.
Your hormones just need some help so that they're working for you, not against you. Those pesky hormones don’t just go wackadoodle for no reason—they respond to their environment. If their environment (AKA your body) looks like skipped meals, blood sugar rollercoasters, and sleep deficiencies galore—well, then the hormones will be your frenemies.
When hormones are in balance and on your side, it feels like a superpower of good energy, creative thinking, and communication. Overall, you just feel uh-mazing.
How do we do that?
When it comes to PMS, I treat your symptoms by optimizing your hormones and balancing your plate (both your actual food plate and all those plates you juggle daily).
This often involves some targeted nutrient and hormone testing—like in the case of Tiffany and many other patients I’ve helped through their monthly fun times.
But even before we dive into the specialized testing, we can make some changes in the kitchen and in the bedroom that can have a really positive impact on hormones.
STEP 1
Eat a bigger breakfast. This sets the stage for good blood sugar balance, which is key for hormonal harmony. A frittata with veggies and sweet potato for starch is an easy pre-in-advance breakfast option. Another one of my favorites is my Mama Oats: rolled oats cooked with coconut butter, cinnamon, flaxseed, and topped with nuts and fresh fruit.
STEP 2
Sleep more. Sleeping less than 7.5-9 hours per night (uninterrupted) sends a stress hormone signal throughout your body which really funks up your hormones. If you are laughably (or cry-ably?) far away from that right now, try going to bed 30 minutes earlier tonight.
STEP 3
Have more fun. I often say that PMS is an early sign of burnout. The stress and physical demands of modern parenthood, plus being physically depleted of sleep and nutrients, sets the stage for burnout symptoms.
In addition to treating the more physical and nutritional elements, we need to combat the neverending stress load. The antidote to stress is joy and fun. Calling up a friend who you know will make you laugh, getting outside for a nice walk in the sun, taking a vacation somewhere new, or even just breaking up the usual bedtime routine to play a new game with your kids all count towards the fun factor.
So, what’s next?
If you’re ready to really dive into the roots of YOUR personal flavor of PMS, I’m here to help.
Want me on your team, guiding you through achieving hormone balance and feeling great? My Mother Reboot program starts next month and includes both nutrient and hormone testing! Get details on the program here
And remember, PMS is a symptom of imbalance, not a character trait. We can fix this together. 💜
