April 22, 2025 • 22 mins
PMS is not an inevitable part of womanhood but rather a signal that your hormone balance is off. Understanding the relationship between estrogen dominance and progesterone insufficiency gives us the power to address these symptoms and support our bodies for smoother menstrual cycles.
• PMS specifically refers to symptoms occurring 7-10 days before your period starts, not during your period
• The root cause is typically an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone in the second half of your cycle
• Ovulation quality directly impacts progesterone production - if you're not ovulating, you won't produce adequate progesterone
• Liver health significantly affects estrogen processing and elimination
• Alcohol and caffeine consumption can burden the liver and worsen PMS symptoms
• Constipation can cause estrogen to be reabsorbed rather than eliminated
• Stress, histamine responses, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in everyday products can disrupt hormone balance
• Regular sauna sessions help eliminate estrogen through sweat
• Cruciferous vegetables support liver detoxification pathways
• Try avoiding alcohol and reducing caffeine in the second half of your cycle
• Consider using apps like Yuka or ThinkDirty to identify hormone-disrupting chemicals in your products
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If the week before your period feels like a slow
descent into chaos, hello, moodswings, breakouts, bloating and
snapping at your partner forjust breathing too loud then
this episode is for you.
Pms is common, definitely, butit is not just a part of being a
woman.
It is a sign that something isoff, and today I'm going to be
breaking down what thatsomething could be.
(00:22):
Let's get into it.
I'm going to be breaking downwhat that something could be.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to I'm Hormonal, yoursource of information about
women's hormone health and howto support your body.
Naturally, I'm your host,bridget Walton, and I'm a
certified functional hormonespecialist and menstrual cycle
coach.
I am on a mission to hold thesehormone conversations with as
(00:43):
many menstruators as possible,because you deserve easier
access to accurate informationabout what's up with your unruly
menstrual cycle and with yourfertility mysteries.
Don't you think it's time thatwe figure this out once and for
all?
Hi out there and welcome tothis 100th episode of I'm
(01:05):
Hormonal.
I am so excited that you werelistening today.
I'm Bridget Walton, your host,and if this is your first time
catching the podcast, I'm reallyglad that you found me.
However, you found me For thoseof you who have been here
before, welcome back.
Thank you so much for sharingyour reviews and rating the
podcast and sharing episodeswith your friends.
(01:27):
It really means a lot to me andI have been loving seeing the
community grow, getting messagesfrom you, getting questions
from you, requests from you all.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou, and on today's 100th
episode, I'll stop fangirling ina second about the number, but
on this 100th episode, this isgoing to be a part of my life.
(01:49):
I'm just going to deal withthis every month and it's
something to be made fun of orcriticized for.
(02:11):
But let's take a beat.
We're going to rewrite thattoday because PMS doesn't have
to be a part of your life.
It's something that you canaddress, something that at least
knowing more about andunderstanding why it happens,
that can totally help you toaddress it and be a first
starting point.
(02:31):
So my hope for you is that,listening to this episode today,
you understand why PMS happens,what it is and, of course, what
you can do about it.
Here at I'm Hormonal, the wholepurpose of this podcast, the
reason why I started thispodcast about 18 months ago, was
(02:52):
to share what I know and whatwe all collectively know about
women's hormone health so thatyou can understand what's going
on and really take thatinformation run with it and feel
better, because you all deserveto feel comfortable and
confident in your skin andunderstand what is going on
underneath the hood.
(03:13):
So let's dive into it.
I want to start off by talkingabout what PMS is.
I haven't even broken down theacronym yet because it's so
common, but premenstrualsymptoms we talk about PMS
societally really just to meanlike any sort of adverse or
(03:34):
unsavory symptoms that comealong with our cycle A lot of
times too.
Or tell me through DM, or justthink to yourself right now, of
course, do you normally use theterm PMS to describe how you
feel when your period hasactually come?
Is it in the lead up to yourperiod?
And let's break down thedifference on that really
quickly.
Now you may have guessed thiswith premenstrual symptoms, and
(03:59):
if you caught that, then you'reright.
Normally, PMS, or the way thatPMS kind of should be used, is
to describe the symptoms thatyou experience just in advance
of your period.
So this could be that seven to10 days even before your period
starts, but otherwise in thefirst couple days of your period
(04:22):
, these symptoms should be goingaway, and so that's how we can
determine.
Okay, is what you'reexperiencing a part of PMS or is
it something else, based onwhen in your cycle you are
experiencing it?
Let me say that one more timein a slightly different way here
, but if you are havingexperiences like bloating,
(04:46):
headaches, tender breasts, youare having acne, mood swings,
you are a little bit moreirritable than you normally are
All of these things and more canbe attributed to PMS.
Now let's pivot slightly tounderstand what's causing PMS.
Why does this happen?
And before I get into that, letme give you a little extra
(05:09):
information about what happenshormonally throughout your cycle
.
If you've listened to thepodcast before, or if you
haven't check out an episode Idid a couple of weeks ago about
the basics of hormonefluctuations, this will give you
a really solid foundation tounderstand what's happening with
your hormones.
But, in short, once your periodstarts, from that day one of
(05:31):
your cycle, estrogen levels willstart to grow until the middle
of your cycle when you'reexpected to ovulate.
That's when estrogen levels arearound their highest point,
also when testosterone is at itshighest, and then those levels
fall.
And in the second half of yourcycle, progesterone given that
(05:52):
you ovulated, progesterone willbe the hormone that is at its
highest level.
So estrogen is the main hormonein the first half of your cycle
.
Progesterone is the mainhormone in the second half of
your cycle.
And I'm saying this because iffor you, if progesterone is not
(06:13):
the main hormone in the secondhalf of your cycle due to
imbalance, and estrogen has kindof, like eek, gotten into first
place there, then it's thatimbalance, it's that inverse
ratio from what you wouldideally want to see that leads
to PMS.
So you're just thinking, okay,well, a, is this me?
(06:35):
Does this describe me?
Do I have these symptoms ofhigh estrogen?
I'll walk through that in justa moment here.
But it's basically symptoms ofhigh estrogen.
Are those PMS symptoms, as wellas things like heavy period
bleeding when your period doesstart, and so that's how you can
say okay, I think maybeestrogen is a bit high.
(06:58):
Of course, if you are going tobe doing some testing right, I
mentioned the Dutch test here alot because that is the hormone
panel that I use with myone-on-one clients.
So that would be a way toreally confirm what's going on
with your hormones If you gettesting done through your
primary care provider and theysee what's going on with
probably estradiol, which is oneof your kinds of estrogen that
(07:22):
your body makes, then you'llwant to make sure that they are
testing it at a specific time inyour cycle so they have the
proper reference range, sinceyour estrogen levels and
estradiol levels changethroughout your cycle.
But that's all to say.
Yes, you can definitelyquantifiably get the data to say
quantifiably, get the data tosay, okay, estrogen levels are
(07:44):
high, progesterone levels not ashigh.
Or you can understand thatthrough your experiences of PMS
and through potentially heavierbleeding than what is considered
normal.
All right, now that we have asolid understanding of A what
(08:06):
PMS is and B, what does thatmean for you hormonally?
Let's take a look at what cancause or what can exacerbate
these symptoms, or really whatexacerbates that hormonal
imbalance of having relativelyhigh estrogen or relatively low
progesterone.
Let's tackle progesterone first, because this one is a little
(08:29):
bit more succinct.
If you do not ovulate or if youdon't have like a very strong
ovulation, high qualityovulation, then your body is not
going to produce maybe any, ornot nearly as much progesterone
as you would produce if you didhave like a good follicle
(08:50):
development in the lead up tothat ovulation.
So let me say that in adifferent way.
If you're not ovulating, ifyour ovaries aren't actually
releasing that egg each month,you're not going to be producing
progesterone.
And similarly, if there'ssomething impacting the
development of the follicle fromwhich that egg is released,
(09:12):
then that will also impair orinhibit the adequate release of
progesterone from that follicle.
Once you ovulate that spot onyour ovary, the follicle that
releases that egg, it actuallytransitions into a new endocrine
gland that releasesprogesterone.
So that's the tie between whydoes ovulation impact?
(09:36):
What happens with progesterone?
Well, now you know.
So starting point number one ofwhere you can investigate is
saying okay, well, am I actuallyovulating?
How do I know that I'movulating?
And one way to tell is if yourcycle is really consistent or if
it's super unpredictable.
If you have a prettyunpredictable cycle, then you
(10:00):
might not be ovulating regularly.
Other ways that you can check,of course, would be through
observing your cervical fluid,observing your cervical position
, as well as really justmonitoring your basal body
temperature.
This is something that I do.
I think it's the easiest.
I put a thermometer on my armbefore I go to sleep.
I wake up, it tells me what mytemperature was, and that's how
(10:22):
I can identify which day in mycycle I ovulate.
Or if for some reason, I didn'tovulate that cycle, I will know
because I won't see a bump inmy temperature.
If that kind of piqued yourinterest, go back and check out
some of the other episodes thatI have, where I talk more in
depth about how to understand ifyou're ovulating and what are
(10:43):
those tools that I justmentioned.
How does that?
What does that mean?
So you can get more detailsthere.
But let's wrap up this miniconversation on progesterone,
because we know, okay, if I'movulating and if I'm having a
healthy ovulation, then I'll beproducing an adequate amount of
(11:04):
progesterone.
Now it is entirely possible orplausible that that is happening
for you.
Yet estrogen levels are stillhigher than progesterone, and
that could be because maybe yourbody is having a tough time of
eliminating and processing outthat estrogen.
Some specific factors thatwould contribute to that could
(11:29):
be sluggish liver health orsluggish liver processing.
If you are somebody whoconsumes alcohol, it doesn't
even have to be that much right,but your liver is putting all
of the other metabolization thatit does on the back burner in
order to detox alcohol and othertoxins from your system.
(11:50):
So consumption of alcohol candefinitely contribute to PMS
symptoms and overall slowerelimination of estrogen
metabolites.
Similarly, if you're not havingregular daily bowel movements,
that can contribute as well,because when your estrogen
(12:11):
metabolites, which many of them,are eliminated through your
waist, through your stool, ifit's just sitting in your
digestive system, maybe for anextra day, there's more
opportunity for those estrogenmetabolites to cycle back into
your blood system and yourcardiovascular system and just
(12:34):
be recycled back in so you'renot actually excreting them and
those estrogen levels arecontributing then to that, you
know, outweighing what's goingon with progesterone.
Certainly, stress can impactwell both your digestive system
and, well, actually every systemin your body.
But if you're having a lot ofstress, maybe that's a factor in
(12:55):
what's going on with your PMS.
But if you're having a lot ofstress, maybe that's a factor in
what's going on with your PMS.
Also something to consider ifyou have a big allergy response
right, whether that's becauseit's the springtime and there's
a lot of pollen in the air,maybe it's because of something
else that you're eating thatyou're sensitive to, that you
don't realize the histaminerelease itself can also push up
(13:20):
the levels of estrogen in yourbody.
So something to keep in mindthat, okay, is there a
correlation between my PMS andwhen I have a histamine response
or an allergic response tosomething?
The last thing that I want tomention here is some food for
thought would be exposure toendocrine disrupting chemicals.
(13:41):
So these are components thatare in many of the items that we
use daily, whether it is beautyproducts, cleaning products,
plastics.
Many of these things havechemicals in them that can
impact what's going on with yourestrogen.
It can make your body perceivethat there are higher levels of
(14:02):
estrogen in your body than justthe amount of estrogen that your
own body is actually producing.
So it wouldn't be a bad idea totake an inventory of the
products that you're using.
Download an app like Yuka orThink Dirty or the EWGs app.
There are so many greatresources out there to help you
(14:24):
understand.
Okay, is the sunscreen that I'musing a clean one?
Is the mascara or the deodorantthat I'm using?
Is this clean or are therechemicals in it that I should be
concerned about because theymight be impacting my endocrine
system?
Check out one of theseresources and identify what's
(14:45):
the best tool for you and startjust screening through your
products to see okay, this onenot the best.
Next time I need to replace it,I'm going to get something that
is clean and doesn't have thesame impact on my endocrine
system.
Now that we've walked through abit of information on what can
contribute to or exacerbate yourPMS, let's pivot to this final
(15:12):
section, where we're going toidentify what can you do.
What are these top of mind ormost easily accessible action
items that you can take intoaccount now so that you can
hopefully have a better, lessPMS-y experience before your
next cycle?
Now, the first thing on thislist I mentioned earlier but is
so important, is for you tounderstand if you're actually
(15:32):
ovulating.
Understand if you're ovulating,because if you're not, then
that's what you'll want to focuson figuring out why not and how
can you support your body toget back in the rhythm of things
and going through your propercycle and ovulating.
Now, once you confirm that youare ovulating, then that's a
(15:53):
good opportunity for you to sayokay, sick.
Now I know that bringing downthat excess estrogen and helping
my body to eliminate thoseestrogen metabolites, that's
what I need to focus on.
So some things that you can doto help the elimination of
estrogen would be one gettinginto the sauna If you go to a
(16:15):
gym nearby or wherever you haveaccess to a sauna.
While, yes, I mentioned thatestrogen is excreted through
your stool, you can also excretesome of those metabolites
through your sweat actually.
So getting into the sauna, thatcan be helpful.
You maybe want to spend I don'tknow try out 20 minutes in the
(16:37):
sauna if you are new to it, butjust getting in that practice of
sweating that's going to besomething that will be on your
side.
The second thing that is reallyattainable would be just
incorporating more cruciferousveggies into your diet.
Cruciferous veggies includethose like broccoli, cauliflower
(16:59):
, kale, radishes what else havewe got?
Arugula, mustard greens.
You can do a quick goog to findout what's the full list of
cruciferous veggies and pick twoor three to incorporate into
your meals this week.
Cruciferous veggies havecertain components in them that
(17:20):
just support what's going on inyour liver, support this phase
of detoxification in your liver,and so that's why that can be a
good option.
If you're not super hyped aboutsome of those leafy greens,
then you can also check out onthe tea aisle at your local
grocery store.
They might have an option thatjust says liver detox tea.
(17:41):
They might have another onethat's dandelion root tea.
There are a variety of teasthat are going to be supportive,
like cruciferous veggies, forwhat's going on with your liver
(18:04):
each day, before you go to bed,enjoying a cup of tea and then
smoothing into your nighttimeroutine, just like, oh, settling
into your nighttime routine,that's the word I wanted.
The next two recommendations arethings to remove.
Number one alcohol.
Would definitely recommendremoving it in the second half
of your cycle, so that lastseven to 10 to 14 days if you're
(18:25):
having PMS, just to see, like,okay, is this helping?
What is the impact that I seefrom it?
Of course, alcohol is not goodfor your body any day of the
week, but if you're able to see,okay, cool me, opting for this
mocktail or instead of going outwith my friends, I'm going to
(18:46):
have the girls over to my housethis weekend, something like
that, see how you can switch upyour plans a little bit or just
what you're consuming.
There are so many other greatnon-alcoholic options.
The second thing that you canconsider avoiding would be
caffeine, also in the secondhalf of your cycle.
(19:06):
This is because caffeine can bea tax on your liver.
We've mentioned liver health ahandful of times, but just
thinking, okay, let me just trythis out minimize alcohol,
minimize caffeine, see how youfeel.
All right, team.
That about wraps it up for today, but I do want to leave you
(19:27):
with a reminder, with someencouragement, that if you have
been dealing with PMS for a longtime, if you were just sick and
tired of it, I feel you.
I've been there.
There's so many other galsmenstruators around who have
been there too, and I just wantto encourage you that you can do
this.
You can make changes in yourdiet and your lifestyle, with
(19:47):
your sleep, to really helpsupport your body and help
support these systems, helpsupport your liver and your
estrogen balance all of thesethings to help you have a better
period and help you to justhave a period that's so smooth.
You don't even have to thinkabout it being a thing right.
You're focused on these otherparts of life that are rewarding
(20:09):
and fulfilling and productiveand all of the other good stuff
that life has in store for you,aside of just managing your
health.
So I say that to say I know thatsometimes we listen to podcasts
and we're like you know, Idon't know when something is
going to work for me, butidentifying a plan, identifying
(20:30):
what works for you, making itwork for you and committing to
it.
Stick with it for maybe threemonths and then, if you're not
seeing the results that you need, you're not seeing the results
that you want, then maybe thatis good time to find the right
person to work with one-on-one,because your health matters and
(20:50):
you don't have to deal with justfeeling like ish and not being
sure of what to do, not beingsure of how to support your body
.
So I will leave you with that.
Thank you again for listeningto this 100th episode of I'm
Hormonal.
I can't believe that we're at100.
That's a big number, guys, butcouldn't have done it without
you, of course, and I just can'tsay enough.
(21:13):
I really appreciate all of youlistening, all of you reaching
out.
If you have a question, ifthere's a topic that you want to
hear me talk about, you can dmme on instagram at bridget
walton, but otherwise that's itfrom me.
I'm bridget walton and I willlook forward to seeing you on
thursday for a mini episodewhere I'm going to be talking
(21:35):
specifically about pms and workand how you can prioritize a
couple of specific areas of yourwork in order to help to
mitigate your PMS.
It'll be a good continuation ifyou felt that this one was
helpful.
So thanks, guys.
See you on the next one.
(21:55):
If you loved today's episode andgot something good out of it,
make sure you subscribe so thatthese episodes show up
automatically in your feed outof it.
Make sure you subscribe so thatthese episodes show up
automatically in your feed, nowork needed on your side, let's
put it on autopilot.
As always, I need to give youmy reminder that the information
I share with you here is foreducational purposes only, and
it should not be used as areplacement for medical advice
or diagnosis.
(22:16):
Now, if you are, on the otherhand, in the market for some
one-on-one support, then I wouldlove for you to take me up on
my offer for a free strategycall.
You can find these links andmore in the show notes.
If the week before your period feels like a slow
descent into chaos, hello, moodswings, breakouts, bloating and
snapping at your partner forjust breathing too loud then
this episode is for you.
Pms is common, definitely, butit is not just a part of being a
woman.
It is a sign that something isoff, and today I'm going to be
breaking down what thatsomething could be.
(00:22):
Let's get into it.
I'm going to be breaking downwhat that something could be.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to I'm Hormonal, yoursource of information about
women's hormone health and howto support your body.
Naturally, I'm your host,bridget Walton, and I'm a
certified functional hormonespecialist and menstrual cycle
coach.
I am on a mission to hold thesehormone conversations with as
(00:43):
many menstruators as possible,because you deserve easier
access to accurate informationabout what's up with your unruly
menstrual cycle and with yourfertility mysteries.
Don't you think it's time thatwe figure this out once and for
all?
Hi out there and welcome tothis 100th episode of I'm
(01:05):
Hormonal.
I am so excited that you werelistening today.
I'm Bridget Walton, your host,and if this is your first time
catching the podcast, I'm reallyglad that you found me.
However, you found me For thoseof you who have been here
before, welcome back.
Thank you so much for sharingyour reviews and rating the
podcast and sharing episodeswith your friends.
(01:27):
It really means a lot to me andI have been loving seeing the
community grow, getting messagesfrom you, getting questions
from you, requests from you all.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou, and on today's 100th
episode, I'll stop fangirling ina second about the number, but
on this 100th episode, this isgoing to be a part of my life.
(01:49):
I'm just going to deal withthis every month and it's
something to be made fun of orcriticized for.
(02:11):
But let's take a beat.
We're going to rewrite thattoday because PMS doesn't have
to be a part of your life.
It's something that you canaddress, something that at least
knowing more about andunderstanding why it happens,
that can totally help you toaddress it and be a first
starting point.
(02:31):
So my hope for you is that,listening to this episode today,
you understand why PMS happens,what it is and, of course, what
you can do about it.
Here at I'm Hormonal, the wholepurpose of this podcast, the
reason why I started thispodcast about 18 months ago, was
(02:52):
to share what I know and whatwe all collectively know about
women's hormone health so thatyou can understand what's going
on and really take thatinformation run with it and feel
better, because you all deserveto feel comfortable and
confident in your skin andunderstand what is going on
underneath the hood.
(03:13):
So let's dive into it.
I want to start off by talkingabout what PMS is.
I haven't even broken down theacronym yet because it's so
common, but premenstrualsymptoms we talk about PMS
societally really just to meanlike any sort of adverse or
(03:34):
unsavory symptoms that comealong with our cycle A lot of
times too.
Or tell me through DM, or justthink to yourself right now, of
course, do you normally use theterm PMS to describe how you
feel when your period hasactually come?
Is it in the lead up to yourperiod?
And let's break down thedifference on that really
quickly.
Now you may have guessed thiswith premenstrual symptoms, and
(03:59):
if you caught that, then you'reright.
Normally, PMS, or the way thatPMS kind of should be used, is
to describe the symptoms thatyou experience just in advance
of your period.
So this could be that seven to10 days even before your period
starts, but otherwise in thefirst couple days of your period
(04:22):
, these symptoms should be goingaway, and so that's how we can
determine.
Okay, is what you'reexperiencing a part of PMS or is
it something else, based onwhen in your cycle you are
experiencing it?
Let me say that one more timein a slightly different way here
, but if you are havingexperiences like bloating,
(04:46):
headaches, tender breasts, youare having acne, mood swings,
you are a little bit moreirritable than you normally are
All of these things and more canbe attributed to PMS.
Now let's pivot slightly tounderstand what's causing PMS.
Why does this happen?
And before I get into that, letme give you a little extra
(05:09):
information about what happenshormonally throughout your cycle
.
If you've listened to thepodcast before, or if you
haven't check out an episode Idid a couple of weeks ago about
the basics of hormonefluctuations, this will give you
a really solid foundation tounderstand what's happening with
your hormones.
But, in short, once your periodstarts, from that day one of
(05:31):
your cycle, estrogen levels willstart to grow until the middle
of your cycle when you'reexpected to ovulate.
That's when estrogen levels arearound their highest point,
also when testosterone is at itshighest, and then those levels
fall.
And in the second half of yourcycle, progesterone given that
(05:52):
you ovulated, progesterone willbe the hormone that is at its
highest level.
So estrogen is the main hormonein the first half of your cycle
.
Progesterone is the mainhormone in the second half of
your cycle.
And I'm saying this because iffor you, if progesterone is not
(06:13):
the main hormone in the secondhalf of your cycle due to
imbalance, and estrogen has kindof, like eek, gotten into first
place there, then it's thatimbalance, it's that inverse
ratio from what you wouldideally want to see that leads
to PMS.
So you're just thinking, okay,well, a, is this me?
(06:35):
Does this describe me?
Do I have these symptoms ofhigh estrogen?
I'll walk through that in justa moment here.
But it's basically symptoms ofhigh estrogen.
Are those PMS symptoms, as wellas things like heavy period
bleeding when your period doesstart, and so that's how you can
say okay, I think maybeestrogen is a bit high.
(06:58):
Of course, if you are going tobe doing some testing right, I
mentioned the Dutch test here alot because that is the hormone
panel that I use with myone-on-one clients.
So that would be a way toreally confirm what's going on
with your hormones If you gettesting done through your
primary care provider and theysee what's going on with
probably estradiol, which is oneof your kinds of estrogen that
(07:22):
your body makes, then you'llwant to make sure that they are
testing it at a specific time inyour cycle so they have the
proper reference range, sinceyour estrogen levels and
estradiol levels changethroughout your cycle.
But that's all to say.
Yes, you can definitelyquantifiably get the data to say
quantifiably, get the data tosay, okay, estrogen levels are
(07:44):
high, progesterone levels not ashigh.
Or you can understand thatthrough your experiences of PMS
and through potentially heavierbleeding than what is considered
normal.
All right, now that we have asolid understanding of A what
(08:06):
PMS is and B, what does thatmean for you hormonally?
Let's take a look at what cancause or what can exacerbate
these symptoms, or really whatexacerbates that hormonal
imbalance of having relativelyhigh estrogen or relatively low
progesterone.
Let's tackle progesterone first, because this one is a little
(08:29):
bit more succinct.
If you do not ovulate or if youdon't have like a very strong
ovulation, high qualityovulation, then your body is not
going to produce maybe any, ornot nearly as much progesterone
as you would produce if you didhave like a good follicle
(08:50):
development in the lead up tothat ovulation.
So let me say that in adifferent way.
If you're not ovulating, ifyour ovaries aren't actually
releasing that egg each month,you're not going to be producing
progesterone.
And similarly, if there'ssomething impacting the
development of the follicle fromwhich that egg is released,
(09:12):
then that will also impair orinhibit the adequate release of
progesterone from that follicle.
Once you ovulate that spot onyour ovary, the follicle that
releases that egg, it actuallytransitions into a new endocrine
gland that releasesprogesterone.
So that's the tie between whydoes ovulation impact?
(09:36):
What happens with progesterone?
Well, now you know.
So starting point number one ofwhere you can investigate is
saying okay, well, am I actuallyovulating?
How do I know that I'movulating?
And one way to tell is if yourcycle is really consistent or if
it's super unpredictable.
If you have a prettyunpredictable cycle, then you
(10:00):
might not be ovulating regularly.
Other ways that you can check,of course, would be through
observing your cervical fluid,observing your cervical position
, as well as really justmonitoring your basal body
temperature.
This is something that I do.
I think it's the easiest.
I put a thermometer on my armbefore I go to sleep.
I wake up, it tells me what mytemperature was, and that's how
(10:22):
I can identify which day in mycycle I ovulate.
Or if for some reason, I didn'tovulate that cycle, I will know
because I won't see a bump inmy temperature.
If that kind of piqued yourinterest, go back and check out
some of the other episodes thatI have, where I talk more in
depth about how to understand ifyou're ovulating and what are
(10:43):
those tools that I justmentioned.
How does that?
What does that mean?
So you can get more detailsthere.
But let's wrap up this miniconversation on progesterone,
because we know, okay, if I'movulating and if I'm having a
healthy ovulation, then I'll beproducing an adequate amount of
(11:04):
progesterone.
Now it is entirely possible orplausible that that is happening
for you.
Yet estrogen levels are stillhigher than progesterone, and
that could be because maybe yourbody is having a tough time of
eliminating and processing outthat estrogen.
Some specific factors thatwould contribute to that could
(11:29):
be sluggish liver health orsluggish liver processing.
If you are somebody whoconsumes alcohol, it doesn't
even have to be that much right,but your liver is putting all
of the other metabolization thatit does on the back burner in
order to detox alcohol and othertoxins from your system.
(11:50):
So consumption of alcohol candefinitely contribute to PMS
symptoms and overall slowerelimination of estrogen
metabolites.
Similarly, if you're not havingregular daily bowel movements,
that can contribute as well,because when your estrogen
(12:11):
metabolites, which many of them,are eliminated through your
waist, through your stool, ifit's just sitting in your
digestive system, maybe for anextra day, there's more
opportunity for those estrogenmetabolites to cycle back into
your blood system and yourcardiovascular system and just
(12:34):
be recycled back in so you'renot actually excreting them and
those estrogen levels arecontributing then to that, you
know, outweighing what's goingon with progesterone.
Certainly, stress can impactwell both your digestive system
and, well, actually every systemin your body.
But if you're having a lot ofstress, maybe that's a factor in
(12:55):
what's going on with your PMS.
But if you're having a lot ofstress, maybe that's a factor in
what's going on with your PMS.
Also something to consider ifyou have a big allergy response
right, whether that's becauseit's the springtime and there's
a lot of pollen in the air,maybe it's because of something
else that you're eating thatyou're sensitive to, that you
don't realize the histaminerelease itself can also push up
(13:20):
the levels of estrogen in yourbody.
So something to keep in mindthat, okay, is there a
correlation between my PMS andwhen I have a histamine response
or an allergic response tosomething?
The last thing that I want tomention here is some food for
thought would be exposure toendocrine disrupting chemicals.
(13:41):
So these are components thatare in many of the items that we
use daily, whether it is beautyproducts, cleaning products,
plastics.
Many of these things havechemicals in them that can
impact what's going on with yourestrogen.
It can make your body perceivethat there are higher levels of
(14:02):
estrogen in your body than justthe amount of estrogen that your
own body is actually producing.
So it wouldn't be a bad idea totake an inventory of the
products that you're using.
Download an app like Yuka orThink Dirty or the EWGs app.
There are so many greatresources out there to help you
(14:24):
understand.
Okay, is the sunscreen that I'musing a clean one?
Is the mascara or the deodorantthat I'm using?
Is this clean or are therechemicals in it that I should be
concerned about because theymight be impacting my endocrine
system?
Check out one of theseresources and identify what's
(14:45):
the best tool for you and startjust screening through your
products to see okay, this onenot the best.
Next time I need to replace it,I'm going to get something that
is clean and doesn't have thesame impact on my endocrine
system.
Now that we've walked through abit of information on what can
contribute to or exacerbate yourPMS, let's pivot to this final
(15:12):
section, where we're going toidentify what can you do.
What are these top of mind ormost easily accessible action
items that you can take intoaccount now so that you can
hopefully have a better, lessPMS-y experience before your
next cycle?
Now, the first thing on thislist I mentioned earlier but is
so important, is for you tounderstand if you're actually
(15:32):
ovulating.
Understand if you're ovulating,because if you're not, then
that's what you'll want to focuson figuring out why not and how
can you support your body toget back in the rhythm of things
and going through your propercycle and ovulating.
Now, once you confirm that youare ovulating, then that's a
(15:53):
good opportunity for you to sayokay, sick.
Now I know that bringing downthat excess estrogen and helping
my body to eliminate thoseestrogen metabolites, that's
what I need to focus on.
So some things that you can doto help the elimination of
estrogen would be one gettinginto the sauna If you go to a
(16:15):
gym nearby or wherever you haveaccess to a sauna.
While, yes, I mentioned thatestrogen is excreted through
your stool, you can also excretesome of those metabolites
through your sweat actually.
So getting into the sauna, thatcan be helpful.
You maybe want to spend I don'tknow try out 20 minutes in the
(16:37):
sauna if you are new to it, butjust getting in that practice of
sweating that's going to besomething that will be on your
side.
The second thing that is reallyattainable would be just
incorporating more cruciferousveggies into your diet.
Cruciferous veggies includethose like broccoli, cauliflower
(16:59):
, kale, radishes what else havewe got?
Arugula, mustard greens.
You can do a quick goog to findout what's the full list of
cruciferous veggies and pick twoor three to incorporate into
your meals this week.
Cruciferous veggies havecertain components in them that
(17:20):
just support what's going on inyour liver, support this phase
of detoxification in your liver,and so that's why that can be a
good option.
If you're not super hyped aboutsome of those leafy greens,
then you can also check out onthe tea aisle at your local
grocery store.
They might have an option thatjust says liver detox tea.
(17:41):
They might have another onethat's dandelion root tea.
There are a variety of teasthat are going to be supportive,
like cruciferous veggies, forwhat's going on with your liver
(18:04):
each day, before you go to bed,enjoying a cup of tea and then
smoothing into your nighttimeroutine, just like, oh, settling
into your nighttime routine,that's the word I wanted.
The next two recommendations arethings to remove.
Number one alcohol.
Would definitely recommendremoving it in the second half
of your cycle, so that lastseven to 10 to 14 days if you're
(18:25):
having PMS, just to see, like,okay, is this helping?
What is the impact that I seefrom it?
Of course, alcohol is not goodfor your body any day of the
week, but if you're able to see,okay, cool me, opting for this
mocktail or instead of going outwith my friends, I'm going to
(18:46):
have the girls over to my housethis weekend, something like
that, see how you can switch upyour plans a little bit or just
what you're consuming.
There are so many other greatnon-alcoholic options.
The second thing that you canconsider avoiding would be
caffeine, also in the secondhalf of your cycle.
(19:06):
This is because caffeine can bea tax on your liver.
We've mentioned liver health ahandful of times, but just
thinking, okay, let me just trythis out minimize alcohol,
minimize caffeine, see how youfeel.
All right, team.
That about wraps it up for today, but I do want to leave you
(19:27):
with a reminder, with someencouragement, that if you have
been dealing with PMS for a longtime, if you were just sick and
tired of it, I feel you.
I've been there.
There's so many other galsmenstruators around who have
been there too, and I just wantto encourage you that you can do
this.
You can make changes in yourdiet and your lifestyle, with
(19:47):
your sleep, to really helpsupport your body and help
support these systems, helpsupport your liver and your
estrogen balance all of thesethings to help you have a better
period and help you to justhave a period that's so smooth.
You don't even have to thinkabout it being a thing right.
You're focused on these otherparts of life that are rewarding
(20:09):
and fulfilling and productiveand all of the other good stuff
that life has in store for you,aside of just managing your
health.
So I say that to say I know thatsometimes we listen to podcasts
and we're like you know, Idon't know when something is
going to work for me, butidentifying a plan, identifying
(20:30):
what works for you, making itwork for you and committing to
it.
Stick with it for maybe threemonths and then, if you're not
seeing the results that you need, you're not seeing the results
that you want, then maybe thatis good time to find the right
person to work with one-on-one,because your health matters and
(20:50):
you don't have to deal with justfeeling like ish and not being
sure of what to do, not beingsure of how to support your body
.
So I will leave you with that.
Thank you again for listeningto this 100th episode of I'm
Hormonal.
I can't believe that we're at100.
That's a big number, guys, butcouldn't have done it without
you, of course, and I just can'tsay enough.
(21:13):
I really appreciate all of youlistening, all of you reaching
out.
If you have a question, ifthere's a topic that you want to
hear me talk about, you can dmme on instagram at bridget
walton, but otherwise that's itfrom me.
I'm bridget walton and I willlook forward to seeing you on
thursday for a mini episodewhere I'm going to be talking
(21:35):
specifically about pms and workand how you can prioritize a
couple of specific areas of yourwork in order to help to
mitigate your PMS.
It'll be a good continuation ifyou felt that this one was
helpful.
So thanks, guys.
See you on the next one.
(21:55):
If you loved today's episode andgot something good out of it,
make sure you subscribe so thatthese episodes show up
automatically in your feed outof it.
Make sure you subscribe so thatthese episodes show up
automatically in your feed, nowork needed on your side, let's
put it on autopilot.
As always, I need to give youmy reminder that the information
I share with you here is foreducational purposes only, and
it should not be used as areplacement for medical advice
or diagnosis.
(22:16):
Now, if you are, on the otherhand, in the market for some
one-on-one support, then I wouldlove for you to take me up on
my offer for a free strategycall.
You can find these links andmore in the show notes.
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