Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects up to 75% of women to some degree, but for many the symptoms go far beyond mild discomfort. Severe PMS and its more extreme form, PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), can be genuinely debilitating, affecting relationships, work and quality of life for a week or more each month.
Despite how common it is, PMS is poorly understood in conventional medicine and is often dismissed or managed only with the pill or antidepressants. Yet the underlying drivers of PMS: oestrogen and progesterone imbalance, magnesium deficiency, blood sugar instability, poor liver detoxification and gut health, all respond well to nutritional intervention.
For many women, significantly reducing PMS symptoms is achievable within two to three cycles of targeted nutritional support.
Mood swings, irritability or anger in the days before your period
Low mood, tearfulness or hopelessness premenstrually
Anxiety or feeling overwhelmed in the luteal phase
Breast tenderness or swelling
Bloating and digestive changes before your period
Headaches or migraines linked to your cycle
Food cravings, particularly for sugar or carbohydrates
Fatigue or difficulty sleeping in the second half of your cycle
PMS and PMDD are rooted in what happens during the luteal phase, the second half of your cycle after ovulation. Progesterone rises and oestrogen shifts, and if this balance is disrupted, or if the liver is not efficiently clearing used oestrogen, symptoms escalate.
Nutritional therapy for PMS focuses on supporting progesterone levels through nutrient cofactors, improving liver detoxification to clear oestrogen efficiently, stabilising blood sugar across the cycle and addressing magnesium deficiency, which is present in the majority of women with significant PMS.
Cycle tracking is a powerful tool in this work. Understanding exactly when your symptoms occur and how they track against your cycle gives precise information about what is driving them.
For women with severe PMS or PMDD, a DUTCH cycle mapping test can measure oestrogen and progesterone across the full cycle, showing exactly how they rise, peak and fall and whether the ratio between them is driving symptoms.
View DUTCH testingPMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) is a more severe form of PMS in which psychological symptoms, particularly depression, anxiety and rage, are the predominant features. The underlying mechanisms are similar to PMS but more pronounced.
No. If you are on hormonal contraception, we can still work together on nutritional support appropriate for your situation. If reducing reliance on the pill is a longer-term goal, that is something we can work towards with appropriate care.
Most women notice meaningful changes in PMS symptoms within two to three cycles of implementing a targeted plan. Significant PMDD can take longer, but improvement is typically noticeable within three months.
Book a free call to talk through your PMS or PMDD symptoms and find out what is driving them.
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