We're Talking: PMS & Remedies
Hi ladies! And guys, this is for you too! Because we coexist y’all. 80% of women will experience PMS before their period each month (for the week leading up to it). PMS is a term that’s been thrown around forever, but not really taken seriously. It’s been very stigmatized and difficult to make sense of. Finally, a little research is taking place to help us understand what is actually happening in our bodies during this time of the month. I am writing this piece, because I have been struggling with it hardcore for the past 5 months and I’m ready to find clarity and peace. For the sake of my boyfriend too OMG.
Let’s break it down physically before we dive into what’s happening mentally. It took a lot of digging to get answers because the top results when you Google, ‘What Causes PMS?’ are essentially “we have no clue”. Well, now we do have a clue thanks to Dr. Tracy Marks.
To boil it down, PMS is caused by a drop in progesterone. Here’s what happens:
During a woman’s cycle, when the egg leaves the follicle it’s carried in, the empty follicle produces progesterone to prepare the uterus for a fertilized egg.
If there is no fertilized egg, then the follicle stops producing progesterone - causing a quick drop in progesterone which happens a week or two before your period starts. When there is not enough progesterone, the uterine lining sheds which is the menstrual cycle!
Some women are more sensitive to that drop in progesterone! It starts to affect us mentally because the progesterone converts to a hormone that binds with a receptor (GABA-A) that gives us the same feeling of withdrawing from something like xanex or alcohol. SO, now do you see why we get cranky?? We are experiencing withdrawal-like symptoms.
Once I understood what was physically happening in my body, I felt much more at ease. PMS is not us having a mental breakdown - it’s a mental response to something physically happening in the body. Now it comes down to managing our physical response, and this begs the question, ‘How do we boost/balance our progesterone levels?’ Well, I don’t like to take pharmaceuticals, so I researched ways to boost it holistically.
Here’s what I found:
Get more sleep. The #1 healer of anything.
Eat more cholesterol and fat (grass-fed meat, coconut, olives, fish, avocado).
Take a vitamin B6 supplement and compliment it with foods high in B6 (similar to above).
Low impact exercise. * Women I’ve talked to say regular exercise is the biggest help.
Reduce stress. Take your space, and communicate lovingly and clearly with your partner when you need time to decompress.
Hopefully you learned something new here <3 Wishing you peace n’ love during that time of the month! Let me know if you experience any changes with the above tips. x
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