If you experience an unpleasant period which is early or late or more painful that usual or you experience more PMS than usual it can be helpful to think back to the previous month to consider what could have contributed..
I talk often with women about seeing their period as being a bit like a monthly report card. How you feel in the lead up and during your period and any symptoms that you experience at that time can really let you know how well you have looked after yourself throughout the month.
What you do earlier in the month will also influence your period at the end of your monthly cycle.
How well you look after yourself including what you eat, your stress levels, your sleep quantity and quality and your over all self care all influence your hormones which ofcourse influences your period.
If you have a period which is uncharacteristic for you in some way such as arriving much earlier or later than expected, a change in the heaviness of the bleeding, more pain or worse PMT the first thing I suggest thinking about is whether you did something differently that month.
Think back over the previous month and consider-
Was your diet not as healthy as usual? For example did you eat more sugar than usual or start following a diet or eating plan of some sort which is different for you?
Were your stress levels higher than usual?
Was your sleep regularly disrupted?
Did you have a bad virus at some point during the month?
Did you change your exercise routine in some way eg. exercise more or less or change what you were doing regularly?
Did you get less downtime than usual?
Did you start taking a new medication or over the counter supplement of some sort?
In a naturopathic consultation, a thorough discussion where we consider your overall health over the month, taking in to account what is 'normal' for YOU when it comes to your period, what was different this month and the symptoms which you experienced with your period that were unsual will provide information about what could be going on for you and why you had an out of the blue unpleasant period.
Should I have my hormones tested?
If you continue to experience unpleasant symptoms in the lead up and during your period ( or if that is 'normal' for you), then I find that doing some hormonal testing through pathology can be really insightful to see just where your hormones are at and of course always listen to your intuition if you feel that something is just not right or you continue to experience symptoms which are out of character for you then you might want to follow up with your GP or Gyn for some further investigations.
How can Naturopathy help?
Naturopathy offers many options support hormone balance to work WITH your body and involves a holistic approach considering all of the factors which can affect your hormone balance. A holistic approach considers WHY you're experiencing symptoms and not just how to alleviate them, but also how to help you body refind it's natural balance to prevent further health issues and improve your health and wellbeing overall. When working with hormonal issues, we need to consider what is causing your hormones to be out of balance and often there will be a big stress component along with nutritional, dietary and lifestyle factors and quite of digestive issues.
Period pain and PMT are incredibly common, but they are not 'just a normal part of being a woman'. There are options to reduce the discomfort that you experience each month if PMS or painful or unpleasant periods are a regular occurrence for you.
Find out how my 6 session package can help you with balancing your hormones
https://blossomwellbeing.com.au/my-hormones-are-driving-me-crazy/
