This episode of the Progress Your Health Podcast is a continuation to a recent blog post: 7 Tips on How to Cope with PMS. Most women have some PMS symptoms, but there is certainly a spectrum of symptom severity. For one woman, it might just be mild bloating, but for another woman, her cramps are so bad that she has to miss work due to the pain.
Unfortunately, when you go see your primary care doctor, or even your Gynecologist, the only conventional treatment option is birth control and over the counter Midol. As we discuss in this episode, there a many things you can do to help reduce PMS symptoms.
If you break down the word, Premenstrual Syndrome, it refers to the collection of symptoms that tend to show up prior to menstruation. It is common for PMS symptoms to show up somewhere in the 7 to 10 days before your period. This is time frame usually between ovulation and menstruation.
As you might be aware, PMS symptoms can range from physical symptoms such as cramping and breast tenderness to emotional symptoms such as irritability and anxiety. Over the years, we have seen so many different types of PMS related symptoms. Some symptoms are obvious, but others can be less clear. If you seem to be having recurring symptoms every 2 to 3 weeks, it could easily be related to your cycle.
Below is a list of some of the more common PMS symptoms.
Symptoms of PMS:
Progesterone: Progesterone can be really helpful for PMS but not take non-bioidentical progesterone, progestins. Progestins are just not healthy. But bioidentical micronized progesterone is completely different from the synthetic and can make a huge difference in PMS symptoms. Do not listen to any doctor that tells you otherwise. Because that means they may not be staying up with the latest research (random google posts do not count). But how do you know that your PMS is from low progesterone? Take a progesterone test. Progesterone testing can involve blood, urine, saliva. And all are viable testing for your progesterone levels. Just make sure that you see a doc that knows the interpretation of these tests. Also, (your doc should know this) make sure to do to do your test on day 17 to day 25 (ideally day 21) of your menstrual cycle. Day 21 is when your progesterone should be the highest in your system.
Vitex: Maybe you cannot take progesterone. Maybe you’re not a good candidate for taking progesterone (your experienced doctor will know for sure). Taking vitex (chaste tree berry is the common name) is helpful for low progesterone. It raises LH Lutenizing Hormone, which in turn will raise progesterone.
Evening Primrose Oil (EPO): Women of all ages can take EPO, even as young as teenagers. It helps balance hormones without actually taking hormones. Not to mention EPO is awesome your hair.
Estrogen-Dominance: Estrogen Dominance can cause PMS. Low progesterone can cause Estrogen Dominance. Also high estrogen can obviously cause Estrogen Dominance. To help PMS, we want to reduce estrogen levels. More specifically estrogen metabolites. These are 2OH-estrone and 4OH-estrone. DIM can really help Estrogen Dominance. DIM is derived from indole-3-carbinol. Indole-3-carbinol comes from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage.
Liver Function: Your liver detoxes EVERYTHING. But it can also reduce the estrogen metabolites helping Estrogen Dominance. If your liver is not working as well as it could, that can exacerbate if not create PMS symptoms. On a quick side note, if you have elevated liver enzymes, then you have a lowered functioning liver.
Help Your Liver Function Better:
Balance your blood sugar and insulin: High glycemic foods means really high insulin levels. Processed, refined carbohydrates and sugary foods will exacerbate PMS symptoms. That is because they put a burden on your liver and digestion.
Check your thyroid: If your thyroid level is low that can impact your hormones and cause PMS. Lower thyroid levels can directly influence the hormones by exacerbating Estrogen Dominance and reduce progesterone. To accurately test your thyroid make sure to test your TSH, Free T4, and Free T3. For a full explanation here is a link to our podcast.
Body fat, belly fat: Fat tissues, cells secrete hormones believe it or not. In particular, adipose cells (fat cells) secrete estrone (which is an estrogen), creating Estrogen-Dominant.
Reduce Stress: Stress raises cortisol. Cortisol contributes to weight gain, in particular, belly-fat. This excess weight gain can cause more Estrogen Dominance and reduces pregnenolone from your adrenals. Being stressed out can make you fat and have PMS. Also, intense cardiovascular exercise raises cortisol. To reduce cortisol, engage in more weight lifting and walking.
Sleep: Sleep helps PMS. Lack of sleep raises cortisol and insulin. It also inhibits progesterone. For a more in-depth guide to sleep, see our other blog: 11 Tips on How to Improve Sleep with Adrenal Fatigue
Keto Carb Cycling Program: We created a guide to called the Keto-Carb-Cycling-Program, and it’s a free download. Initially, we designed it to help with belly fat, but it also helps reduce PMS symptoms as well. The KCCP is intended to help reduce insulin and balance cortisol. This allows your body to lose weight and as a bonus, your PMS symptoms will also improve.
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Discover the common and unfamiliar symptoms that you might be experiencing. Get access to cases of real women with hormonal conditions.
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question about estrogen cream causing nausea. ‘Betty’ is a practitioner with a client that is having severe nausea as a reaction to her biest/estrogen cream. While her client has experienced much improvement with her hormone therapy, she is having a lot of issues with nausea and vomiting. In this podcast, we discuss: What types of hormone therapy can cause nausea Why is HRT causing you to feel sick Estrogen therapy for vaginal dryness Blood work for menopause Blood work for hormone levels How HRT dosing is very individualized to each person Let’s read Betty’s question: “I have a patient with a history of hysterectomy who retains one ovary. She is currently on Biest cream 50/50, 1 mg daily. She is also on progesterone 100-200 mg orally HS. She initially did well: improved vaginal moisture, great sex and mood. Now she is experiencing debilitating N/V, which she did when taking synthetic estrogen from her gyn. Should I just have her maybe 0.5mg vaginally 3x/week? I have never had any patients experience this. BTW, she was not on progesterone when she was taking the synthetic estrogen so that’s why we think it’s the estrogen. Thanks.” If you have a question, please visit our website and click Ask the Doctor a question. Want more insights like this? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for hormone Q&As, educational guides, and real-world strategies to help you feel like yourself again—especially during perimenopause and menopause. Join the Progress Your Health Newsletter Stay Connected Instagram: @drvalorie TikTok: @drvaloried Join the Hormone Community: Click here to subscribe Disclaimer: All content in this blog, including text, images, audio, video, or other formats, was created for informational purposes only. This video, website, and blog aim to promote consumer/public understanding and general knowledge of various health topics. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your healthcare provider is not interested in discussing your health concerns regarding this topic, then it is time to find a new doctor.
Our listener, Jackie, wants to know if she can take estrogen even though she is in her late 30’s and has not started menopause. She wants something to help with weight loss, hair regrowth after pregnancy, improving mood, and help with libido. In this episode, we talk about: Risks from taking estrogen before menopause When to start estrogen hormone replacement The difference between estradiol and estriol How to balance hormones in perimenopause Using testosterone therapy for women and libido DHEA and perimenopause How estrogen might not be the right fit for someone in perimenopause. What a women in perimenopause can do to help with hormone balancing. Jackie’s Question: “I am concerned that if I use estrogen cream, such as estriol, that I will gain weight and lose hair. I have seen conflicting accounts to whether this is true, and some say that it helps regrow hair and helps with weight loss. I have not started menopause yet, (I’m almost 40) and want something to help me stay youthful, lose weight and grow my hair which started thinning very badly and continues since pregnancy, help protect bone density, improve mood and memory, and get my libido back. Is estrogen cream a good fit for me? Thanks!” If you have a question, please visit our website and click Ask the Doctor a question. Want more insights like this? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for hormone Q&As, educational guides, and real-world strategies to help you feel like yourself again—especially during perimenopause and menopause. Join the Progress Your Health Newsletter Stay Connected Instagram: @drvalorie TikTok: @drvaloried Join the Hormone Community: Click here to subscribe Disclaimer: All content in this blog, including text, images, audio, video, or other formats, was created for informational purposes only. This video, website, and blog aim to promote consumer/public understanding and general knowledge of various health topics. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your healthcare provider is not interested in discussing your health concerns regarding this topic, then it is time to find a new doctor.
In this episode, we discuss progesterone capsules vs cream. We get many listener questions about what type of progesterone to use. Wondering should they take oral progesterone or topical cream progesterone when taking estrogen HRT. Not only is this important for symptom relief in menopause. It is also important as a healthy safety issue for women taking biest/estrogen/estradiol hormone therapy. This discussion will address: The difference between progesterone orally and cream. Different types of progesterone, such as creams, gels, troches, capsules, tablets, and sublingual. How does progesterone protect again uterine cancer when taking estrogen HRT? Progesterone capsules help with sleep. What about cream? Can progesterone cream protect the uterus when taking estradiol? Can progesterone delay periods? Can progesterone help with help with heavy periods? If you have a question, please visit our website and click Ask the Doctor a question. Want more insights like this? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for hormone Q&As, educational guides, and real-world strategies to help you feel like yourself again—especially during perimenopause and menopause. Join the Progress Your Health Newsletter Stay Connected Instagram: @drvalorie TikTok: @drvaloried Join the Hormone Community: Click here to subscribe Disclaimer: All content in this blog, including text, images, audio, video, or other formats, was created for informational purposes only. This video, website, and blog aim to promote consumer/public understanding and general knowledge of various health topics. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your healthcare provider is not interested in discussing your health concerns regarding this topic, then it is time to find a new doctor.
Our listener, Jackie, wants to know if she can take estrogen even though she is in her late 30’s and has not started menopause. She wants something to help with weight loss, hair regrowth after pregnancy, improving mood, and help with libido. In this episode, we talk about: Risks from taking estrogen before menopause When to start estrogen hormone replacement The difference between estradiol and estriol How to balance hormones in perimenopause Using testosterone therapy for women and libido DHEA and perimenopause How estrogen might not be the right fit for someone in perimenopause. What a women in perimenopause can do to help with hormone balancing. Jackie’s Question: “I am concerned that if I use estrogen cream, such as estriol, that I will gain weight and lose hair. I have seen conflicting accounts to whether this is true, and some say that it helps regrow hair and helps with weight loss. I have not started menopause yet, (I’m almost 40) and want something to help me stay youthful, lose weight and grow my hair which started thinning very badly and continues since pregnancy, help protect bone density, improve mood and memory, and get my libido back. Is estrogen cream a good fit for me? Thanks!” If you have a question, please visit our website and click Ask the Doctor a question. Want more insights like this? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for hormone Q&As, educational guides, and real-world strategies to help you feel like yourself again—especially during perimenopause and menopause. Join the Progress Your Health Newsletter Stay Connected Instagram: @drvalorie TikTok: @drvaloried Join the Hormone Community: Click here to subscribe Disclaimer: All content in this blog, including text, images, audio, video, or other formats, was created for informational purposes only. This video, website, and blog aim to promote consumer/public understanding and general knowledge of various health topics. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your healthcare provider is not interested in discussing your health concerns regarding this topic, then it is time to find a new doctor.
In this episode, we discuss the best way to reduce triglycerides. Sasha, a podcast listener, asked us how to lower her triglycerides. We then go into depth about triglycerides, how to lower them, and why they could be high in the first place.
How to read a lipid panel
Supplements for lowering triglycerides
Lifestyle changes for lowering triglycerides
What do high triglycerides mean?
Building blocks for triglycerides
Improving metabolic health
Can menopause increase triglycerides?
High triglycerides and thyroid hormones
Sacha’s Question:”I know this isn’t a hormone question but was hoping you could give me some direction. I was wondering what is the best way to lower triglycerides? thank you for your help!”
If you have a question, please visit our website and click Ask the Doctor a question.
Disclaimer: All content in this blog, including text, images, audio, video, or other formats, was created for informational purposes only. This video, website, and blog aim to promote consumer/public understanding and general knowledge of various health topics. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns youmay have regarding your condition before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your healthcare provider is not interested in discussing your health concerns regarding this topic, then it is time to find a new doctor.
In this episode, we discuss a podcast listener’s question. ‘Alesha’ is concerned that she should not take estrogen replacement therapy because she has fibroids. This is a common concern. The idea that estrogen can cause or propagate fibroids has left many menopausal women without support for their symptoms. Just because women have or have had a history of fibroids does not mean they are not a candidate for estrogentherapy. In fact, women with fibroid can take estrogen hormone replacement therapy.
In this episode, we go into depth about taking estrogen with fibroids. And we break Alesha’s question into:
What are fibroids?
Fibroids and estrogen replacement therapy
Can I take estrogen if I have fibroids?
What is adenomyosis?
Estrogen’s role in fibroids
Difference between perimenopause and menopause
How menopause can affect prediabetes
Alesha’s Question:
“Is there any hope for someone with adenomyosis take estrogen? If so, when is the right time? I know adenomyosis is stimulated by estrogen. I even had 1 dr offer a hysterectomy so I could take estrogen without any issues ??!! I have a history of heavy periods have had many trans vag ultrasounds and biopsy’s over the years Uterus was enlarged, lining was wnl. Had a hysterscopy to remove some cysts they found 4 hrs ago. Last ultrasound showed probable adenomyosis.i am almost 57and I am in late perimenopause. Cycles have been erratic just went 6 months without a cycle then had a normal cycle…for years of perimenopause I had symptoms of high estrogen. Most of the time for the last year I had symptoms of low estrogen. Poor sleep waking up 4-5x night, dry skin, vaginal dryness, night sweats, brain fog, difficulty concentrating which makes my job very difficult. I have also developed mild sleep apnea(sleep lab) and after my last physical I am on the edge of pre diabetes. ( am normal weight, I walk daily and lift weights, eat high protein diet with lots of veggies and healthy fats.) I am currently taking a progesterone troche( 1/4 lozenge 50mg 2x day) and vaginal estrogen. I was taking an oral progesterone 300 mg thought it would help with sleep but didn’t. The progesterone has helped with GI issues, puffiness, bloating, cramping and anxiety.”
If you have a question, please visit our website and click Ask the Doctor a question.
Disclaimer: All content in this blog, including text, images, audio, video, or other formats, was created for informational purposes only. This video, website, and blog aim to promote consumer/public understanding and general knowledge of various health topics. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If your healthcare provider is not interested in discussing your health concerns regarding this topic, then it is time to find a new doctor.
