Go With The Flow: Harmonize With Your Luteal Phase

Do you feel down in the dumps as soon as the second half of your menstrual cycle hits or starting a few days before your period? Does it interfere with your relationships, your mental health, or your daily activities and responsibilities? Many menstruating people struggle with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or what I like to call the “luteal phase blues.” 

In this article, you will uncover what is happening during the second half of your menstrual cycle and why you may feel this way. As a person with a menstrual cycle, you are literally “cyclical.” This means you change throughout the month in profound ways that are not entirely supported by the current structure of our work and home lives. In this article, we will discuss changes you can make to support your mind, body, and spirit during this phase with the goal of working with our cycle instead of against it. 

Let’s look at some definitions based on a 28-day cycle (yours may look a little different): 

• Day 1 = the first day you bleed on your period
• Day 14 = estimated ovulation day
• Follicular phase: days 1-14 
• Luteal phase: days 14-28

If you don’t have a smooth transition with your hormones during this phase, then it can cause a host of symptoms. It is most common for estrogen to be elevated, progesterone to be depleted, or both, in a pattern that is termed “estrogen dominance.” 

This can be caused by lack of ovulation, chronic stress, thyroid dysfunction, metabolic dysfunction (i.e. high adiposity, insulin resistance), environmental toxins, sluggish liver, and more. It is important to be evaluated for your root cause of hormonal imbalances. 

Common symptoms during the luteal phase: 

• Breast tenderness and swelling
• Mood swings, anxiety, sadness/depression
• Pelvic pain/cramps
• Fatigue and sleep changes 
• Food cravings and appetite fluctuations
• Headaches/migraines
• Acne
• Bloating and stool changes (constipation or diarrhea)

How can you support your hormones during this phase to both reduce PMS symptoms and work with this phase to promote balance within your body, mind, and spirit? 

Nutrition for days 14-28:

• Increase anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods: eat the rainbow of nutritious non-starchy vegetables and fruits, particularly berries, and add more healthy fats like salmon, avocado, and olive oil. 
• Decrease inflammatory foods like processed snacks and foods, deli meats, seed oils, dairy, simple carbohydrates like bread and pasta. 
• Increase organic, unprocessed, lean animal-based proteins to reduce cravings and prepare your body for blood loss during your menstrual phase.
• Seeds: add 1 tbsp of sesame and/or sunflower seeds per day to give you the proper building blocks for progesterone. 
• Drink lots of water!

Lifestyle recommendations for days 14-28: tap into the slower and more subtle energies of this phase and always listen to what your body is asking for. 

• Focus on slower, rejuvenating movements like slow flow yoga, qi gong, stretching, and walking. 
• Tap into your emotional state and let them flow through practices like journaling, EFT/tapping, and meditation. 
• Avoid scheduling high-intensity social events, work meetings, and other appointments (as much as is possible). 
• Support your liver metabolism of hormones through castor oil packs. 
• Allow yourself more time for sleep and promote quality 

It is normal for our body to go through a transition into an energetic period more conducive for slowness and self-care. However, if any of your symptoms are severe and/or interfering with your daily life, it is not normal, there is hope for feeling better, and you don’t have to figure it out all on your own. 

After reading this article, my hope is that you feel empowered to reach out for care. A naturopathic provider can provide a comprehensive workup and treatment plan that may include more individualized nutritional advice, supplements, herbs, and more.