PMS or Something More?

Sometimes its PMS.

Sometimes its actually a hormonally-related worsening of symptoms of another condition

Sometimes its actually something else entirely.

About 80% of women experience some sort of symptoms in the two weeks leading up to their period, with about 20-30% having symptoms that interfere with their day to day lives. Hormonal symptoms are very common, but we have normalized this pain to the point where many women assume taking several advil per month is something they have to deal with (it’s not).

For something SO common, it’s a little shocking that we don’t have more concrete answers for WHY we get these symptoms: bloating, moodiness, irritability, breast swelling, pain etc.

It’s likely due to a combination of factors including neurotransmitters like serotonin (one reason why anti-depressants are sometimes prescribed to women with PMS!), fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone, inflammatory actions, stress, and possibly even nutrient deficiencies. The pain and cramping are partly due to “prostaglandins” which are released to help shed the uterine lining - they are also part of the reason you get looser stools right before your period!

There’s a lot we can do to support you with premenstrual symptoms as well as pain in the first few days of your period. It takes a full intake to figure out what’s going on because sometimes it’s true PMS, but sometimes it’s hormonal exacerbations of underlying conditions - like anxiety, depression, IBS etc.

Sometimes it’s actually a condition called endometriosis - which we treat in a different way. 

Endometriosis is a condition that has endometrial tissue (the layer of tissue that is ready to support an embryo implanting in the uterus) growing outside the uterus. About 10% of women have this condition and it’s often accompanied by chronic pain. Endometriosis tends to have a pretty strong family link - your risk increases 7-10x if you have a first degree relative with the condition. 

Unfortunately, women with endometriosis can take quite some time to be diagnosed because pain around our periods is so normalized and this pain can overlap with other conditions. Women with endometriosis often report severe pain with menstruation, pain during sex, pain with bowel movements, IBS-like symptoms, pain with urinating etc. Once again, the actual cause is likely due to a complex array of factors - in this case, immune, genetic, inflammatory and physical. 

 If you are resonating with PMS or endometriosis symptoms, we would love to chat about how we can improve your experience around your period and get you feeling your best self.