PMS/PMDD continues to improve

Well, it's been over 2 months since my last post and I have an update on my PMS/PMDD as well as my health in general.

My periods the last two months have continued to be regular and that is really unusual for me.In April, my periods came 4 weeks and 1 days after my last ones and in May, my periods came exactly 4 weeks after my last ones.

This means my menstrual cycle has been incredibly regular and consistent for the last 5 months and having such regularity for many months in my menstrual cycle is totally unusual for me as my cycle has always been very unpredictable and irregular - anywhere from 28 days to about 35 days, with no regularity between one month and the next. That was before. Now, it is totally different. Now I am getting much more regularity and it is so nice to know when I am going to menstruate, as I can plan things around it. In addition to the regularity of my cycle I have also noticed that I am getting much less pain during my periods and that allows me to have a much more normal life.

PMS also is staying constant and I am not getting the symptoms that I used to get to the same level that I used to get - breast swelling and tenderness, irritability, fluid retention - I have found that these symptoms continue to be significantly reduced. In fact, last month when my breasts did start swelling a little and were a little sore (but not as sore as prior to starting this blog), I did some more meditation and the next day and until I got my periods, I had no more breast swelling or soreness. It's pretty clear that meditation helped. My moods are also more stable, even when I do get irritated, I don't get irritated to such an extreme level, now I am much more calmer.

In addition to this, I noticed I have been feeling really tired lately and when I got a blood test it showed that I have iron deficiency, that my iron stores are very low. My doctor suggested that this could be due to my heavy menstruation. This is right, as I do menstruate quite heavily for the first three days of my periods and the challenge of having such regular menstruation for me now is that I am menstruating more than before, so I am losing a lot more blood than before and I hadn't been eating enough iron-rich foods to replenish my iron levels. Due to this iron deficiency, I have been eating a lot more meat and particularly liver (which I find totally disgusting, but it's more palatable when I mix it with chicken and lots of vegetables) and as liver is one of the richest sources of iron (as well as other vital nutrients such as selenium, vitamin B12 and vitamin A). I also eat some food rich in vitamin C with the meat, as it helps the iron get better absorbed and I have noticed a major improvement in the reduction of my tiredness within only a few days.

Food is medicine!!

Alas, PMS Here Again

I must say that PMS while not as severe as it has been in the past, was a problem this month.

I can only guess that it was because I did not exercise much (I was sick from a really bad cases of sinusitis, that progressed to be a flu-like infection), which also meant I did not do much meditation, nor did I do any of the detox massage. I did though, eat very well, with 99% of my food intake being from a natural (and usually organic) source and all home-made. But obviously food intake is not enough for me (or others like me).

Quite obviously I need to continue with my self-healing strategies (exercise, good nutrition, detox massage, meditation) for a number of months before I will feel more longer-lasting effects. It is normal to have to do this for a number of months, because realistically, it took a long time to get my body to this state and it will take some time to get it back to normal health, which I am quite prepared to engage all my strength in order to make it happen.

My symptoms this month

• Quite painful breasts for a number of days prior to menstruation
  
• Some level of bloating at PMS
• Relatively little emotional symptoms at PMS (in comparison to normal)
• Very severe emotional symptoms (anger, irritation, crying) on day 3 of menstruation
• Quite bloated abdomen for 1.5 days of menstruation
• Severe dizziness and feeling like I wanted to pass out on day 2 of menstruation
  

The doctors think I also had a ovarian cyst that burst around mid-cycle of this menstrual cycle and this is because I was in excruciating pain which centred around the ovaries and especially the left one at that time. The pain was so bad that I was advised to go to the hospital where they gave me morphine for the pain. Needless to say, not the best 2-3 weeks of late.

It seems that I still have a lot of work to do in terms of regulating my menstrual cycle. Even just today and last night when I did some stretching and meditation, my menstrual symptoms (severe bloating of my abdominal area) eased quite a lot, which is a good thing.

I know there are plenty of women like me, who know they need to do something to help ease their symptoms but may be at a loss as to the natural strategies they can use.

I will keep you all updated on the progress during the month, of all the things I am doing to get my gynaecological health back to normal.

Regulated Menstrual Cycle

One more thing I forgot to mention in the previous post was that this month, my cycle was exactly 29 days, to the hour!

Last month my periods started at 7pm, this month, they started at 7pm 29 days later. That has never happened before!

Normally my periods are so irregular that I have no clue when my next menstrual cycle will start. Always in the past, my periods would start at any time and I wouldn't know when. I would always know when it's 28 days after my last cycle, but my menstrual cycle could occur anywhere from about 29 days to 35 days and I wouldn't know when. I just had to keep a pad or panty liner in my bag from day 28, just in case. Sometimes I got caught, when I took the pad/panty liner with me for a whole week and they didn't start, then I decided not to take anything with me to school/uni/work one day and that's the day that my menstrual cycle would start.

So to have my periods become this regular is amazing!

Hopefully this means that my cycle will be more regular from now on and pain free! Yipee!!

Wonderful PMS and Menstruation This Month

What a surprise this month's PMS has been.

Let me just recap on the symptoms I normally experience for about 2 weeks each month. with symptoms the worst in the last few days before menstruation and the absolute and utter worst the day to two days before menstruation (yes, I am not kidding here)!!

• Severe bloating of the whole body (about 1-2kg)
  
• Sore, painful breasts (cant hug anyone as they are too sore)
  
• Very tired and lethargic
• Seriously cranky with major mood fluctuations
• Feeling emotional and crying for no reason
• Very irritable
• Headache
• Blood sugar level fluctuations and craving sweet foods
• Insomnia
• Severe confusion and forgetfulness
  

This is basically all of the symptoms a woman can have prior to menstruation.

Some months when my menstrual cycle has been very erratic and long (6 weeks or so between menstrual cycles), PMS was then extended to 4 weeks - this was basically hell because all my symptoms were completely exaggerated and severe for 4 whole weeks! Imagine how horrible that would be?

Now this month, because I have been eating so well, exercising and doing the detoxification, my symptoms were unbelievably minimal in PMS. This is a list of the symptoms I experienced this month at PMS:

• Some bloating (but nowhere near as much as normal)
• Bloated breasts, but not painful at all
  
• Slightly irritable only the day before menstruation started

Yes, that is it! That was the extent of my PMS! Now for someone who normally experiences really severe PMS, to have such a normal mental and physical time prior to menstruation is wonderful, absolutely wonderful!

This has been the best PMS of my life - because it basically was not PMS. But not only that, my periods this month were absolute bliss! I had no pain this month.

Now that in itself is pretty amazing, as I am normally in excruciating pain that all I can do is just lie down and try to relieve it in whatever way I can. Drugs normally just take the edge off the pain for maybe 1 hour or so and that is no relief when you can only take medication every 4-6 hours! I had given up on the medication (Naprogesic, Ponstan) for period pain, as it does nothing for me and my pain.

To have a month where I felt absolutely no pain or discomfort whatsoever, without any medication, is truly amazing! I used to be in awe of those friends/acquaintance who would tell me that they hardly noticed they were menstruating. I always knew I was menstruating, the pain I was in for about 3-4 days of my periods always made sure of that! But this month, I was only of those women who hardly noticed they were menstruating! Pure bliss!!

Now, I shall continue to eat the same way I have been eating (healthy food, but not denying myself things like organic dark chocolate or some ice cream a few times a week), exercising, detoxifying with the massaging and meditating. I will continue with all these techniques and see how my PMS and period pain is next month - hopefully it will continue to be bliss.

The other exciting thing I need to mention is that my cycle was exactly 29 days, to the hour this month! Last month my periods started at 7pm, this month, they started at 7pm 29 days later. That has never happened before! Normally my menstrual cycle ranges anywhere from 29 - 45 days, with an average of about 31-32 days between my periods. So to have my periods be this regular, is truly an amazing gift!! Wonderful!! Hopefully this means that my cycle will be more regular from now on and pain free! Yipee!!

Thank goodness for the lovely relief this month!! I really hope it will continue next month and beyond!

Breakfast Helps to Reduce PMS/PMDD Symptoms

This morning, I had the most delicious breakfast ever:

• Organic brown olive bread with a little bit of virgin olive oil on top
• 2 boiled organic and free range eggs
• Organic banana and peach salad with (non-organic) yoghurt and crushed pecans

The bread with olive oil was an essential item for this morning, because when a woman has PMS, she needs to have more essential fatty acids in her diet and I think I need a lot more, as I do not eat butter, margarine or much fats other than olive oil (or sometimes the bad fats from junk food, but I try to avoid those for the most part, now). The yoghurt was also a fantastic item because it is a given that calcium levels in women seem to drop just before menstruation. Plus calcium is great for women due to its protective activity against osteoporosis.

The essential fatty acids are great for the brain cells, which in essence, controls everything that happens in the body. If your brain is functioning properly, it could be that there is less likelihood that PMS can happen. You see, inside the brain is the master gland of the endocrine system, that controls all the hormone secretions in the body - the pituitary gland.

The pituitary gland is responsible for releasing a hormone that stimulates the hormone synthesis in the reproductive system - follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH), which in turn cause ovulation and then stimulate the synthesis and secretion of oestrogen (oestradiol) and progesterone.

The synthesis and secretion of the different types of hormones from the pituitary gland to the ovaries occurs in a complicated process, which if any part of it does not function correctly, could cause an imbalance of hormones and in some women, even if it is slightly imbalanced, could be the reason for PMS (and PMDD).

Scientists have many theories about what causes PMS, but they do not have a definitive answer yet. While they propose their various theories, women should just know that the following will definitely have an effect on them regarding PMS (and PMDD):

Diet
Diet plays a direct role in not just PMS (and PMDD), but in overall health. If you are not getting enough of the right nutrients, then your health will suffer. It really is just that simple.

Exercise
You need to exercise to enable correct circulation in the body - this may have some definite impacts on the way that the hormones are circulated in the body. After all, the pituitary gland is in the head and the blood needs to transport the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and the luteinising hormone (LH) to the ovaries, which is quite a long distance away. If the circulatory system is not working correctly, this could impact the amount of hormones that are sent to the ovaries.

In addition to this, exercise reduces fat, increase muscle tone, increases metabolism and release endorphins, which are "feel-good" hormones - what better way to counteract the "feel-bad" times of PMS?

Reducing exposure to chemical xenoeostrogen toxins
Reducing your exposure to these chemicals (phthalates and Bisphenol A), which mimic oestrogen and disrupt hormone function in the body, means that there is less likelihood for PMS. These chemicals are toxic to the body as they are stored (when ingested or breathed in) in the fat cells and women have fat cells in the breasts, which due to the oestrogen-like activity of these chemicals increases the risk of breast cancer!

So not only do these chemicals (phthalates and Bisphenol A) interfere with the body's natural hormone production, but they are implicated in female cancers too.

How do you reduce your risk of these chemicals? Stay away from using plastics in your kitchen. Do not heat anything in the microwave with plastics - that means no plastic containers, no plastic cling (or saran) wrap, do not warm baby plastic bottles. Try to drink from ceramic or glass, warm up food in glass, ceramic, iron or stainless steel containers (but do not use the metals in the microwave - only glass or ceramic, but ensure they are microwave-safe).

Reduce stress
Stress at any time is bad for the body, but if you have an illness or health condition, it just makes it feel so much worse.

Ways to reduce stress - meditation, yoga, tai chi, visualisation - just take at least 15 minutes each day to feel better, wind down and relax.

Healthy Foods to Help Reduce PMS/PMDD Symptoms

This evening I made quite a gourmet meal for myself and the family. The food was extremely filling and totally sumptuous (if I do say so myself).

I am following the diet strategies I have laid out on this site.

I made the following:

• Baked organic chicken with herbs
• Organic brown rice - boiled
• Chickpea, kidney bean, tomato and red onion salad (all organic) - with some olive oil, tiny bit of balsamic vinegar and sweet paprika as the dressing
• Organic garden salad - with cos lettuce, mignonette lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes (from our garden)
• Onion, okra and gourmet mushroom sauce - made with wholemeal spelt flour, water, oil, herbs and salt

Sounds like a lot of food, but when you eat just a little of each food, the meal is just perfect. I had a few pecans and a few small pieces of pineapple (both organic) about an hour later.

Now, first let me say that this meal was so unbelievably delicious. It's probably because I made it with organic ingredients, which always have more flavour and partly because I was absolutely starving by the time we ate. None of the above were from any recipe books - I came up with each item myself. Nothing was very difficult to make anyway.

The interesting thing to note, is that again my teeth felt whiter after the meal and I had a lot more energy after the meal. Even though it felt like a lot of food, I don't feel bloated and full after the meal. I shall try to incorporate more legumes into my meals, more times in the week and also mushrooms too, as they have a lot of essential nutrients and antioxidant properties. Very good to eat at any time.

In regards to PMS
I am officially in PMS mode at the moment, as my ability to not get so easily irritated is just a tiny bit compromised.

But, because I am eating much better (very little processed food, mostly natural food), exercising, massaging my legs and meditating, I have found that I feel okay. So this is quite nice.

On a side note, I am not even taking any herbs, vitamins or other supplements at the moment, so to feel okay without taking anything is pretty good. It's very indicative of what a good diet, exercise, fresh air and less stress can do for a person - makes PMS better.

Since this is working so well for me, I shall continue doing it for the foreseeable future.