{"id":1106,"date":"2021-01-05T08:54:40","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T21:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/?p=1106"},"modified":"2020-12-15T15:01:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T04:01:59","slug":"what-your-pms-is-telling-you-other-than-fml","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/what-your-pms-is-telling-you-other-than-fml","title":{"rendered":"What your PMS is telling you (other than FML)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Premenstrual syndrome <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refers to the physical, emotional and mental <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">symptoms<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that occur from one to two weeks before menstruation and fade away at the onset of, or shortly after, menstruation. PMS is experienced by up to 90 per cent of women in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">varying<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> degrees and while this statistic clearly demonstrates premenstrual symptoms are very common, it is important to know that they are certainly not normal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want the good news? It\u2019s absolutely possible to have a pain- and symptom-free menstrual cycle. It\u2019s helpful to think of the menstrual cycle as a \u201cbarometer or measure of health\u201d and symptoms as \u201cthe body&#8217;s way of communicating that something is not quite right\u201d. Each month, you are given the chance to connect with yourself and listen to what your body has to say<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b>So, what are your PMS symptoms telling you?<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a healthy menstrual cycle, your hormones will ebb and flow through the month. When your hormones are balanced, you are balanced and feel like your true, whole, healthy self. However, if your hormones are out of balance, you may experience some of the below symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PMS symptoms:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breast pain and swelling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fluid retention and puffiness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Irritability<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Headaches<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cause:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oestrogen dominance due to inadequate levels of progesterone, poor detoxification of oestrogen or increased exposure to xenoestrogens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PMS symptoms:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low mood\/anxiety\/depression\/teariness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migraines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fatigue<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Night sweats<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insomnia<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cause:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sudden decline in oestrogen in the luteal phase (second half of menstrual cycle) or low levels of progesterone, which may affect your feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and GABA. These neurotransmitters play a role in how you experience pain and how calm and balanced you feel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PMS symptom:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acne<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cause:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most commonly associated with high androgens, insulin resistance or inflammation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PMS symptom:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constipation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cause:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Progesterone, which plays a role in relaxing the muscles in the digestive system causing peristalsis (muscle contractions in the gut that help push food through your intestines) to slow down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PMS symptom:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diarrhea<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cause:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once progesterone declines, your digestive muscles kick-start again, which can lead to diarrhea. Another cause may be due to high levels of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, which can cause contractions in the bowel leading to loose stools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PMS symptoms:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cravings<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased hunger<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cause:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is very normal to have an increased appetite in the lead-up to your period, however if it is insatiable or you\u2019re craving junk food, it could be due to imbalanced blood sugars or not eating enough complex carbohydrates.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b>5 tips for reducing PMS<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is exciting to know that PMS symptoms respond very well to natural treatments. Here are five tips you can implement today to help reduce PMS symptoms:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Manage stress levels<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women who are under high stress are two to three times more likely to experience PMS symptoms. To manage this, implement daily stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, stretches in the lounge room, Epsom salt baths, dancing, journalling \u2014 whatever it is to shake off the day&#8217;s stressors. Limiting caffeine intake if you are feeling stressed is very important as caffeine stimulates the release of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Aim to have eight hours of quality sleep a night<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sleep is fundamental for balancing hormones and supporting a calm nervous system and a lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of PMS symptoms. Create a nightly wind-down ritual to improve your slumber such as sipping a calming herbal tea (passionflower, chamomile or peppermint), spraying some lavender on your pillow and turning screens off at least one hour before bed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Reduce inflammatory foods in your diet<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflammation impairs ovulation and is associated with acne, painful periods, low mood and weight gain. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet rich in colourful fruit and vegetables, whole grains, good-quality protein and healthy fats.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Supplement with magnesium, zinc and B6<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This combination of vitamins and minerals is required for healthy ovulation and hormone production.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Reduce \u201cliver loaders\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLiver loaders\u201d are things like alcohol, too much caffeine, chemical exposure, plastic, pesticides and genetically modified foods (GMO). The liver is in charge of filtering out toxins from the body but if it is loaded up with excess chemicals, toxins and harmful substances, the detoxification process can become compromised and toxins and excess hormones won\u2019t be able to be filtered out efficiently. This can result in tender breasts, fluid retention, acne, mood and hormonal imbalances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b>Partying versus PMS<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may notice some menstrual cycles are better than others. This is because your lifestyle, diet and the amount of stress you experience directly impact your hormones and period. If you have been under a lot of stress, not eaten well or have been partying a little bit too much, you can bet your period is going to be worse than the months where you were looking after yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you experience PMS symptoms like headaches, sore breasts, puffiness, acne, constipation or cravings? It\u2019s time to pipe down and listen to your body \u2014 it\u2019s smarter than you give it credit for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":1108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[200,273,272,274],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1106"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1106"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1107,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1106\/revisions\/1107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}