Are You Eating Enough to Get a Period?
Lost your period? You might just need to eat more. A lot more. Losing your period to undereating is called hypothalamic amenorrhea and is common, especially in women under thirty.
Unfortunately, hypothalamic amenorrhea can sometimes be misdiagnosed as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) because both hypothalamic amenorrhea and PCOS can have “polycystic ovaries” on a pelvic ultrasound exam.
Natural Treatment of Menstrual Migraines
According to a Lancet review, menstrual migraines are more severe than migraines at other times of the cycle. They occur then due to prostaglandins, histamine, and the steep decline in estrogen (aka “estrogen withdrawal”) leading up to the period.
Body-identical progesterone can shelter the brain from estrogen withdrawal and reduce the frequency and intensity of menstrual migraines.
Why I Prescribe Iodine for Breast Pain, Ovarian Cysts, and PMDD
Iodine can relieve breast pain, ovulation pain, premenstrual mood symptoms and help to prevent ovarian cysts. It works by promoting healthy estrogen metabolism, down-regulating estrogen receptors, and stabilizing estrogen-sensitive tissue in the breasts, uterus, ovaries, and brain. As one paper says, iodine has “a net anti-estrogenic effect.”
Iodine’s anti-estrogen effect makes it one of the best treatments for estrogen excess or “estrogen dominance”—although I don’t use that term.
Taurine: 5 Benefits for Women’s Health
Taurine is one of my favorite prescriptions for perimenopause, menopause, sleep, mood, insulin resistance, and migraine prevention.
Taurine is an amino acid, but unlike most amino acids, it doesn’t build protein. Instead, taurine has directly beneficial effects on the liver, brain, mitochondria, immune system, and nervous system. Taurine is so important that it makes up about 0.1 percent of total body weight.
Perimenopause Is Second Puberty and Is Temporary
Perimenopause, or “second puberty,” is the two to ten years before the final period. It’s different from menopause (or post-menopause), which is the life phase that begins one year after the final period. Symptoms can occur during perimenopause and are temporary.
What’s the Story With Dairy and Period Problems?
For some women, stopping normal dairy products can relieve period symptoms. But why?
In the latest episode of my podcast and YouTube video, I discuss the inflammatory effects of A1 casein and how a mast cell histamine response can drive period problems such as premenstrual mood symptoms, heavy bleeding, and pain.