Tips for living your best cycle

It is so important to track your female reproductive cycles to ensure they are smooth and blissful. Period pain can occur due to many reasons, causing increases in inflammatory cytokines and pain. Be mindful to check in with your healthcare provider about the pain as it is important to address it.

Aims of Holistic Treatment of period pain and endometriosis:

1.Support detoxification of synthetic and endogenous hormones via the liver and digestive tract (support healthy bowel motions)

2.Change from sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system to parasympathetic (rest & digest) nervous system - to reduce fatigue and stress levels

3. Reduce systemic inflammation

4. Reduce painful menstruation by increasing circulation to the endometrium to reduce spasmodic contractions and support healthy uterine function

5. Reduce environmental toxin exposure and toxic burden

6. Increase antioxidant status

7. Improve digestive health and decrease bloating, function and nutrient absorption and assimilation

Track cervical mucus around your cycles to notice changes throughout -

Track cycle with a period app: put in your symptoms and get to know your cycle changes + see how your cycle is changing

• Pre-ovulation: a dryer sticky mucus - ovulation is happening within 7 days

• Ovulation is coming: wet and watery mucus - this means the body is getting ready for ovulation within days. Oestrogen begins to rise.

• Expect ovulation soon: creamy cottage cheese, due to the rise in oestrogen, becoming the perfect environment for sperm swim to the egg for fertilisation. Expect ovulation in the next 3 days.

• Ovulation: egg white consistency a clear stretchy mucus. This means ovulation is happening within the next 24-48-hours. The mucus is at the perfect pH for sperm to survive in and contains nutrients to help them survive & swim.

• Post-ovulation: Progesterone increases causes cervical mucus to become more sticky and thick which may reduce the ability of sperm to enter the cervix.

• Unusual: grey, brown, red or funny smelling discharge indications there may be a pH imbalance or hormonal dysregulation!

When tracking changes throughout your cycle, it is important to make note of the following. This will allow you put pieces of your individual reproductive health picture together.

• Day of the month

• Cervical mucus changes and amounts

• Pain intensity (/10 - 10 being excruciating)

• Use of analgesics (Nurofen/Panadol/Naprogesic)

• Pain location

• Quality of the pain (sharp, dull, cramping, dragging)

• Other symptoms (fatigue, nausea, bloating, constipation)

• Temperature changes

You can chart this via your period app (Flo/Clue/Kindara).

Lifestyle Tips

Avoid as many environmental toxins as possible - to reduce exposure to synthetic oestrogens which worsen endometriosis and menstrual pain.

• Switch to organic cleaner/body products - I use vinegar and essential oils for cleaning

• Skincare swap - try organic Inika, Mukti, Juniper, Sukin, Evohe

• Avoid eating out of plastic/plastic coffee lids/water bottles

• Organic foods where possible to reduce pesticide consumption

• Wash fruit/vegetables in apple cider vinegar before eating

• Ensure to take part in daily nervous system support - meditation, reading, nature bathing, walks, socialising, resting and exercise

• Use period undies and pads to reduce the risk of ‘retrograde flow’ which is one of the hypothesised causes of period pain and endometriosis

Soothing Tips

Self-soothing techniques when experiencing period pain - move your body from sympathetic nervous system dominance (fight-or-flight) into parasympathetic nervous system (rest-digest)

• Find 5 things you can focus on (what can you see, smell, taste, touch, hear) e.g. boil the kettle (focus on the water, deep breathing, smell the tea)

• Hold an ice cube to the inside of your wrist and focus on the cold

• Lay with a hot water bottle on the abdomen, with your legs up the wall for 10 minutes

Positive Affirmations repeated daily in the mirror: Shown to change neural function when repeated daily.

• "I am well, I am supported"

• "My body is healing at its own rate"

• "I am relaxed, calm and can handle this sensation

• "I am support and cared for by the universe

Dietary additions -

• Introduce 1 cup of organic brassica greens into the diet daily (brocoli, cabbage, kale) - if well tolerated by the gut.

• Increase protein intake - generally 75gr per day - each meal should have a palm sized portion of protein - think meat, fish, eggs.

• Fats - include fats into every meal to support weight regulation, reduce inflammation and keep you full (olive oil, avocado, ghee, grass fed butter, seeds, nuts)

• Carbohydrates - cooked veggies, avoid to many grains/raw veggies as they can upset the stomach lining and reduce nutrient absorption

• Oily Fish - 1-3x weekly, avoid tinned options more than 1x weekly - Try cold water oily fish; wild caught salmon, trout, sardines, anchovies

• Red meat - 2-3x weekly, grass fed and organic where possible Chicken - free range/organic where possible

• Include turmeric, cinnamon, ginger/plenty of spices & herbs - in meals for their anti- inflammatory & antioxidant compounds (think spiced hot chocolates, curries).

Supplements/herbs are also really helpful to use to support healthy cycles and reduce period pain.

Living a healthy lifestyle is essential for overall wellbeing, both physically and mentally. We all know that exercise and a balanced diet can keep us healthy, but supplements take treatment to the next level.

Supplements are increasingly being recognised as an effective way to support our bodies and maintain a high level of health. Sometimes a healthy diet and lifestyle can only take us so far. Supplements come in to work on things on another level and help us hit out wellness targets faster.

My favourite herbs for period pain and endometriosis are turmeric, st mary’s thistle, chaste tree, licorice, rosemary, peony, jamaica dogwood and so on, it really depends on the issue at hand.

Magnesium glycinate is essential for our bodies as it helps to regulate biochemical reactions. It plays a vital role in muscle and nerve function, energy production and reduce pain in the body. Studies show that supplementing enough magnesium (300-600mg/day), can reduce anxiety and muscle cramps which are associated with menstruation. It has also shown to improve depression scores and migraines.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine and a precursor for glutathione (our master antioxidant), which is essential for maintaining the structure for cells and plays a vital role in our body’s antioxidant system to combat oxidative stress which = inflammation = period pain. NAC is wonderful at detoxifying excess hormones and has even been associated with reducing symptoms of ADHD and OCD.

Zinc is an essential mineral required for body functions such as supporting white cells and the immune system. This improves our body’s immune respnse to infections. Low levels of zinc are associated with acne, mood disorders, period pain and hormonal imbalance. Zinc helps to downregulate inflammatory cytokines which are elevated during menstruation and helps to balance hormones.

Calcium D-Glucarate is a compound found in fruit and veggies, its formed when our body’s breakdown glucaric acid. This binds to toxins in our body and pulls them out, thus, supplementing with CDG can benefit those with issues detoxifying. It supports liver function and helps to remove excess hormones that can cause period pain, it is especially helpful for those with gut dysbiosis-menstrual issues. CDG helps to reduce Lipopolysaccharides in the gut which are associated with endometrial lesion growth.

There are many more but please chat with a practitioner before incorporating any supplements into your diet.

For individualised support with your menstrual cycle and period pain, you are most welcome to book in here.