Why do we have menstrual cycle irregularities?
Last time we discussed how the menstrual cycle is supposed to work. As we all know “normal” is the farthest thing from “normal”. If you’re like most and you struggle with irregular periods, painful periods, mood swings (PMS), acne, infertility, or many other menstrual related concerns, know that unfortunately that is more common than “normal”. But why does this happen? Let’s break it down.
When we have changes from the expected normal in the menstrual cycle there can be many trains of thought that go into it. Here is what I find in my practice and personal experience; nutritional deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and structural issues. Nutrients and hormones go hand in hand so we will discuss them together, whereas structural issues often need different management and will get their own area. While there may be additional management with structural issues the management of nutrients and hormones remains vital because they might be the cause of the structural change.
When looking at nutrient and hormone imbalances you want to look at your gut. The food we bring in and the good bacteria that break it down result in the formation of the building blocks for hormones. When looking at nutrient deficiencies you want to take a step back from your diet and look at how you eat, what you’re sensitive to, and how much water you drink. If you haven’t had the time to look at “The Gut Reset” blog or grab my starter guide, now is a great time. These look at overall gut and diet concerns that are likely the problem with your menstrual cycle and overall health.
Here are some things that might come up with many of the more common period “symptoms” like pain, heavy flow, irregularity in the cycle, acne, hair growth or loss, ect. You will hear terms like endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Many providers, myself included, learn that these are the “root” to your problem… but it is actually much deeper than that. I now pose this question, BUT WHY. Why do we have these problems? Many can’t answer that. Well after much research it comes back to your diet. If our bodies can’t get nutrients, break them down, and use them where they need to go, the body compensates and begins to give us a sign that something is missing. Your symptoms are not the problem…. they are the sign that something is missing. So if you, like many women, struggle with menstrual cycle issues, the FIRST place to start is diet and gut health.
There are a few exceptions that fixing nutrient deficiencies alone might not resolve, and that is where modern medicine can be helpful, although once your body has a good nutritional balance, many can be healed on its own. If you were born with or overtime developed a structural issue of the uterus or other pelvic organs, then your symptoms might be worsened by this. Common issues include uterine fibroids or polyps, noncancerous growths in the uterus, sharp tipping or tilting of the uterus either from a structural perspective or related to other issues like endometriosis and scarring, or ovarian cysts (large or small) related to hormone imbalances. These most of the time can be managed without intervention but there are a few times medical or surgical intervention might be needed and that depends on a case-by-case basis. Always start with diet and lifestyle and if issues like bleeding between periods, pain with intercourse, pelvic pain, heavy flow, ect continue then other intervention might be needed. But due to the varying degree of issues this should be discussed with your medical team.
How to balance diet and work WITH your hormone cycle, I will break this down by each part of the cycle for simplicity.
days 1-10 : this phase starts with the first day of your period. This week you will want to focus on good sources of lean protein and fat, fewer processed foods and empty carbs like sugar. However, for optimal hormone and glucose balance you should not exceed 120gram of protein per day. The reason we crave the sugars and simple carbs is due to the nutrients those types of foods are supposed to supply, but with the overprocessing of foods we lose them. Focus on good complex carbs like beans, nuts, and seeds in addition to clean protein sources like chicken, pork, and seafood, and fruits and veggies. This will help minimize cramping, stabilize amount of bleeding, and provide mood stabilization. If you like to track you should eat 1.5 times as many grams of protein as carbs (for example 75gm protein to 50gm of carbs).
Days 11-15: this is ovulation. Your body prepares to release an egg and, as you can see by the chart, hormones are all raising. To support those changes focusing on good clean complex carb sources here are key. You will want to increase your carb in take here and consume about 2-3 times more this week than In week one. (example 50gm protein to 150gm carbs). Carbs should come from beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, and veggies.
Days 16-19: This follows the release of the egg and will result in increasing progesterone. To support that you should cut your carbs back down to aprox 50 grams per day and increase your protein up to 75-100 grams from lean meats, cheeses, nuts, and grains. This will help with bloating and other premenstrual symptoms.
Days 20- bleeding: This is the peak of progesterone in the cycle which usually correlates with the most dramatic PMS symptoms. Here you want to increase carbs back to up to aprox 150g per day from the same sources as above. This will promote good hormone balance and allow the body to implant a fertilized egg. It also alleviates the undesirable symptoms of mood swings and bloating as well as fatigue.
For more info on this process, I highly recommend reading “Fast Like a Girl” by Dr. Mindy Pelz.
Until next time.
