Free Period Guide!
Do you dread your period every month? Are you tired of the intense mood swings, bloating and cramping that accompany your monthly bleed? Do you suffer from “random” acne, or even worse, cystic acne? Have you been searching for ways to improve your PMS and get rid of it for good? Trust me girl, you're not alone, and I was too!
Part of our mission here at Moon Wellness Center is to help women just like you, find happy hormones that are reflected in their monthly bleed. Below you’ll find everything you need to know to get started in having a happy, healthy bleed each and every month. We hope it helps you, as much as it’s helped us!
We first have to understand that as a society we’ve been conditioned to think PMS is “normal” and to almost except these symptoms to occur every month. Even worse, we’ve accepted to believe the only “cure” for these symptoms is some form of hormonal contraceptives. This is a lie, and a short-term, band-aid approach to “fixing” the problem, and unfortunately something that we’ve all been told to believe. Let’s bust this lie, once and for all and finally have natural, healthy, happy bleeds!
PMS symptoms happen when there is an imbalance of hormones, specifically our sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Most of the time PMS happens in our luteal phase, which makes sense because that’s the time directly before our bleed occurs. There is a cascade of events that occur during our ovulation cycle and when one hormone gets out of range, the other hormones are affected too. I like the think of this as a domino effect. The domino effect creates symptoms like cramps, bloating, heavy bleeds, light bleeds, cyclical migraines, acne, weight gain/inability to lose weight, premenstrual spotting, breast tenderness, intense cravings and sub-fertility (the list could go on, but I think you get the picture!). If you’re experiencing symptoms month after month, it warrants some investigation.
Below you’ll find some action steps to help stabilize your hormones and banish PMS, for good! Pick one of the tips below and focus on it for one month. Then add in two, and three and so on. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your period progress is a journey, so be patient and adaptable. Find what works for your body!
How To Have Better Bleeds:
🌿 Monitor your hormonal biomarkers to track your health and patterns that occur over time and so that you always know where you're at in your cycle, to help support your body in each phase. If you need help, find a qualified practitioner! (Do not solely rely on your app for this!)
🌿 Complete protein at every. single. meal. (yes, it’s that important!)
🌿 Eat fiber rich foods with tons of B vitamins , calcium and magnesium- think brown rice, cauliflower, squash, dark leafy greens and sweet potatoes
🌿 Stabilize your blood sugar levels to regulate your mood with all the above ☝️ foods.
🌿 Lightly steamed or roasted veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and leafy greens will help the liver flush excess estrogen (which can build up in relation to progesterone and cause PMS symptoms)
🌿 Reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine to decrease inflammation
🌿 Get off the linear fitness model, and move your body in a way that honors your fluctuating hormones. (again, and I cannot stress this enough…if you don’t know where you’re at in your cycle, find a practitioner that can help you monitor your phases!)
🌿 Get good quality sleep. At least 7 hours.
🌿 Check in with your cravings- they’re also trying to tell you something; sugar cravings for example can indicate a lack of complete protein in your diet.
🌿 Support organs of elimination- if your straining at all, you’re constipated.
🌿 Decrease inflammatory foods for your body