One of the many reasons women don’t enjoy their periods is premenstrual syndrome (PMS). This is the week before your period in which you can feel moody, crave everything in sight, and feel bloated all day. Does this sound familiar?! I want to let you in on a little secret; you can eliminate your period bloating FOR GOOD!
The most common symptoms of PMS are:
- Menstrual Cramps
- Bloating
- Mood Swings
- Cravings (usually something salty or sweet)
- Fatigue
- Water Retention
- Sore Breasts
Honestly, I don’t want any of these symptoms, and I don’t want any of you to deal with them either! There is a whole post dedicated to understanding your PMS symptoms. What most (if not all of them) have in common is Estrogen Dominance.
What is estrogen dominance?
This is when there is too much Estrogen in the body. A woman could have:
- Too much Estrogen and not enough Progesterone
- Too much Estrogen and too much Progesterone
This is a prevalent hormonal imbalance. The drop in Estrogen is what causes your PMS. The more Estrogen you have, the worse your PMS will be.
What are the symptoms of estrogen dominance?
There are some specific signs of estrogen dominance besides PMS. This includes:
- Irregular/Heavy Periods
- Water Retention
- Breast Soreness/Swelling
- Headaches/Migraines
- Fibrocystic Breast Changes
- Weight Gain
- Mood Swings
- Hair Loss
- Painful Periods (i.e. cramps)
Each month I would keep a journal to make a note of your symptoms. You can also use the Clue app too! This is a straightforward way to see patterns that you can bring to your OB-GYN. Source: Here
How does this connect to period bloating?
One of the major ways we remove excess estrogen is by having a bowel movement. The goal is to have a bowel movement 1-2x per day.
However, nearly 10% of the American population is constipated, which is A LOT of people!
If we aren’t removing those toxins, excess hormones and other waste stays in your body. Therefore, your bloating can be caused by Estrogen not being able to be flushed out or underlining gut dysbiosis.
What tests should I get done?
The two tests I would recommend is a comprehensive stool test and a hormone panel. If you are on hormonal birth control, the hormone panel won’t be beneficial as it’ll read the hormones from the birth control.
The stool test will reveal an underline gut issue such as parasites, Candida, microbiome imbalances, etc. A breath test can also be beneficial as that will tell you if you have SIBO.
The hormone panel should include cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, FSH, and LH to cover all sex hormones. It is important to heal the underlining cause BEFORE doing any form of detox!
How do I reduce estrogen levels?
Even after healing your gut, it is important to ensure your liver is working efficiently. You can do a liver detox, but you must be pooping 1-2x per day.
It can be very dangerous if you are not as those toxins will build up in your body! By supporting your liver, we can ensure that Estrogen is being flushed out.
What you can do to support your liver:
- Switch out your toxic personal care items
- Switch out your cleaning products
- Eliminate inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, refined sugar, processed foods, vegetable oils, corn, and soy
- Discontinue smoking and drinking alcohol
- Getting 8+ hours of sleep
- Reduce your stress as much as possible (this is important if you have low progesterone)
These are the key things to start with, as this may be all you need! The goal is to have happy periods with little to no PMS. Not only will you have no period bloating, but general bloating can also disappear!
Thank youu so much for reading, and I’d love for you to share this with anyone else struggling with period bloat!
XOXO,
Disclaimer
**This information is not meant as medical or nutritional advice. Always check with your qualified healthcare professional before incorporating new supplements or nutritional changes into your routine. A Primal Health Coach (PHC) is trained to evaluate nutritional needs and make recommendations for dietary changes and nutritional supplements. A PHC is unable to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or medical condition. I cannot guarantee any specific result from recommendations as we are all bio-individually different. If you are under the care of a healthcare provider, it is important that you contact them and alert them to any changes in your lifestyle in regards to nutrition and supplements. A health coach may be a beneficial addition to more traditional care, and it may also alter your need for medication, so it is important you always keep your physician informed of changes in your nutritional program.
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