Is Your Period Out Of Whack? Check These 6 Aspects Of Your Life

I polled over 4,000 women, asking if they thought PMS and menstrual cramping were normal. The results? Eighty-six percent of women reported that they thought it was normal.

It's not a surprise they felt this way, as PMS and cramps are incredibly prevalent in women across the nation. A recent study showed that more than 82% of people with periods1 reported significant and life-interrupting PMS and cramping to their OB/GYNs. Every month, people tell us they are missing work, passing out, and throwing up from their cramps. Some with PMDD even tell us they feel suicidal or cut themselves with their cycles. While we would like to count these as outliers, studies show that this is more common than we think. It is so common that the large majority of people with periods that we talk to tell us this kind of monthly menstrual suffering is normal. 

This is not true.

PMS and cramping are incredibly common. Just because something is common, that does not make something normal. After all, 420 million people have diabetes, but we don't say that is normal. We treat it.

You might be thinking, "OK, common vs. normal—what's the big deal?"

When we say something is normal, we are saying it is without pathology. Let me give you an example. I go for a walk every morning. That's totally normal and without pathology. In fact, it is incredibly good for me. On the other hand, on many days, my legs are arms are weak from my neurological condition. I would never say that was normal. Rather, the weakness is a symptom signaling that my body still needs more attention than I am giving it. For me, that typically means more rest, better food, and upping my stress management strategies.  

Your cycle is the same. Think of your menstrual cycle as your monthly report card that gives you feedback on how your body is responding to how you are caring for it. Whether you have PMS, cramping, irregular cycles, endometriosis, or PCOS, the symptoms you are experiencing are all signals that your body is asking for you to pay attention and take additional action in the ways you care for yourself.

So, what should you do?

In order to have a healthy cycle, your body needs the following things: adequate sleep, the ability to turn food into energy (digestion) and that energy into blood, the right kind of high-quality food, the right amount and kind of exercise, and tools to manage the stress of daily life. 

We like to say you are what you eat, but I like to take it a step further and say you are what you eat and what you eat eats. The quality and quantity of food you eat directly determine the quality of the blood and energy you can produce, which will be directly reflected in your cycle. A healthy cycle needs abundant magnesium, calcium, and B vitamins (especially B12)5, which is why you are seeing so many PMS vitamins pop up everywhere.

This cannot be underestimated. Under stress, our bodies produce adrenaline and cortisol—two hormones that regulate the "fight or flight" response in our bodies. High levels of these are great if we need to escape from a burning building or any other dangerous situation. Unfortunately, our modern bodies haven't evolved to know that we're only stressed because our boss is a jerk, not because we're getting chased by a pack of hungry wolves. Our lives have become so busy and complicated that many people are in a hyper-cortisol state every single day.

How does this affect your cycle? The body uses progesterone to make cortisol, stealing it from the reproductive system. The higher your cortisol levels7, the more difficult it is for your body to produce sufficient levels of progesterone, which is essential for regulating your cycle. It helps send a blood supply to your uterine lining, modulates your immune system, reduces inflammation, a main contributor to endometriosis and helps regulate insulin release and pancreatic function (which can affect blood sugar and diabetes risk).                                                                 

Stress may be unavoidable in our modern lives. But, more importantly, how we relate to stress strongly influences the effect it has on our bodies. Changing the way we relate to stress takes practice, but it can pay huge dividends and have a positive impact on your cycle.