Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Articles about common period problems including irregular periods, PCOS, endometriosis, painful periods, PMS, PMDD, heavy periods, and perimenopause. From the perspective of a women’s health specialist with more than twenty years of experience. Treatments include diet and lifestyle changes as well as simple nutritional supplements such as magnesium and zinc.
Phytoestrogens are a special group of phytonutrients that occur naturally in most plant foods. The two major classes are isoflavones in soy and lignans in seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
They’re called phytoestrogens because they interact with estrogen receptors, but they’re not estrogen. In fact, they bind so weakly to estrogen receptors that they effectively block estradiol and are more accurately characterized as anti-estrogen.
There are many potential explanations for chronic or persistent pelvic pain, including endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, bladder pain syndrome (interstitial cystitis), pelvic floor tension (pelvic floor myofascial pain), and fibromyalgia. There’s also pelvic venous disease (also called pelvic congestion syndrome or pelvic venous insufficiency), which is essentially varicose veins inside the pelvis.
Pelvic venous disease is estimated to explain around a third of “unexplained” pelvic pain, and likely more.
When it comes to mood, progesterone is a paradox.
For most women, it’s soothing, thanks to its calming effect on the brain. But for some, it can trigger anxiety, irritability, or even rage. What’s going on?
💡 Also read: Troubleshooting progesterone and Top 6 natural treatments for premenstrual mood symptoms
If your period has become irregular or gone missing, your doctor will need to work through various possible explanations, including whether it’s a side effect of one of your medications.
Some medications affect the menstrual cycle directly, by impairing ovulation or altering hormone levels. Others act indirectly, by affecting appetite, stress, sleep, or weight. And some can even have a beneficial effect, such as antihistamines, which can lighten periods and improve premenstrual mood symptoms.