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Episode #21 Periods, PMS, the pill + naturally balancing hormones

Episode show notes/write up

 
This is for my ladies... Because I know there's not a lot of info about this and often when you go to your GP for support with PMS or period pain oftentimes the pill is recommended...
 
and not only is it recommend for PMS and painful periods, but it’s also handed out as a solution for PCOS, acne, endometriosis, irregular periods and all sorts of other things.
 
Which REALLY grinds my gears because. The reality is the pill ain’t fixing shit, it’s simply a band-aid fix.
 
The symptoms may have been temporarily suppressed, though more often when not when woman come off the pill because she wants to get pregnant for example...
 
Her symptoms return and she may also find it extremely difficult to fall pregnant because her hormones are more dis-regulated ... and years have passed without the root cause ever being addressed.
 
I was actually on the pill from age 15 and then went onto the Implanon which Is a hormone implant that goes in your arm, when I was 17 and it resulted in me not having a period for 3 years having virtually no sex drive, depression and I was even suicidal at one point.
 
And not surprisingly when I did go to the doctors when I was struggling with my mental health at the time, their suggestion was another pill... an antidepressant.
 
I didn’t go on it, instead, I did a little bit of my own digging and found out just how much hormonal contraception was fucking with my head and my body.
 
Once I finally came off everything it took about 4 months to get my period back, and I struggled with PMS and painful periods for a while after that.
 
Now however I get virtually no PMS symptoms (I at times feel more internal but other than that there’s no big build-up to my bleed) and I’m able to function really well when I am bleeding.
 
NOTE: If you are a woman reading this, I think it really important to understand that your body likely will feel different during the second half of your cycle and when you're are bleeding. Your hormones are literally changing and that can be felt on a mental and physical level.
 
Also, I feel it's important not to compare your body, feelings and productivity to the follicular and ovulation phase of your cycle as your hormones are also in a different place.
 
Really what I'm trying to say is that each week your bodies and hormones are changing, which is VERY different to men who operate on a 24-hour cycle, where as women we operate on a 28 day ish cycle.
 
So, week to week you may be feeling different mentally and physically and that is OK.
 
I actually created a free guide back at the end of 2019, that you can download which has some information on each phase of your cycle plus what food, movement and self-care practices may serve you best during each phase.
 
 
Learning and understanding how to nourish my body through each of these phases, helped my PMS symptoms, and it also made me feel a lot more secure in my body and give my body more grace as I move through each phase. So I hope it helps you too.
 

PMS and painful periods

 
So your PMS symptoms like irritability, breakouts, bloating, fluid retention, food cravings, headaches, breast tenderness etc, and painful heavy periods can be influenced by the food you eat and lifestyle factors, but more specifically they are due to a hormonal imbalance.
 
Oestrogen dominance aka too much oestrogen to be exact...
 
Signs of oestrogen dominance
  • Irregular or heavy periods
  • Water retention
  • Breast swelling and tenderness
  • Headaches, migraines
  • Weight gain
  • Mood swings
  • PCOS
  • Hair loss
  • Painful periods
  • Endometriosis
  • And PMS and PMDD is often caused by too much estrogen
 
Causes of oestrogen dominance
So I'm gonna go into some causes of oestrogen dominance as this relates to all of those conditions I just listed...
 
1. Liver clearance issues - this is where Your body isn't metabolising and excreting this hormone properly. If your liver is under stress from toxic load of some sort this can result in excess estrogen levels. 
 
2. Gut flora - Digestive health is a major piece to proper estrogen balance, as imbalances in bacterial flora in your bowel (due to many things like antibiotic use and excess sugar intake for example) can cause inadequate processing of estrogen.
 
3. Constipation - which is another factor that leads to excess estrogen levels, because when your not pooping daily or properly your body isn't detoxing, so things like oestrogen can get recycled back through your body. This is why restoring your digestive health by rebalancing your gut bacteria and regulating your bowel movement are super important. Which I help you do inside my digestion Reset program.
 
4. xenoestrogens
These little hormone mess makers are foreign estrogens that mimic the functions of your bodies natural estrogen. So when they enter your body, they attach themselves to your oestrogen cell receptors and throw out your bodies natural balance.
 
xenoestrogen sources:
  • Commercially raised beef and dairy products that are given hormones
  • Pesticides
  • Parabens in shampoo, lotions, soaps and other cosmetic products
  • Phthalates from soft plastics (water bottles, plastic-packaged food products)
  • Birth control pills containing synthetic hormones which throw off your bodies natural balance
  • Tampons and pads that contain chlorine, fragrance, wax etc.
 
5. Stress - when you're stressed your cortisol levels increase (which is your stress hormone) at the expense of progesterone which can also lead to estrogen dominance.
 

How can Estrogen Dominance be Corrected?

  1. Take the strain off the liver by living a more natural lifestyle
  2. get better sleep
  3. Reduce environmental toxins
  4. Support and restore gut health, regulate bowel movements and correct bacterial imbalance.
  5. Manage your stress
  6. Clean up your diet
 
If you’re wanting more guidance on exactly how to live more naturally, improve your sleep quality, manage the stress in your life and eat better I dive into ALL of that inside my holistic living hub Library which is filled with mini-course to help you with your nutrition, sleep, stress and food cravings.
 
and you actually get full access to the holistic living hub when you join the Digestion Reset program which is a step by step online program to help you rebuild your gut health.
 

Natural Remedies for PMS and period pain

 
But before I dive in I want you to know that period pain and having PMS isn't wrong...
 
It's simply our bodies way of communicating with you, so start listening to what your body is trying to tell you and what she needs.
 
I know we live in a time where its normal to pop a pain pill and solider on but it's not serving you. So do what you can to honour what your body is needing, and I want to empower you to also tune in and figure out what you need. Because everyone is different and you know your body best.
 
Also, it's my belief that the severity of your PMS or period pain is a reflection of the last month and how you treated your body during your last bleed.
 
So it's not a matter of let's just manage PMS and period pain symptoms in the moment. It's best to nourish your body each and every day of your cycle, to the best of your ability... and over time that has a compound effect where you will experience less symptoms.
 
okay so onto some remedies:
  1. Avoid inflammatory foods like dairy, soy and wheat (I have 2 recipe e-books filled with natural recipes free from all of that)
  2. Boost Magnesium from Epsom salt baths leading up to your bleed.
  3. Drink high-quality cacao as this contains magnesium and other essential nutrients plus it can help boosts serotonin levels, which is the body’s feel-good brain chemical. This combined can help ease the symptoms of PMS. . I use Nourish hub cacao which ill link in the show details along with a discount code for you ... LAURA15 to save you some coin
  4. Eat wild-caught fish for the anti-inflammatory omega 3's
  5. Ginger, fennel, chamomile or turmeric tea or a blend of all as these have nice anti-inflammatory and tummy calming properties. Also, red raspberry leaf tea is great for PMS and reducing craps as it is high in nutrients and acts as a uterine tonic.
  6. Choose natural Feminine Hygiene products I use Toms pads and Modi Body period underwear 
  7. Make sure you get enough sleep as being tired can give you a low pain tolerance and make you more irritable - if you have sleeping issues and would like help I have a whole mini-series on this inside the hub.
  8. Hot water bottle to keep uterine muscles warm and reduce spasming
  9. Don't push your body to do intense exercise, opt for gentle exercise or stretching in the lead-up and during your bleed. Just keep tuning in with your body to see what it wants.
  10. Manage stress and again if you need more support around this as said I have a mini-series with include stress management practices and meditations to support you on this inside the Holistic Living hub Library
  11. Avoid drinking and eating out of plastic crap

Mentioned Links

 Digestion Reset Program + Holistic Living Hub Library: https://www.laurallaguno.com.au/reset
🍫 Nourish Hub Ceremonial cacao Discount code: LAURA15
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