How To Relieve PMS Symptoms

Experiencing headaches, irritability or water retention on the days before your period? Around 50% of all women do. While for some women this is just a minor inconvenience, for others the symptoms are so severe that normal everyday life is barely possible. But where does this discomfort before your period come from? And what can help with premenstrual syndrome? This is exactly what we explain in this article.

What is PMS?

PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome. Premenstrual means before menstruation. It therefore refers to symptoms that occur within a few days before your period. However, a few days is actually a relative term. The unpleasant symptoms usually start 3 to 4 days before the period, but some women also struggle with PMS symptoms for 7 or even 12 days.

PLANT EXTRACT TO HELP YOUR HORMONAL BALANCE

An innovative active ingredient combination of reishi, milk thistle, monk's pepper, sulforaphane from broccoli extract, N-acetylcysteine, selenium, glutathione and ß-glucanene - developed by experts especially for women.

Buy Now

What are the symptoms of PMS?

Typical PMS symptoms include

• Tightness in the breasts or abdomen
• Water retention
• Ravenous appetite
• Exhaustion
• Sleep disorders
• Tiredness
• Mood swings
• Concentration problems
• Blemished skin

Which PMS Type do you have?

However, depending on which symptoms are in the foreground, four main PMS types can be distinguished.

• PMS type A (Anxiety) mainly suffers from mood swings, feelings of anxiety, irritability, aggression or anger.
• Type C (Craving) suffers in particular from ravenous hunger and increased appetite before their period. However, tiredness and headaches are also associated with this type.
• With type D (depression), PMS is characterised by depressive moods, a tendency to cry and sleep disorders.
• And type H (hyperhydration) is characterised by water retention, breast tenderness and weight gain before your period.

Don't see your symptoms here? Then you could be type O (Other). Have you hit the jackpot and have a wild mix of symptoms? You'll find it under Type-T (Total Overall Symptoms).

SPECIAL CASE PMDS

PMDS (premenstrual dysmorphic disorder) is a special form of premenstrual syndrome. The psychological component of a depressive mood is particularly strong here. It is so pronounced that it can have a significant impact on work performance or private life, and the depressive moods can even lead to suicidal thoughts.

PMS - What are the causes?

Although so many women are affected month after month, it is still not entirely clear where premenstrual syndrome actually comes from. The symptoms are extremely varied and there is no single cause. Rather, it is a multifaceted process.

HORMONES PLAY A ROLE

Isn't that a shock! Oestrogen and progesterone in particular are heavily involved in PMS. Some women react sensitively to the drop in oestrogen in the second half of the cycle. Others suffer from a progesterone deficiency. In particular, high oestrogen - i.e. an imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone - can lead to increased PMS symptoms. This is also one of the reasons why women in the early menopause, the so-called perimenopause, suddenly suffer more from PMS.

Restore balance

Our plant extracts Lust For Life, Take It Easy and Think Clearly support you in finding your hormonal balance, while our Daily Energy Protein Superfood Shake will give you the proteins and vital substances to serve as a strong basis for your hormonal balance.

Buy Now

On the one hand, there is usually a (relative) progesterone deficiency. If there is an excess of oestrogen, the drop in oestrogen is also particularly noticeable in the second half of the cycle. It's like being on a rollercoaster - once at the top it then goes down steeply.

The happiness hormone serotonin also appears to play a role here. A drop in this neurotransmitter in the second half of the cycle primarily contributes to psychological PMS symptoms such as sadness or irritability. However, it is still unclear why serotonin partially disappears in the second half of the cycle. However, the autonomic nervous system, the brain and the ovaries are probably involved.

An excess of prolactin can also lead to increased PMS symptoms. Prolactin is also known as the milk production hormone. However, it is not only produced during breastfeeding. Stress can also increase prolactin levels.

Research also suggests that some symptoms are caused by low melatonin levels. The sleep rhythm in particular can then be disrupted. If this leads to a lack of sleep, this in turn can exacerbate other symptoms. A (latent) hypothyroidism can also fuel premenstrual syndrome.

PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO HORMONES?

Hormonal imbalances can therefore lead to severe PMS symptoms. However, one woman may be more severely affected and another woman may hardly suffer any symptoms at all. Why is that? Recent studies show that there is probably a genetic hypersensitivity to sex hormones.

RISK FACTORS FOR PMS

Some factors can increase the risk of premenstrual syndrome or contribute to a worsening of symptoms. These include:

• An unbalanced diet
• Smoking
• Increased alcohol consumption
• Lack of exercise
• Psychosocial conflicts (e.g. problems in relationship)

What helps premenstrual syndrome?

PMS is a multifactorial condition. Accordingly, there are various points to address in order to alleviate the symptoms or, at best, make them disappear.

THE RIGHT DIET FOR PMS

It is now recognised that sugar, salt, alcohol and caffeinated drinks can exacerbate PMS. So make sure you eat a balanced diet (not just in the second half of your cycle). Follow a Mediterranean diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as predominantly plant-based proteins and high-quality oils. We have put together an easy-to-implement nutritional checklist for you with our Simple 7.

DON'T FORGET YOUR GUT AND LIVER

A healthy gut and an active liver are important prerequisites for your hormone balance. Among other things, the liver is responsible for breaking down excess hormones. If its function is impaired, hormone breakdown can fall by the wayside. The result: high oestrogen levels and therefore more PMS symptoms. Your liver loves bitter substances. So make sure that bitter foods such as chicory or radicchio regularly end up on your plate.

Your gut is not only responsible for digestion. On the one hand, it transports the broken down hormones so that they are excreted via faeces. It is also directly involved in the regulation of oestrogen levels and the production of serotonin. Keep your gut fit with probiotics and fibre.

Get a hold on your hormones

The XbyX Phyto Power supports hormone metabolism, with active ingredients red clover, cordyceps, schisandra, evening primrose oil, hops and flaxseed. Furthermore, the product has been developed by experts especially for women in menopause and postmenopause.

Buy Now

MICRONUTRIENTS FOR PMS

With a balanced diet, you give your body the nutrients it needs for hormone regulation and hormone production, among other things. Some micronutrients play a special role here.

You can prevent PMS symptoms with a good vitamin D level (e.g. with XbyX Sun Full) and an optimal iron level. Studies also show that a good supply of vitamin B6 supports your hormone regulation - and the same applies to calcium. Vitamin B6 is found in meat, fish, wholemeal products and pulses, among other things. Sources of calcium are dairy products and green vegetables. One portion (30g) of our Daily Energy Protein Superfood Shake covers (more than) 100% of your daily requirement of vitamin B6 and calcium.

LIVING IN THE CYCLE

You can think of our cycle a bit like the four seasons. In the first half of our cycle, spring, we usually feel good, our energy is good, we are creative and also like to be active. Our ovulation corresponds to summer. Hormone secretion is at its peak, we feel energised and irresistible. There is real power here. Then, in the second half of the cycle, we enter autumn. The signs are more of a retreat. Before winter, menstruation, arrives and we feel like burying ourselves deep down somewhere.

Hand on heart: are you taking this into account? Do you really take it easy in the second half of your cycle and perhaps slow things down? No? Then why not give it a try? What this withdrawal looks like is entirely up to you. Maybe you like going for walks in the woods, doing yoga or cosying up on the couch with a book. Meditation is also a good way to calm down on the days before your period.

STRESS EASES - SUPPORT FROM ADAPTOGENS

If your thoughts just won't stop racing or your everyday life simply doesn't allow you to retreat at a particular moment, adaptogens can help your body deal with stress. Adaptogens include ashwagandha, for example (e.g. in XbyX Take It Easy). Maca is also used as an adaptogen, especially when there is a hormonal imbalance.

PLANT POWER WITH PMS

You can support your hormone balance with other herbal helpers. Monk's pepper is at the forefront of this. This medicinal plant has been used for many centuries to treat women's ailments. Monk's pepper (e.g. in XbyX Peri Balance) can be particularly helpful in cases of progesterone deficiency and excess prolactin. Lady's mantle and yam are also popular PMS medicinal plants.

MORE EXERCISE AGAINST PMS SYMPTOMS

As you already know, lack of exercise is a risk factor for PMS. Accordingly, more exercise can help to prevent premenstrual syndrome. In fact, the type of physical activity seems to play a subordinate role here. Studies have shown that aerobics, Pilates, stretching, yoga and aqua aerobics, among others, have positive effects. It's best to choose what you enjoy.

AND IF NONE OF THIS HELPS?

Women with PMS are usually prescribed the pill quite quickly by their gynaecologist. The body's own cycle is "paralysed" with most pills, so that the symptoms before the period are also absent. However, PMS symptoms are often swapped for side effects of the pill. And they are very similar. So the situation effectively feels like, "Do you want to trade the plague for cholera?"

Bioidentical hormones are a possible alternative. Talk to your gynaecologist about whether bioidentical hormone therapy is an option for you. We have compiled all the relevant information for you in our article "Bioidentical hormones during the menopause". Good to know, even if you are not yet in the menopause!