Premenstrual syndrome
Why do I suffer from it?
Did you know that there are more than 150 symptoms attributed to PMS?
Some women experience annoying mood swings that make them nervous or depressed; Others experience anxiety and hunger for 2 weeks before their period. Others experience physical symptoms such as fluid retention, changes in bowel habits, breast tenderness or headaches... Each woman's symptoms and experience are as unique as herself. Therefore, treatments for each woman should try to be equally personalized.
What exactly causes PMS?
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is defined as cyclical physical symptoms and mood changes that begin sometime from the middle of the cycle to the end of menstruation. And they usually end with the beginning of menstruation or at the end of it.
The reason why premenstrual syndrome occurs is not completely known and surely due to the variable nature of its characteristics there is no single cause. What seems to be clear is that it is a multifactorial syndrome. For this reason, a treatment that could work for one woman may not necessarily work for another, so it will be very important to seek advice from a therapist who can ask the right questions, analyze hormonal values and clinical evidence to reach useful conclusions. for the treatment.
Some theories about the origin of premenstrual syndrome are:
– Poor liver detoxification
The liver is responsible not only for getting rid of the remains of medications and alcohol from digestion, but it is also responsible for eliminating hormones and other waste resulting from our metabolism. In particular, the liver is responsible for metabolizing estrogens and progesterone which peak a few days before your period. If the liver is overloaded and does not perform its functions correctly and in a timely manner, these hormones may not be eliminated quickly enough and end up accumulating in the body for longer than desired. This buildup of hormones, also known as “estrogenic dominance,” is enough to account for much of a woman's PMS symptoms.
Clinically, it should correspond to an accumulation of fat in predominantly feminine areas such as holsters, chest, arms or hump; with menstruations with abundant flow, with endometriosis or fibroids.
- Diet
A diet rich in sugar and flour raises insulin and this hormone, in turn, will promote the conversion of male hormones into estrogen, through the Aromatase enzyme, which will cause a basic estrogenic predominance. This may be the beginning of a slowdown in liver function due to excess hormones.
On the other hand, excess adipose tissue has been shown to be capable of behaving as if it were just another endocrine organ, that is, it produces its own hormones. These, likewise, must be eliminated by the liver, giving this organ more work.
– Low blood calcium
Studies show that some women with PMS have low levels of calcium in their blood, and that calcium supplementation for 3 months can reduce depression, sadness, concentration problems, and mood disorders related to the syndrome. premenstrual.
– Irregular serotonin metabolism
The main explanation for the development of mood-related symptoms, characteristic of this Syndrome, is believed to have to do with a decrease in the final levels of serotonin, the happiness hormone. Although the mechanism that causes it is not clear, estrogens are considered serotonin agonists and if levels are not optimal they could trigger these symptoms. Physiologically, after ovulation and just before menstruation, estrogen decreases.
Abnormal serotonin secretion has been linked to depression. And this is why antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for women with PMS.
In this sense, there are some things we could do to boost serotonin levels in the system, such as having a healthy intestine and eating well, sleeping correctly and enough, and moving.
- Inflammation
Several studies confirm that having a high level of inflammation marker in the blood, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein or hsCRP, is associated with increased PMS symptoms such as abdominal cramps, back pain and chest pain.
For this reason, supplements aimed at modulating the body's inflammatory response are also often recommended as an intervention for some women with PMS.
– Genetics
There are studies that associate the severity of PMS symptoms with a gene responsible for seasonal affective disorder. As well as the polymorphism in a gene for serotonin transporters and the severity of premenstrual syndrome.
- Cultural values
Finally, the mind and the social context have a lot of weight in the mental dimension of pain.
Depending on how a woman experiences a situation, the environment in which she experiences it, the demands placed on her and the interaction it implies with her surroundings, the pain changes. It does not mean that it is something conscious or voluntary, but the suffering part of the pain occurs when the mind comes into play and the person recreates it in some way.
The suggestion would be not to fight with the pain. And how is it done? Bringing the mind to the present. The mind lives between the past and the future, never in the present. Making it fall to the present makes the pain lose its strength! The mind creates a certain reality and is capable of demanding a physical adaptation according to that reality.
As an example, let's think about children in the park. If they fall and are entertained, they keep going. But if the father or mother is present, their reaction is exaggerated and they need attention or comfort. Your pain is real and stronger.
In this post that I link to you you can see What things can you do to improve PMS?. Natural remedies, lifestyle habits, nutritional changes and a lot of changes that will surely make you feel better on those days of the cycle.
It may interest you:
- Improve your fertility with an anti-inflammatory diet
- Phytotherapy: benefits and contraindications of infusions 🌱
They can help you:
References
- Hudson, T. (2008) Chapter 17: Premenstrual Syndrome. Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine: Alternative Therapties and Integrative Medicine for Total Health and Wellness.
- Susan Thys-Jacobs, MD, Starkey P, MD, Bernstein D, PhD, Jason Tian, PhD (1998) Calcium carbonate and the premenstrual syndrome: Effects on premenstrual and menstrual symptoms. Am J OBGYN, 179(2), 444-452.
