Period Problems: What your hormones are trying to tell you.
First of all, severe pain, mood swings, food cravings, heaviness, bloating and other period problems are NOT something you need to live with. They're a signal that something is imbalanced. A lot of women take birth control pills or use hormonal IUDs to manage painful periods or other PMS symptoms such as acne, mood issues and heaviness. These are options and we always discuss in clinic, but often times patients are looking for other ways to improve their concerns long-term.
Some of the top period problems I treat in my practice are: Painful and/or heavy periods, migraines around menstruation and cyclical acne that shows up monthly.
Painful and/or Heavy Periods: These are the most common menstrual complaints in my office by far. Many women are bleeding an excess amount each month which can lead to low iron levels, fatigue, and issues of avoiding activity, exercise and so on. Together, we explore dietary, lifestyle and supplementation that may help improve painful or heavy periods. Sometimes we make use of hormone testing.
Migraines Around Menstruation: When a headache is severe enough to keep you from working, going to school or taking care of your kids, it's a huge problem. When that headache that debilitating comes on every month right before your period? That's just cruel. It's also not permanent. If digestion is in check and the bowels are working well, the next step is to consider the building blocks for healthy hormones such as B-vitamins and fatty acids.
Cyclical Acne: Breakouts around menstruation are typical of the change in your hormones that happens around menstruation. Deep cystic acne lesions along the jawline, chest or back, can be a sign of issues with testosterone. If you have painful acne lesions that take a long time to heal, combined with an irregular period you may need to work on your blood sugar and testosterone levels to regulate your period and clear up your skin.
The most important thing to know about period problems is that you don't have to live with them! Most menstrual issues are treatable including those I haven't talked about like mood swings, irregular periods, food cravings and so on.
Meet Dr. Briana Botsford
Dr. Briana Botsford is a Naturopathic Doctor based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who focuses on women’s health and athletic performance medicine. She works diligently at finding the root cause of a patient's symptoms through an extensive health history analysis before proceeding with any therapy or recommendations. Dr. Botsford works closely with all individuals to help them make small changes in their routine to achieve big improvements in their physical and mental health.