Now that you know all about how to tell if something is off in your cycle lets talk about how to fix it! Having a symptom free cycle is all about having well balanced hormones and a healthy gut. Balanced hormones and a healthy gut require a healthy diet and lifestyle. So let’s look at what that looks like for each part of your cycle.
Your period can be just as easy as every other day when your hormones are balanced and you have inflammation under control. Inflammation plays a huge roll in period pain which is the number one complaint I get from women about periods. Inflammation typically stems from either having unbalanced blood sugar or digestive issues like gut permeability and/or dysbiosis (often when there’s one there is also the other). How do you know which it is take a look at other symptoms you have? If you have symptoms like feeling shaky, weak, or hangry between meals then that lets you know that your blood sugar is out of whack. If you have symptoms like acne, bloating, anxiety, depression, gas, constipation, or diarrhea then your inflammation is probably stemming from gut issues.
To address blood sugar dysregulation it’s important to make sure that you are eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein and fat at every meal! You want to avoid processed carbs like white flour, and sugary sweets. Make sure to eat 3 good meals a day that include a palm sized portion of protein, and at least a thumb sized portion of fat (more if avocado is your fat source) and if you like to snack on fruit make sure to pair it with fat like nuts, nut butter, or cheese. It’s also best to avoid high carb breakfasts like cereal, if you can’t give up your morning oats make sure to include plenty of butter, ghee, or nut butter mixed in.
To address gut health issues the best thing you can do is go and get a GI Map test done. This will test your stool to determine exactly what is going on so you can design a targeted protocol to address any parasites, dysbiosis, yeast, of permeability. Generally, if you are having these issues it’s best to start with a healthy diet, you may want to try an elimination diet to remove any bothersome foods while you are healing. A food sensitivity test can also help you pinpoint what foods are bothering your system and cause excess inflammation which can stall healing. When dealing with gut permeability it’s important to avoid wheat and include healing foods like collagen, bone broth, ginger, turmeric, and supplements with glutamine, licorice, marshmallow, and aloe vera.
Moving on from your period we come to the follicular and ovulation phase. Symptoms of imbalanced estrogen/testosterone (mood swings, unwanted hair growth and loss, sleep issues, headaches, low cervical fluid) are the most common followed then by delayed ovulation. Having balanced hormones is key during these phases of your cycle. While generally you can tell which hormones are out of whack based on symptoms, I still suggest testing to be sure of exactly what is going on. My favorite test that really gets into specifics of hormonal imbalances is the DUTCH test. This test looks at all the important hormones for your fertility and even looks at which pathways of your liver may be working insufficiently to clear excess estrogen.
As with your period balancing your hormones during this time requires a nutrient rich diet including plenty of veggies, fats, and quality proteins. Carbs are important during this time but make sure they are complex carbs like sprouted and soaked grains and legumes, potatoes (both white and sweet), and other starchy veggies. But be sure to skip the white flour and sugar especially if you have PCOS because this brings blood sugar issues which can delay ovulation and cause inflammation.
If you experience low estrogen some great supplements to include are maca and shatavari. It’s also really important to look into if you are over exercising or undereating as these are the most common reasons for low estrogen. If you experience too much estrogen then you want to make sure that you are reducing your exposure to estrogen mimickers like plastics, synthetic fragrances, and phthalates. You will also want to make sure that you are detoxing estrogen properly. This means making sure that you are pooping at least once a day and that your liver is supported. To support liver health, it’s important to consume lots of cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Beets are important to liver health as well. Also, getting your sweat on through exercise or in an infrared sauna are great ways to support detox and liver health. Other great detox options are taking hot Epsom salt baths and using castor oil packs. Some supplements that you can also look into using are DIM and SGS. I would highly recommend you work with a practitioner before using these.
If you experience high androgens including testosterone, DHEA, and LH (not technically an androgen but is commonly high when these others are high), it’s important to discover your underlying cause. It is most commonly insulin resistance but may also be due to inflammation. There are some simple blood tests your doctor can have run to determine if you have insulin resistance but common symptoms are waking in the night, feeling shaky or irritable between meals, having excessive thirst, feeling tired midafternoon, and craving sweets and carbs. If this is you then it’s important to be eating a well-balanced lower carb diet. It’s especially important that when you do eat carbs that you pair them with protein and fat. Some great supplements that help with blood sugar regulation are myo-inositol, berberine, chromium, and cinnamon. If inflammation is your issue look into gut health and work on fixing that.
Finally, we reach the last phase of the cycle, the luteal phase. During this phase progesterone is queen. Not having enough progesterone can lead to symptoms like mood swings, spotting, and acne. To support progesterone, it’s important to eat plenty of fat and avoid processed carbs as you are more insulin resistant during this phase. You also need to make sure that you get plenty of zinc. During previous cycles and the beginning of your cycle you want to make sure that you have supported egg quality because that then affects the quality of the corpus luteum (the leftover follicle after the egg has popped out). The corpus luteum is what creates your progesterone. Some great supplements that help create a better corpus luteum are selenium, co-q10 and zinc. Progesterone is easily affected by lifestyle factors as well so make sure to keep exercise a little slower and stress as low as possible.
Hopefully, you have found some helpful hints on what you can do to improve your cycles and your fertility from this post. If you are still feeling a bit lost then hiring a practitioner may be something you want to look into. I offer free consultations so head on over to my services page to sign up.