How to reduce your PMS symptoms

80% of women in the U.S. experience PMS. Yep, that's most of us.

What's even crazier is that there are at least 150 symptoms attributed to PMS. The commonality of these symptoms are now considered normal by the medical community. Our society has normalized these symptoms, and this pretty much diminishes the significance that PMS can have on someone's life.

PMS symptoms vary in intensity from person to person and can affect daily life to different degrees. However, those who suffer from severe PMS may feel incapacitated on a monthly basis and this should not be something society "normalizes".

Just like painful periods, PMS is not something that should be normalized and like menstrual cramps, there are ways to reduce or eliminate your PMS symptoms.

So, what causes PMS anyway?

PMS is usually due to a combination of factors that lead to hormonal imbalances, imbalances in the stress hormones, and neurotransmitters (chemicals that control mood).

Here are some underlying factors that can cause PMS:

1. Nutrient deficiencies (especially B6, vitamin E, vitamin A, calcium, and magnesium)

2. Blood sugar dysregulation

3. Environmental factors, especially excess estrogen from plastics and other chemical exposures

4. Life stress

Sometimes improving one factor alone can improve symptoms, but most often a combination approach of improved diet, improved lifestyle habits, and herbal and nutritional supplements are needed.

If PMS is getting to you in a big way, most likely there is a hormonal imbalance in play. 

The liver is responsible for breaking down hormones and for cleansing the system of metabolic and environmental toxins. When the liver doesn't work well, it can become overburdened and inefficient and not able to handle the peak levels of sex hormones that are released during menstruation and ovulation.

If this is happening in our system, our body gets over congested with too many of its own hormones. These hormones, most notably excess estrogen, can wreak havoc within the reproductive system and cause the severe symptoms of PMS.

It's important to improve the health of the liver and support its role of reducing excess estrogen. Following a healthy diet can do just that.

Dietary changes can be challenging when you have a busy life, but I recommend that if you are trying to help reduce your PMS symptoms, start the following dietary suggestions at least 2 weeks before you period is due:

1. Stick to a primarily plant based, Mediterranean diet, full of dark leafy greens and high fibrous veggies.

2. Keep dairy intake to a minimum to avoid any excess hormones coming into your system.

3. Include cold water fish in your diet a few times a week or take a high quality fish oil supplement.

4. Dietary fats should only come from olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, hemp oil, and other good quality oils.

5. Cut out sugar, all white-flour products and caffeine. (Exciting news! Dark chocolate (62% or greater) is the exception to the caffeine rule – it can help improve mood and prevent or relieve depression).

What about herbs?

Vitex aka Chaste Tree berry is the number one herb used to reduce PMS symptoms.

People have asked me if I could recommend a single herb to improve reproductive health, what would it be? There are so many amazing and powerful herbs that support the reproductive system and I have other favorite herbs I could gush about, but when I am asked that question my simple, straightforward response is: Vitex.

The herb has been long acknowledged in the ancient world as being incredibly valuable in its medicinal effects. Because its been well-known for so long, there has been extensive research and clinical studies on the effects of the plant, and in fact, Vitex has outperformed placebo in numerous trials.

Specifically, studies have shown that vitex works to help reduce PMS symptoms. The medicinal quality of the berries has a stimulating effect on the pituitary gland which regulates and normalizes hormone production. The studies have verified that vitex increases the production of luteinizing hormones, keeps prolactin secretion in check, and improves both estrogen and progesterone levels.

It is known as nature’s hormonal balancer, and Vitex seems to act several ways:

1) It acts similarly to dopamine which is a ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter, 2) by reducing prolactin levels which are elevated during PMS, and 3) possibly acting on our natural internal pain relieving system by releasing beta-endorphins – something our bodies lack during PMS.

Here's the thing about vitex: it can be used for acute situations, but its most effective if taken over a prolonged period of time. It might take around 3 months of daily use to feel improvement. But don't be surprised after taking it over time that you really do feel improvement because of Vitex.

For me personally, after I took 5ml of vitex tincture daily for 3 months, I felt improvement in my PMS symptoms.

I gave you some tools to help improve you PMS, but I don’t want to bypass something super important about feeling all the feels before your period begins.

I want to acknowledge that during the premenstrual time it is normal to feel heightened emotions and awareness regardless of how severe your PMS is, thanks to the beauty of our reproductive hormones speedily dropping as they are supposed to do.

I can't offer a solution to take these powerful feelings away completely, but instead want to offer a reframing around how we can better relate to them.

I have had many moments before my period arrives where I feel super out of control of my present reality. I feel extremely sensitive about literally everything. Every serious issue that I typically push to the side, just bubbles to the surface. These issues become super hard for me to ignore. It's like my life highway is closed indefinitely unless I work through them. I have trouble multitasking because I am dealing with this new reality: my feelings.

I am seriously someone who can hide from my own feelings, and I have started to use my premenstrual enhanced sensitivity as my outlet to work through some of these feelings that I subconsciously ignore because my "life" gets in the way of addressing them.

My body prepares for a new cycle by shedding its old uterine lining, at the same time signals my mind to do the emotional shedding needed as well to best welcome my new moon. Each month I am gifted this free therapy session from my reproductive system.

I decided to use my PMS to help get in touch with my inner self, and in doing so, it has made my heighten emotions easier to understand.

My suggestion to you, in addition to lifestyle changes is to work with your emotional intensity each month and flow with what may surface. These feelings may give you insight into some of your deeper emotions and point to things you need to change in your life. View this time as an advantage, rather than a disadvantage.

Artist Credit: Carmen Seijas IG: @hanakomimiko