PMS: How to Treat the Root Cause of Your Hormonal Imbalance Naturally
Learn How to Get Lasting Relief from PMS, Rather Than Covering Up Symptoms With Hormonal Birth Control
One of the greatest myths young women are told is that you need to feel bloated, irritable, and downright uncomfortable for one week out of every month.
Sounds a little… ridiculous. Right?
But we don’t think to question it because we truly go through it. Did you know as many as 3 in 4 women experience PMS symptoms?
According to the Office on Women’s Health, over 90% of women say they experience symptoms each month, whether it's headaches, sore breasts, bloating, irritability, or various other PMS symptoms. [1]
But I’ve got news for you. And it may come as a bit of a shock:
While most women might experience PMS, that doesn’t make it normal or healthy.
Why aren’t women told about this?
The fact is, drug companies make a big profit by convincing us we need prescription pills to relieve our symptoms. But these usually end up doing more harm than good.
As functional medicine practitioners, we’ve helped hundreds of women treat PMS naturally and banish their dreaded monthly symptoms for good.
So let’s dive into all things PMS: what the root cause really is, why taking hormonal birth control won’t solve your monthly problems, and how to treat PMS naturally.
What Causes PMS?
Here’s the simple truth: PMS is a result of a hormonal imbalance in the body. Specifically, too much estrogen and/or too little progesterone. [2]
It’s important to note hormone levels fluctuate naturally throughout a woman's menstrual cycle. During the menstrual phase (AKA your period) estrogen and progesterone levels should be low. [3]
The problem, however, occurs when a woman has chronically high levels of estrogen, also known as “estrogen dominance.” This imbalance can leave you feeling less than optimal.
Various factors lead to estrogen dominance:
Poor estrogen clearance – i.e. impairment in detoxification in a certain phase, or multiple phases of detoxification
Environmental toxins – i.e. xenoestrogens (estrogen-mimicking compounds)
Low progesterone
What are other signs and symptoms of estrogen dominance besides PMS?
Weight gain, mainly in hips, waist, and thighs
Menstrual problems – i.e. light or heavy flow, painful periods, or irregular periods
Hot flashes
Fibrocystic breasts
Uterine fibroids
Fatigue
Loss of sex drive
Anxiety
What causes estrogen dominance?
There are a few key factors that could contribute to this hormone imbalance, such as:
Chronic stress
Poor gut and/or liver health
Heavy metals, ie. lead, cadmium, mercury
Genetic factors such as MTHFR and COMT mutations that are being expressed
Certain medications (including hormonal birth control) [4]
The key to treating PMS is to get to the root cause of the imbalance. To do that, we’ll address each of these areas above, then work on optimizing those areas that need support.
The Problem with Hormonal Birth Control and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
It’s common for women to have the idea that getting on birth control can treat PMS, but this isn’t really the case at all.
Many patients come to me with a similar story:
They went in to see their conventional doctor about their symptoms – all of which point to a hormone imbalance– and were sent home with a prescription for hormonal birth control.
The “pill”, you were told, would clear your acne, regulate your period, reduce pain and cramping (or conveniently eliminate a monthly period), and totally “fix” any of your hormone-related symptoms.
This might have even been your own experience, at least in the short term.
But here’s the problem with this, along with most medications or “magic pill” solutions:
For starters, birth control doesn’t “fix” your period. It doesn’t heal your hormone imbalance – the thing that’s causing all your issues in the first place – and it often aggravates the problem.
Hormonal contraceptives contain manufactured estrogen and progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone) that block your body’s natural hormones and shut off ovulation. [5]
The disruption in normal hormone production, along with a flood of synthetic estrogen in the body, can lead to elevated estrogen levels and imbalanced hormones. [6]
THIS is why most women end up with the same issues, or often times worse, when finally coming off hormonal birth control – a term I call “post hormonal birth control syndrome.”
Plus, did you know you can only get a real menstrual period when you’re ovulating? This means the blood you see every month while on hormonal birth control isn’t really your period.
It’s called “withdrawal bleeding” which occurs during a break from birth control like you have during a week of placebo pills. [7]
And let's not forget that potential side effects of hormonal birth control range from uncomfortable to dangerous.
They include:
Nausea
Low libido [8]
Fluctuations in appetite
Higher risk of stroke [9]
Structural changes in the brain [10]
Gut microbiome disruption [11]
Severe nutrient depletion (folic acid, vitamins B2, B6, B12, vitamin C and E and the minerals magnesium, selenium and zinc) [14]
Higher risk of certain hormone-related hormone-related cancers
Both hormonal birth control and hormone replacement therapy can cause DNA damage and increase the risk of endometrial and breast cancer. [15]
At Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine, we are not anti-contraceptive, but we focus on educating you about the risks and providing you with alternative options that are more in alignment with a holistic approach.
Unfortunately, this is seldom discussed with the patient in a conventional doctor’s office when handing out prescriptions.
Learn more about why so many women are moving towards non-hormonal birth control methods and what alternatives you have.
Determining Your Estrogen Levels
Okay, so you understand what’s causing your PMS symptoms and why it might be a good idea to treat the root cause naturally.
Now the question is, how do you know if you have elevated estrogen levels?
As we have discussed before, if you’re coming off hormonal birth control, there’s a good chance you could have a hormonal imbalance.
That being said, given the toxic environment we live in, with a plethora of chemicals that mess with our hormones, so could anyone!
At Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine, we focus on finding the root causes that are contributing to your estrogen dominance and those nagging PMS symptoms and painful periods.
Among other basic and functional lab tests, we are likely to recommend dried urine testing to understand exactly where things are off in this complex interplay of your hormones.
Tests not only look at your estrogen levels but also look at how these 3 types of estrogen are being processed in the body.
Furthermore, we can gain insight on estrogens and their relationship to progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol and all their metabolites. These are all important markers for determining the appropriate treatment for your unique case.
Remember: PMS in general is a strong indicator that there’s an imbalance in the body. Schedule a free consultation with us if you're experiencing these nagging symptoms.
How to Treat Your Hormonal Imbalance Naturally
Because estrogen dominance is the root cause of PMS, treatment will focus on eliminating estrogen from the body.
We do this primarily by supporting detoxification and cutting out external stressors that cause elevated estrogen levels.
6 Natural & Effective Treatments to Heal your Hormonal Imbalance:
Food as Medicine
What you eat matters.
Studies show that diets high in processed foods, sugar, dairy, and saturated fat are associated with higher levels of estrogen.
While healthy foods like…
cruciferous vegetables
berries
legumes
seeds
whole grains
… are associated with lower estrogen levels. [16]
We also know that cruciferous vegetables – like broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, and cabbage – contain a phytochemical called 3,3’-diindolylmethane (DIM).
This compound supports estrogen detox through the liver, helping to balance estrogen levels in the body. [17]
Reduce Exposure to Environmental Toxins
Many of our everyday products are filled with endocrine-disrupting chemicals that harm the endocrine system, which is made up of all the body’s hormones.
These are called xenoestrogens and are estrogen-mimicking compounds. Others are halogens that can disrupt your thyroid which plays a major role in female hormone balance. [18]
Here are simple swaps you can make to avoid these pesky chemicals:
Plastic containers → Glass containers
Plastic water bottles → Stainless steel
Fragranced products (including perfume) → Fragrance-free
Personal hygiene products→ natural cosmetics free of
Phthalates
Chlorine
Parabens
Fragrances
Benzophenone (sunscreen) → Zinc oxide sunscreen
Chemical household cleaning products→ Natural or home-made cleaning products
Canned foods → Fresh whole foods
Chlorine (swimming pool, hot tubs, showers, drinking water) → High-quality water filter
And here are a few things to avoid altogether:
Fluoride (toothpaste and tap water)
Bromide (in bread as a preservative)
Lead (tap water, older buildings)
Cadmium (food, tap water, second-hand smoke)
Mercury (certain fish, dental amalgams, batteries, lightbulbs)
It’s a good idea to install a whole house water filtration system and to use air filters for your home to help reduce your exposure.
Lose Weight
If you are overweight or more specifically have a high body fat percentage, this can be a contributing factor in estrogen dominance. Fat cells are not empty vacuoles for storing fat but have an endocrine function in that they secrete estrogen.
If you are having trouble losing weight but are doing “all the right things”, we can help get to the root causes of your challenges with losing weight.
Stress Management
Reducing stress plays a key role in regulating your hormones. This is in part due to the fact that it’s essential for maintaining a healthy gut. [19]
But the other part of it is that when the body is under chronic stress, it uses up all the cortisol it can until it starts using progesterone to keep us going.
This disrupts the balance between estrogen and progesterone, causing an imbalance called relative estrogen dominance. [20]
A few ways to manage stress includes:
Exercising
Meditation
Yoga
Breathing exercises
Journaling
Connecting with friends & family
Find a few rituals that work best for you.
Acupuncture
In addition to its ability to regulate the nervous system, and help manage stress, studies show that acupuncture also regulates hormones. [21]
This is largely due to the effect it has on the neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) regulatory network, which consists of our nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.
So, not only can this Traditional Chinese Medicine practice help with lowering estrogen, but it can also help treat any hormonal imbalances in the body.
Supplements & Herbs
There are a number of herbs and supplements that have been shown to remove estrogen and balance hormones, after a thorough investigation of where the issue lies in the various phases of estrogen detoxification.
Commonly used supplements include:
DIM
Calcium-d-glucarate
Zinc
EGCG
Sulforaphane
Methylated B vitamins
Magnesium
While supplements and herbs are gentle and safe if they are used appropriately for your unique case.
Lab testing and thorough evaluation are critical elements in knowing the root cause of your hormone imbalances and what appropriate next steps are for your unique case.
You Don’t Have to Suffer Every Month
Have you always believed PMS was just part of the deal as a female? You’re not alone. If you’ve grown up going to a conventional healthcare provider, chances are you were put on hormonal birth control to “fix” your symptoms, or before you even knew to ask questions.
But the truth is, you can’t fix your hormonal imbalance with a prescription. The best thing for your health and overall well-being is to address the root cause of the problem, naturally.
Do you suspect you might have a hormonal imbalance and need support from a trusted provider? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation at Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine to start your journey to better health.