Premenstrual Syndrome
(PMS or PMT)
Is Premenstrual Syndrome getting the better of you? Do you have a personality transplant once a month, akin to that of Dr Jekyll’s Mr Hyde? If so you’re probably wondering what on earth you can do to improve your PMS (PMT) symptoms?
Thankfully nutrition can be particularly beneficial at helping with the unpleasant symptoms of PMS.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, sugar handling issues, poor dietary choices and low adrenal and thyroid function can all result in irritability, fatigue, depression and sugar cravings before your monthly period.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can have either physical or emotional symptoms or both. It is a condition that some women experience in the days, or sometimes weeks, leading up to menstruation. Symptoms of PMS can start up to two weeks before each period and usually stop when the period starts. It is more common in women over the age of 30, this is not to say that younger women do not suffer, and tends to stop when the menopause begins. It is a very common complaint, with nearly all women having some PMS symptoms at some stage in their life. However, a much smaller percentage has such severe symptoms that it seriously interferes with their quality of life, with mood swings that are so severe that they lead to thoughts of suicide!
The following symptoms have all been associated with PMS:
- Headache
- Feeling bloated
- Weight gain
- Breast tenderness
- Back or lower abdominal pain
- Irritability or aggression
- Depression and anxiety
- Mild or severe mood swings
- Tiredness
- Poor concentration, poor memory and confusion
- Nervous tension
- Violent feelings or behaviour
- Crying spells
- Insomnia
- Dizziness and fainting
- Palpitations and fluid retention
This is not an exhaustive list, over 100 different symptoms have been connected to Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS. All the emotional and mental symptoms mentioned above have a physiological basis. Very often levels of oestrogen are too high with progesterone relatively low, but it can be the opposite too. Other hormones can also be involved, causing fluid retention type symptoms and low blood sugar.
There are no known specific causes for PMS (PMT) although some factors, including lifestyle and diet do seem to have a strong connection and they include:
- Hormone imbalance (oestrogen/progesterone)
- Nutrient deficiencies
- A diet high in saturated fat
- Low fibre diet
- Under active thyroid gland -hypothyroidism
- High stress and high consumption of stimulants
- Low exercise
- Blood sugar imbalance
- Compromised liver function
- Contraceptive pill
- Candidiasis
- Allergies
- Poor carbohydrate metabolism
- Poor absorption of nutrients
Identifying and addressing the underlying causes can bring tremendous relief for both PMS sufferers and those around them.
How can nutrition help?
Our nutritionists at The Nutritional Therapy Clinic can get to the root cause or causes of your symptoms and devise an appropriate nutrition plan. We address any hormone imbalances, thereby supporting the thyroid and adrenal glands, helping to balance blood sugar levels, improving overall nutrient status and ensuring that the liver is functioning well. This includes step by step guides on how to practically implement any recommendations, with recipes and advice on how to make healthy food choices at the shops and when eating out. All recommendations will be adapted to fit in with your lifestyle.
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