PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, affects many women with a menstrual cycle, yet it’s often misunderstood. PMS is a syndrome, meaning it’s a collection of symptoms. It can be defined as PMS when the symptoms show up 1-2 weeks before your period (in the luteal phase) and they often get better or fully disappear once your period begins. Symptoms can vary widely from person to person. But understanding PMS isn’t just about recognizing the symptoms, it’s also about knowing what causes them. So, let’s take a deeper dive into PMS, explore its symptoms, causes, and most importantly, discover practical ways to manage it effectively.
Symptoms of PMS
There are over 150 PMS symptoms reported. The most common symptoms include:
• mood swings
• bloating
• breakouts
• headaches
• cravings
• breast tenderness
• anxiety
• fatigue
• trouble sleeping
• irritability
• abdominal cramping
Causes of PMS
Hormonal fluctuations, particularly changes in estrogen and progesterone levels, are thought to play a role in the onset of PMS symptoms. During the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, levels of these hormones fluctuate, which can influence mood, energy levels, and physical symptoms. Additionally, alterations in neurotransmitter activity, such as serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), may contribute to mood disturbances and other emotional symptoms associated with PMS.
In the graph above we see the hormone progesterone in green, which as we can see is the dominant hormone during the luteal phase, or at least it is supposed to be…
What’s the case for a lot of women nowadays, is that their ratio of estrogen to progesterone is out of whack, leaving them with estrogen dominance instead of progesterone being the dominant hormone during the luteal phase. This hormonal imbalance sets the stage for PMS and can have many different causes related to nutrition, exercise and mostly stress.
Stress
When the body experiences a lot of stress, it has to make a lot of the hormone cortisol to deal with it. While doing this, two things can happen. One, the adrenals can make cortisol. Or two, the body can break down the sex hormone progesterone to form cortisol.
This is a process called pregnenolone steal. Cortisol and progesterone both come from the same precursor hormone, pregnenolone. If the adrenals are maxed out on cortisol production, the body steals both pregnenolone and progesterone in order to make enough cortisol to deal with the stress.
Normally, pregnenolone is used to make the sex hormones. So, when pregnenolone is being used for cortisol production, the production of progesterone suffers. Low progesterone sets the stage for estrogen dominance which can then cause PMS symptoms.
What to do about PMS
Starting with tracking symptoms in an app or your notes can be really helpful for monitoring symptoms and identifying patterns. Aside from that, there are many lifestyle modifications that you can make to manage your PMS symptoms.
• Minimize (ultra) processed foods and alcohol
• Eat a balanced diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, proteins and healthy fats
• Eat plenty of fiber to support estrogen metabolism
• Manages stress (especially during the luteal phase) with techniques like yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises
• Increase your intake of fermented foods to support your gut microbiome
• Keep your blood sugar levels stable
• Daily movement and regular exercise
• Drink herbal teas like dandelion tea, burdock tea, ginger tea and raspberry leaf tea
• Consider supplementing b vitamins and magnesium
In conclusion, understanding PMS means knowing it’s a mix of hormones, stress, and lifestyle. By noticing the different symptoms and what might be causing them, people can find ways to feel better. Simple changes like eating healthy, managing stress, and moving around more can make a big difference. It’s about listening to your body and trying out what works best for you. With a little care and attention, PMS can become much easier to handle.
