Our Monthly Cycle, Part 6: Healing Period Problems with Balanced Hormones
Painful periods with cramping, PMS, heavy or irregular periods, fibroids, endometriosis, PCOS, and whatever else you can think of that makes your life hell every month does NOT have to be a life sentence during your reproductive years. When I first started learning this it felt kind of… surreal. Like surely that’s not true. Isn’t the pain and suffering just how it is? Periods are painful, we just have to deal with it. Turns out that’s not true at all. We don’t have to suffer. We don’t have to hate our periods at all. In fact, we can even LIKE them!
The road to painless periods is actually pretty simple. With nourishing diet, nutritional supplements and herbs, tuning into your cyclic emotional flow and natural daily cycle, stress reduction, detoxification (meaning, working up a sweat), and ultimately being open to the reality that it doesn’t have to be complicated or hard or confusing, you can start to like (maybe even love) your period.
So what contributes to wonderful, easeful periods OR funky, out of whack periods anyway?
Our hormones!
A.K.A. our daily habits and consumption and our emotional state.
Today we’re going to cover some hormones that are involved in our cycle so we can start to understand how everything works together. This will not be an exhaustive list and it is not medical advice and I encourage you to take this information and continue to do your own research. This is just an introduction :)
Estrogen is produced primarily by the ovaries (also by adrenal glands & fat cells). There are three main types of estrogens: estradiol, estrone, estriol. When people talk about estrogen they are usually referring to a combination of all three. But, each plays a different role and has a different job within the body.
After our period, we start to make estradiol (the active form of estrogen), some of it turns into the weaker form, estrone. Estrone also comes from androgens throughout the body in fatty tissue and muscle (meaning, after menopause when ovaries retire, we are still making the weaker form of estrogen to function properly). Estriol comes from the process of estrogen circulating in the blood that passes through the kidney. This is where it’s changed into a weak form estriol and it is excreted through urine (this is the estrogen that tells us whether or not we are pregnant on a pregnancy test).
There are also phytoestrogens which are found in plants (good) and environmental estrogens (bad). Environmental estrogens are called Xenoestrogens and can come from plastics, pesticides, chemicals and are harmful to our health. Basically what happens with these estrogen-like chemicals is our receptors in our cells recognize them because they are similar in structure to our estrogen and then they take up space that endogenous (our internal naturally occurring) estrogen should be “connecting” with our cells. Luckily we can flush out these toxins and give our bodies a reset.
Where do xenoestrogens come from?
Non-organic food
Meat that isn't antibiotic-free / hormone-free
Water from plastic water bottles
Chemical household cleaners
Dirty skincare, haircare and makeup (this includes nail polish)
Eliminating these items above is said to get you back on track in just 7 days!
So what is estrogen doing? Well, we’ve talked a lot about estrogen in the previous blog posts so as an overview: Estrogen participates in ovulation and is responsible for thickening the uterine lining. As the follicles in our ovaries are developing during the follicular phase they produce estrogen. Estrogen is produced when FSH (another hormone) stimulates the follicle to make it. It also protects us from dementia, bone density loss, heart disease and high blood pressure. The high levels of estrogen prior to ovulation convert the mucus around the cervix into the egg-white like fertile mucus we talked about in the ovulatory phase blog post.
Estrogen build-up (also known as estrogen dominance) can result in heavier and/or longer periods, cramps, mood swings and depression. During the follicular phase, it’s important to eat foods that promote estrogen metabolism to help prevent this build-up of the hormone.
Progesterone comes on the scene after ovulation (remember the corpus luteum?) and maintains the uterine lining in anticipation for pregnancy. When not pregnant, progesterone levels fall and we shed the lining as menstrual blood+fluid. Progesterone counterbalances estrogen (remember when I mentioned the see-saw relationship between the two?), promotes relaxation, improves sleep and enhances mood. Head over to the luteal phase blog post for more information on progesterone and its importance to our health.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is released by the pituitary gland in the brain and stimulates ovarian follicles to mature. As ovulation occurs, levels drop. FSH imbalances can lead to infertility. And, as we begin perimenopause our FSH levels slowly rise to a level that signals the ovaries to stop releasing eggs (pretty cool, huh?). And, this may be obvious, but FSH is responsible for the initiation of follicular growth in the ovaries (the follicular phase).
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) is released by the pituitary gland and triggers the release of a mature egg from the follicle (ovulation). Imbalanced levels of LH are associated with infertility and PCOS.
Insulin is secreted by the pancreas in response to the amount of glucose in your bloodstream. More glucose = more insulin. Insulin helps keep blood sugar levels stable. But, when levels are off-balance it menstrual irregularities and reduced fertility can occur.
Cortisol is the primary stress hormone and is regulated by the HPA axis (Hypothalamus + Pituitary + Adrenal). Small doses of cortisol are good BUT chronically high levels disrupt ovulation, decrease progesterone levels, lower sex drive (boooo), and cause fertility problems.
So, it all comes down to disrupted endocrine function. When things are off our bodies have to work extra hard to try to make it all right. We can help with this process by eating real whole foods, taking care of ourselves on a deep level and working with our signs and symptoms as guides instead of inconveniences.
Fun Fact: Your brain changes (by 25%) in response to estrogen and progesterone levels as they rise and fall throughout the cycle.
“How do I know what’s going on with my hormones?”
Track your cycle and look at the signs your body is giving you:
Interpreting your flow:
-> Cranberry/cherry red + no clots = good hormonal health
-> Deep dark red/purple/blue with clots or lumps = estrogen levels are too high in proportion to progesterone. You are likely also experiencing heavier periods and pain.
-> Brownish = low progesterone
-> Pink/pale pink = estrogen is too low.
-> Missed or irregular period = hormones are way off balance/out of whack.
Overall, cramps, heavy bleeding, late/missed periods all tell us our hormones need support. Head over to the menstrual phase blog post for more details.
The good news? Things can get better within a cycle or two!
Healing Period Problems with Balanced Hormones:
Ditch refined sugar and simple carbs
Get rid of all hormone disruptors (all of those environmental estrogens above ^)
Eat real food. Read ingredient labels. Be aware of what you’re consuming and it’s potential benefits or effects.
Eliminate dairy, alcohol and caffeine (if you are sensitive) **there is a difference between drinking one cup of sustainably sourced black coffee and drinking cans of soda, artificial sweeteners, canola oil, vegetable oil, margarine.
Eat all of the leafy greens, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage, bone broth, blueberries, flaxseeds, almonds, avocados, spinach, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds every day.
Prioritize mental health and emotional wellbeing
Get good quality regular sleep and stick to a consistent sleep and wake schedule (even on weekends)
Don’t forget to exercise enjoyably, and don’t over-exercise. The main thing here is to work up a sweat every day however you prefer.
Consider all birth control methods and their effects on your health and life.
There is NO SHAME in this natural, HEALTHY process. It’s actually fascinating once you dive into all of the details of how the monthly cycle works from a biological level. We have the literal power to bring LIFE into the world, through our bodies, and our periods are part of that process.
How did I start tuning into my cycle?
I simply started observing each day and taking note of what I noticed. Not judging or trying to fix it. Just observing what was happening and how I was feeling. After some time observing I started making choices that I thought (through tons of research) might best enhance my experience (food, lifestyle, supplements, etc) and began experimenting. The process looks like this: Observe, Act, Adapt, repeat.
Right now, we are in the Observe phase together.
To help you start observing, I’ve created this free pdf daily tracker that you can use. Sign up below and you’ll be one step closer to better understanding your cycle and daily health.