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You know it’s that time of the month when you’re curled up in bed, unable to move due to crippling pain, the anxiety begins to creep in and you suddenly have breakouts on your face. Have you been told this is all ‘just part of being a woman’?
This is not how your period should be. You shouldn’t have to ‘put up’ with the crippling pain, the horrible anxiety, the extreme fatigue or the worry of leaking through your undies. Your period should be pain-free, flow easily and not interfere with your day-to-day activities.
Your body is an incredible masterpiece and uses symptoms to communicate to you that something is a little out of whack and needs some attention. During your cycle, you may suffer from pain/cramping, heavy or light periods, short or long cycles or clotting in your period bleed.
These symptoms are signs your body is screaming for a little love and attention. All of these signs have one thing in common - they result from an imbalance between your hormones oestrogen and progesterone and when this is the case, a whole array of issues begin to arise. In a happy healthy period, progesterone and oestrogen are in balance and sync with one another.
Let’s take a look at 4 key signs your period needs attention.
#1. Pain/cramping
Dysmenorrhoea, commonly known as period pain is the pain experienced before or during your period and may feel like mild to moderate cramping, or a heavy and dragging sensation in your pelvis or lower back. This type of pain can suggest you may be suffering from oestrogen excess usually due to lifestyle or dietary choices and impaired liver function. Your liver is responsible for the clearance of any excess hormones and when your liver is under stress (usually due to overload from caffeine, alcohol, poor diet etc) oestrogen clearance is altered causing a build-up of circulating oestrogen.
Note: If your period pain doesn’t respond to painkillers and is so severe you suffer from nausea and vomiting, you may have an underlying condition such as endometriosis or adenomyosis and this should be investigated by a qualified healthcare professional.
#2. Quantity (super heavy or super light)
Is your bleed so heavy you soak through a pad in an hour or constantly leek into your undies? This is another sign that the ratio between oestrogen and progesterone may be slightly imbalanced with oestrogen being in excess.
Mennograghia is defined as a period bleed that is abnormally long or heavy (80mL or more) and is usually due to a uterine problem or hormonal imbalance. If your period is extremely light (less than 5mL) or short (1-2 days of bleeding), this may be your body telling you it’s struggling with an overload of stress. PCOS and thyroid disorders can further impact the quantity of a bleed and should be addressed by your doctor.
#3. Cycle length
What is the ideal cycle length? A question asked by many. In truth, there is no one answer to this with the textbook ideal length being 28 days however, a cycle length ranging anywhere from 21-35 days is considered healthy and normal.
If you are noticing your cycle is consistently arriving later than 35 days every month, it may be time to check your stress levels. When your body is in a state of stress, it recognises it as an unsafe environment to bring a baby into and will delay ovulation. Ovulation is the main event in your cycle that is responsible for the arrival of your period. If ovulation is delayed, your period will also be delayed.
On the other hand, shorter cycle lengths consistently below 21 days may indicate you are having issues producing enough oestrogen. Oestrogen is the hormone responsible for creating the lining of the endometrium that is shed during each period bleed and without enough, your period will arrive early.
Hormonal disorders such as PCOS and thyroid conditions can impact the menstrual cycle length and these should be addressed by your healthcare provider.
#4. Clotting
Have you noticed when you look at your period blood there are clots in there the size of a 5-cent, 10-cent or 20-cent piece? While this can be normal from time to time as the uterine lining sheds, if these clots are regular and large, your body is sending you a message that something isn’t quite right. Once again, your oestrogen levels may be in excess as oestrogen is known to increase levels of clotting factors in the blood.
How do I naturally support my period?
There are so many simple and easy steps you can take to help you achieve a healthy and happy period. The main focus of this is to improve your liver detoxification processes so you can achieve a healthy balance between oestrogen and progesterone throughout your cycle.
Tip #1 - Support liver detoxification processes
As mentioned before, your liver is responsible for the detoxification of hormones so supporting this process is vital in achieving a healthy hormonal balance. To support your liver, ensure you are having 1 cup per day of cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables contain a compound called sulforaphane which supports your liver to detoxify any excess oestrogen circulating in your body. Examples of cruciferous vegetables include kale, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussel sprouts.
Other ways to support your liver are to reduce your alcohol intake and increase your water intake to 2L per day.
Tip #2 - Balance your blood sugar levels
The quickest way to cause havoc to the intricate balance between oestrogen and progesterone is to have the rollercoaster of blood sugar spikes and falls throughout the day. If you are noticing you are extremely tired throughout the day, still hungry after meals or craving sugar, it might be time to give your blood sugar levels some attention.
To keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day:
Ensure you are having protein and healthy fats with every meal
Don’t skip breakfast and aim to have a high protein and lower carbohydrate meal for breakfast
Snack frequently on healthy protein-rich snacks
Tip #3 - Increase Omega-3 intake
Increase your fatty fish intake either through a fish oil supplement (ideally one that contains 200mg or more of EPA + DHA per capsule) OR have 3 serves of fatty fish preferably wild caught per week. Omega-3 helps to reduce inflammation and period pain.
Tip #4 - Increase magnesium intake
Research has found magnesium deficiency may be the cause of PMS symptoms. Magnesium can help to relax the smooth muscle of the uterus and reduce the prostaglandins, the hormone-like substances that cause period pain. Magnesium is also important for proper nervous system functioning helping to reduce anxiety and support healthy sleep patterns.
Tip #5 - Nourish your nervous system
Supporting your nervous system is one of the most beneficial things you can do to support healthy ovulation during your cycle. Focus on stress-lowering activities such as yoga, meditation, time in nature, reading, journaling etc
Tip #6 - Get your sweat on
Exercise is an important aspect of a healthy cycle and can help you to sweat out any excess toxins circulating in your body. Exercise also helps to reduce inflammation and improve blood flow to your reproductive organs (which can help reduce pain experienced)
If you have any of these signs, your body is screaming at you for a little tender loving care. Get in touch with me today to get your period back on track.
Kiarra Olsen - BHSc Naturopathy