What’s Causing my PMS + Anxiety every month??

Did you know that PMS (a group of symptoms that includes feeling emotional or irritable, fatigued, bloated and out of sorts about 7-10 days before your period) is most often linked to low progesterone in relation to estrogen?

Progesterone is sometimes called the ‘feel good’ hormone. It’s vital for fertility and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. It’s also responsible for calm, balanced moods, nourishing your hair and skin health, good sleep, keeping estrogen levels in check and optimal energy levels.

If you’re struggling with PMS, anxiety/depression around your cycle, in perimenopause, or wanting to support healthy fertility- this information is for you!

Estrogen/Progesterone Balance

One of progesterone’s big roles is to balance out estrogen. This balance is really, really important. When progesterone is too low compared to estrogen during your cycle, you’re absolutely gonna feel those mood swings and all the fun symptoms that come with PMS. The good news is, a holistic approach can alleviate your symptoms AND get to the root-cause of low progesterone!

Normally, estrogen and progesterone are in a balanced ratio to each other, with estrogen higher in the first half of your cycle, and progesterone higher in the second half:

But if estrogen is too high, or if progesterone output is just too low, this balance is disrupted. This creates a lot of unpleasant symptoms, like:

• Weight gain

• Headaches, migraines

• Acne

• Anxiety, depression

• PMS, PMDD, mood swings, irritable before period

• Heavy flow, clots, cramping

• Fibroids, PCOS

• Breast tenderness, muscle tension

• Extra bloating, water retention

• Poor sleep and fatigue

• Shorter cycles (less than 21 days)

• Early perimenopause

• Infertility

(Above) This is what my own hormone panel looked like years ago- no wonder I was experiencing severe cramping and PMS every month! Both estrogen and progesterone were too low, but estrogen was still more dominant which contributed to low progesterone/estrogen dominant symptoms.

Common Causes of Low Progesterone:

Here are some of the most common causes of low progesterone:

• Chronic Stress/Trauma: This can include stress in the body from an infection or mold exposure. When our cortisol is chronically elevated because of chronic stress, hormone production is not prioritized. Instead, the co-factors for building progesterone are used to make cortisol instead, leading to low progesterone

• Mineral + Vitamin Deficiencies: We need enough of the right minerals and vitamins for good hormone production. Most of us are very deficient in nutrients like B6, zinc and magnesium, impacting hormones.

• Gut, Liver and Hypothyroid: Gut bacteria overgrowth can encourage estrogen excess. Liver stress is also a big cause for estrogen dominance, because the liver is responsible for detoxing estrogen. The thyroid is responsible for making thyroid hormones, which is a necessary part of synthesizing progesterone.

• Absence of Monthly Ovulation: This can happen for a variety of reasons and is also seen in PCOS. No ovulation means you won’t make enough progesterone.

• Excess estrogen: Whether estrogen is simply very elevated, or if it’s high relative to progesterone, you’ll have low progesterone/high estrogen symptoms

• Hormonal birth control: This is a common cause of low progesterone, as synthetic contraceptives can contribute to low progesterone production in the long-run

  It’s also good to know that low progesterone can be more common after the age of 35, as progesterone output may naturally start to decline. This is the perfect time to support your progesterone levels. Below I’ll share some of my favorite ways to do this!

5 Natural Ways to Boost Progesterone:

Here are 5 natural ways to boost your progesterone levels. I would also add regular acupuncture to the list!

• Chaste tree berry (Vitex Agnus-Castus)

  This lovely herb has been used to support progesterone balance in traditional herbalism. It helps the body boost progesterone in part by signaling to the pituitary gland to produce more luteinizing hormone. It’s also helpful in PCOS. I love and use this herb in my own hormone-balancing journey!

  “A study of 1,634 women with various PMS symptoms showed that, over a three-cycle time period, symptoms (such as depression and cravings) were reduced or disappeared completely in 93% of subjects [taking chaste tree berry]. -Dr Jolene Brighten.

• Increase minerals, B6, zinc, selenium and vitamin C

  Low B6 is the most common vitamin deficiency in the US, and it’s vital for neurotransmitter and hormone production. Zinc is especially important for ovulation support. Minerals like magnesium, iron, selenium and calcium are necessary for optimal hormone balance.

• Natural progesterone creams

  Especially useful for menopause and perimenopause, bio-identical progesterone creams are usually made from wild yam and used topically. I’d suggest working with a practitioner who can test and monitor your hormone levels when using natural progesterone. Here’s a good article on considerations and timing for using progesterone cream. If you’re cycling, you’d want to use it on days 14-28 to mimic your body’s natural progesterone rhythms.

• Blood Sugar Balance is KEY

  If your blood sugar is regularly spiking and dipping throughout the day, you’ll be making more daily cortisol, which reduces progesterone production. Check out my Free Anti-Anxiety guide for easy tips on how balance blood sugar with nutrition!

  
  

• Eat your fats!

  Since hormones are made from the dietary fats we eat, it’s very important to include healthy fats like ghee, coconut oil/cream, olive oil, pasture-raised eggs and grass-fed meat.

Testing + Lifestyle Options:

Remember, hormones are just the messengers. If they’re out of balance, it’s because something deeper is going on in the body/nervous system that’s reducing their output. Here are suggestions for testing that I’d recommend (all of which can be done right at home!) and a few lifestyle ideas for supporting your progesterone levels:

• Check your hormone levels with a saliva test

  Accurate testing will allow you to see exactly where your progesterone + estrogen levels are at and give you a perfect starting place. The eFHP saliva at-home test is my fave, I prefer it to a blood test. The DUTCH test is also a good option. A month-long hormone panel gives us much more detailed info than a 1-day blood test.

• Check your mineral levels with the at-home Hair Tissue Mineral Test.

  This is important for understanding your adrenal, thyroid, liver, digestion, hormones and metabolic health. We’ll see what minerals your body needs (like selenium, magnesium, potassium and calcium) for robust hormone and endocrine health.

• Honoring your cycle’s natural rhythms

  It’s easy to go, go, go and never slow down nowadays... but our female biology THRIVES on rhythms of rest/play/work. Chronic stress and overwork means our body is too busy making cortisol and can’t prioritize making progesterone. Check out my friend Beth’s resources over at Rosewood Woman for more info on leaning into the natural rhythms of our monthly cycle!

  
  
  

• Supporting the gut + liver to detox excess estrogen

  Gut health is one of the biggest things that impacts all of our hormones. In fact, gut bacteria balance is directly related to estrogen metabolism (hence the term ‘estroblome’). I often run gut-testing in my practice to see if there are bacteria or yeast overgrowths, parasites or food sensitivities contributing to inflammation and hormone disruption.

  Liver health: Eating cruciferous veggies and drinking dandelion tea are two simple ways to support your liver in detoxing excess estrogens, a common issue with low progesterone. Avoiding plastics where you can will help reduce estrogen-mimicking chemicals getting into your system. For confirmed excess estrogen, DIM Detox is one of my go-to’s to help the body detox harmful estrogens and balance the estrogen/progesterone ratio.

  
  
  

Balanced Progesterone, Balanced Moods

Balancing your progesterone/estrogen levels means a reduction in monthly PMS, bloating, mood swings, anxiety and depression. It also means better energy and overall health in the long-term.

Ready to balance your hormones, mood and energy levels? Schedule your initial consultation with me to get started!

Nutrients mentioned in the blog today:

(Go to my Fullscript account to get 5% off your supplements)

Vitex (Chaste Berry) is an herb that helps the body boost progesterone in part by signaling to the pituitary gland to produce more Luteinizing hormone.

DIM Detox is what I often suggest for CONFIRMED high estrogen on testing.

DISCLAIMER:

This document is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. For my full Disclaimer, please go to https://www.nourishedbynature.co/website-disclaimer