How to best support your body and menstrual cycle (ages 18-40ish)

I am turning 30 this year and with that, I’ve been reflecting on the past, but also wondering what the future holds. I feel empowered because I possibly have more knowledge about the female body than my ancestors, but I still see the women around me struggling with their hormones, menstruation, sex drive, and gut health. This post is for you, mujer, so you can understand how to better support your body regardless of the stage you’re in and the myths surrounding it.

As women, we were told we are destined for pain. From the moment our menstrual cycle begins and we are met with NSAIDs and sore breasts, to the moment we reach menopause and the hot flashes begin (along with the plethora of symptoms we had experienced during perimenopause!) 

This blog post aims to go over 2 of the stages of womanhood (your reproductive years and perimenopause) so you can understand how to best support your hormones and stay clear of the symptoms associated with a hormone imbalance. It is possible to have painless periods and an easy transition into our older years, despite what you’ve been told. 

First, we can’t get anywhere without a basic understanding of the two most important hormones, so here are some “flashcards”

• Estrogen: the most influential hormone of our menstrual cycle. Estrogen is responsible for our drive, weight management, libido, and more. It is primarily produced in the ovaries, but also in the adrenal glands and fat tissue. It’s important to note during menopause the adrenal glands take over the ovaries as the main creator of estrogen, which is why adrenal health is key to aging gracefully.

• Progesterone: progesterone is the hormone that carries the most influence during the second half of our cycle. Low progesterone is associated with irregular periods, difficulty maintaining a pregnancy, and mood changes such as anxiety and depression. 

Estrogen and progesterone, along with other hormones fluctuate throughout our menstrual cycle. An imbalance in the ratio of estrogen and progesterone usually creates the symptoms we associate with hormonal imbalances overall. Common imbalances that women experience are: having high estrogen, having low progesterone, or having high estrogen and low progesterone together.

Symptoms of high estrogen include: 

1. Breast tenderness

2. Heavy or irregular periods

3. Mood swings, anxiety, and irritability

4. Fatigue

5. Bloating and water retention

6. Headaches or migraines

7. Decreased sex drive

8. Weight gain, especially around the hips and thighs

9. Fibrocystic breast changes

Symptoms of low progesterone include:

1. Heavy or painful periods

2. Mood swings, depression, and anxiety

3. Fatigue and low energy

4. Difficulty sleeping

5. Vaginal dryness

6. Decreased sex drive

7. Headaches

8. Infertility or difficulty getting pregnant

9. Miscarriage or early pregnancy loss
   
   

1. How to thrive during your peak reproductive years (18-34): 

Our reproductive era goes from the moment we get our first menses (period) to the moment we stop having it. The menstrual cycle starts at your period and ends the day before your next one, (which is why is inaccurate to refer to your period/bleed as your cycle, as I hear many people call it). Some of us have cycles that are 27-33 days long, while others can be a lot longer or shorter, and this variation usually signals an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone in the body that we talked about previously. 

Painful periods are typically a sign of high estrogen levels. Irregular periods (including spotting in between periods) are typically a sign of low progesterone. 

How to best support yourself during your reproductive years:

To best support your body during your menstrual cycle it is KEY to have enough minerals in the diet. Copper, selenium, and zinc are essential and we tend to be quite deficient in these, unfortunately. It is imperative that we eat the following foods on a regular basis to meet our nutritional needs:

Copper-rich foods:

• Oysters

• Liver

• Cashews

• Sunflower seeds

• Lentils

Selenium-rich foods:

• Brazil nuts

• Tuna

• Oysters

• Brown rice

• Chicken

Zinc-rich foods:

• Liver

• Oysters

• Beef

• Pumpkin seeds

• Cashews

• Lentils 

Gut health

Gut health is ESSENTIAL as well. Regular to chronic diarrhea is a sign of nutrient malabsorption, so addressing food sensitivities and intolerances is key because otherwise, you risk not absorbing the minerals from foods, not to mention that those Brazil nuts are expensive, so it almost feels like money down the drain!

Additionally, constipation is a precursor for many hormonal imbalances. This is because we remove excess waste hormones through the feces. When we’re constipated, that waste cholesterol and estrogen that has no longer use by the body can recirculate through the bloodstream, creating hormonal imbalances. Daily bowel movements are key to avoiding the signs associated with excess estrogen. If you’re chronically constipated (which is passing less than one bowel movement per day) chances are your hormonal imbalances will resolve by becoming regular in the bathroom (without using laxatives). 

For a blueprint to naturally heal from constipation and/or diarrhea (which are IBS symptoms), The No Bloat Code is the place to go.  Preview it for free here. 

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2. Supporting your body during perimenopause:

Perimenopause is that stage that many of us are not familiar with until we reach it. It is the transition to menopause and alarmingly, it seems to be starting earlier and earlier in women. Perimenopause starts the moment our periods become more irregular and it often comes with PMS-like symptoms such as mood swings, and menopause-like symptoms such as vaginal dryness. This is associated with an overall drop in progesterone during this period of time. As you can imagine, this transitional period can be quite hard for women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB). Not only does it represent an “end of an era” but it also comes with side effects that lower our quality of life. 

Alarmingly, it is estimated that perimenopause is now happening much earlier in women in the U.S., with the average age of the onset of perimenopause being now 44.5 vs. 47.5 in the mid-1900s. Women are experiencing perimenopause in their mid and late thirties, and that is something that, in my opinion, can be changed when we become literate about our menstrual cycle and are trained to spot red flags early on (anovulatory cycles, excess estrogen, low progesterone, etc.). 

How to support your body through perimenopause: 

Again, gut health is key during perimenopause, especially when it comes to your mood and readiness for sexual intercourse. Aside from the minerals mentioned above for womxn in their reproductive years, it is important to note that in perimenopause you’re still in your reproductive years, so take the tips above plus:

1. Lower cortisol by prioritizing stress management: stress is not only what happens to us, as in a bad day at work, unmet deadlines at school, or rude family members. Though it is important you find ways to cope with these stressors in a healthy way, I also encourage you to take a deep look inside to reflect on how your body responds to everyday life stressors like traffic, minor inconveniences, or small arguments with your partner. Your body can’t differentiate between stressors, and the physiological response of acute stress such as pressure at work, and the annoyance of everyday traffic while you’re in your car with the AC on, can both set your body into chronic stress mode.

2. Exercise, but be careful to not overexercise: Exercise can be extremely therapeutic. It is a great way to cope with stress and to create healthy endorphins that help with mood swings associated with perimenopause. However, overexercising can also increase cortisol levels in a way that may be unhealthy. Give yourself enough recovery time, avoid long sessions of high-intensity interval training, and make sure you are properly nourishing your body pre and post-workout with whole foods (not protein shakes/bars, and other processed foods).

3. Micronutrients: you want to make sure you get the minerals mentioned above (selenium, zinc, and copper) AND also prioritize vitamins A and vitamin D. A cod liver oil supplement can be very helpful in getting your daily recommended dose of vitamins A, D, and E.   

4. If you have any sort of gut issues: I can’t emphasize this enough– fixing constipation, diarrhea from food sensitivities, and even GERD, should be a PRIORITY because, without a healthy gut, we can’t absorb the nutrients we are consuming, therefore yielding them ineffective. 

I know I barely scratched the surface with this one, but I wanted to give you a short and sweet blog post on what I believe are the most important points to consider about understanding your menstrual cycle and its changes, our life stages, and how gut health is the foundation of our hormonal health.

For any questions, please feel free to comment them below or contact me privately.

Until the next post!