Guide to Treating Period Pain, PMS, Endometriosis, Fibroids, and Post Birth Control Syndrome with Naturopathy
From our very first period all the way to menopause, women’s reproductive systems are constantly in ebb and flow. Your menstrual cycle is your fifth vital sign, giving you integral information about your health on a monthly basis (like a convenient monthly report card). Whether it be fighting menstrual cramps, dealing with heavy flow, or coming off of hormonal birth control, Dr. Jennah would love to support you. Naturopathic medicine has evidence-based approaches for all of your reproductive health concerns.
Dr. Jennah has experience and success in treating a variety of women’s health concerns. Some of which include:
- Polycsytic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Irregular periods – Long cycles, short cycles, or absent cycles all together
- Heavy menstrual flow
- Period pain
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
- Transitioning off of hormonal birth control
- Post Birth Control Syndrome
- Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
Dr. Jennah talks about Period Pain
Follow along: Transcription
“This is Dr. Jennah Miller, naturopathic doctor, and today I’m going to be talking about what’s causing my period pain….
Naturopathy for Estrogen Dominance in Endometriosis and Fibroids
Certain women’s health conditions are particularly sensitive to the amount of estrogen that is being produced in the body at any one time. Estrogen is a female sex hormone which tends to be highest in the first half of the menstrual cycle. When is continues to remain high in the face of low progesterone (another female sex hormone which tends to be highest in the second half of the menstrual cycle), this is termed as estrogen dominance.
Women’s menstrual health concerns like endometriosis and fibroids are particularly sensitive to estrogen levels. As a result, helping to balance estrogen and progesterone levels are one of the primary ways in which naturopathic medicine helps to treat these concerns. Dr. Jennah may suggest a combination of acupuncture, herbal hormone balancing support, and a variety or targeted diet and lifestyle considerations to help you manage your endometriosis and fibroids from a root cause perspective.
Acute management of the period pain, irregular periods, or heavy flow that often comes with fibroids and/or endometriosis will also be an important component of your naturopathic treatment with Dr. Jennah. Your healthcare should be as unique as you are, and Dr. Jennah will work with you to choose a treatment plan that resonates with your health goals and concerns.
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and PCOS
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC’s) play a huge role in hormonal imbalances, and avoiding them is a key part of natural treatment of period pain, endometriosis, PMS, PCOS, and coming off of hormonal birth control.
EDC’s are incredibly common in things like plastic food containers, to-go coffee cups, conventionally (non-organic) produce, cleaning products, and makeup. Our exposure to these hormone misbalancing compounds happen on a daily basis, and can wreak havoc on our hormones from our first period all the way until menopause.
Endocrine disruptors tend to act like our body’s own naturally produced estrogen, but they preferentially bind to our hormone receptors and exert a much stronger estrogenic effect on the body. This can lead to hormonal imbalances, excessive estrogen, and negative effects on periods, fertility, endometriosis, and overall hormone balance. Dr. Jennah works closely with her patients to identify areas in which they can reduce EDC exposure in their every day life, and improve their menstrual health and periods as a result.
Naturopathic Treatment of Stress, Cortisol Levels and your Period
If you’ve noticed that your stress levels seem to impact your period, then you’re one step ahead of the game. If you’ve been going through a period of high stress at work or home, you may have noticed that your Pre-menstrual Syndrome (PMS) and/or period pain may get much worse. When our bodies are under chronic stress, we preferentially produce the stress hormone, cortisol, to help our body adapt and survive. This is supposed to be an adaptive survival mechanism, but when we’re under this level of stress on a consistent basis, it begins to negatively impact our estrogen and progesterone levels (which play a role in regulating our menstrual cycles).
Regular acupuncture treatments, functional dietary strategies, and hormone supporting herbs all play an integral role in addressing period problems and stress. When we’re under stress, the hormone releasing pituitary gland in our brain does not signal our ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone in the proper manner. This can lead to irregular periods or absent periods all together.
Dr. Jennah works closely with her patients to manage stress and balance hormones in a sustainable way that works with their life. To find out more about how stress might be impacting your periods or affecting your PCOS, Endometriosis, and PMS, then book a free 15 minute consult with Dr. Jennah here. Get all of your period questions answered.
Hormonal Birth Control and Preventing Post Birth Control Syndrome
More and more women are choosing to come off of the hormonal birth control, and want to avoid the negative side effects that are often associated with this transition. Post Birth Control Syndrome is a relatively new term, and is used to describe all of the adverse symptoms that individuals might experience in the first 6-12 months after stopping their last pill pack.
Hair loss, hormonal and cystic acne, worsening PMS, breast tenderness, and a delayed return to regular menstruation have all been linked with post birth control syndrome. Naturopathy has many tools to ease this transition, and Dr. Jennah may suggest a combination of acupuncture to regulate menses, herbal support, and dietary/lifestyle changes to better guide women through this sometimes difficult transition with as few symptoms as possible.
Treat Period Pain and Endometriosis Naturally
Dr. Jennah has a special interested in women’s health concerns, and enjoys treating everything from low energy and fatigue, to painful periods and pre-menstrual syndrome. She believes that your healthcare should be as unique as you are.
Book a Free 15 minute Naturopathic Meet and Greet Appointment
's
