5 Things Your Gynecologist Never Told You About Your Period

Painful periods, PMS, and symptoms before your cycle are common but they’re not normal and they’re not something you have to accept as normal.

For over 15 years, I believed debilitating cramps, acne breakouts, fatigue, and mood swings every cycle were just something I had to “deal with.” Like so many women, I was told period pain was part of being a woman and that birth control or painkillers were my only options.

If you’re wondering why your periods are so painful, why PMS feels unmanageable, or why your symptoms get worse before your period, there are real physiological reasons behind it.

Issues like blood sugar imbalances, chronic inflammation, low progesterone, and suppressed ovulation play a much bigger role in period cramps, PMS symptoms, and hormonal imbalances than most women are ever told.

So here it is, the stuff my gynecologist never told me, and yours probably didn’t either.

1. You Need More Food Before Your Period

Your metabolism increases during your luteal phase, the second half of your cycle. That means your body actually needs more calories during this time to support the increased metabolic rate.

This is why you might feel hungrier, crave carbs or chocolate, or feel more out of control with food in the days leading up to your period. It’s not a lack of willpower, it’s your body asking for more nourishment.

When you skip meals or under-eat during this phase in particular, blood sugar becomes unstable.

Those spikes and crashes are a major driver of hormone imbalances that contribute to PMS, fatigue, mood changes, and period cramps.

You can listen to my podcast episode that breaks down this connection with action steps to take for better blood sugar balance here.

2. PMS and Painful Periods Are Common Not Normal

Cramps, heavy bleeding, mood swings, acne, migraines, or needing painkillers like ibuprofen or Midol every month are common for a lot of women.

But common doesn’t mean normal.

You shouldn’t have to plan your work, workouts, or social life around your period because the pain or exhaustion is unmanageable.

A healthy period shouldn’t derail your life every month.

3. Birth Control Doesn’t Balance Your Hormones

Birth control doesn’t correct hormone imbalances. It replaces your natural hormones with synthetic ones and shuts down ovulation.

For many women, it’s the only option they’re offered because most doctors are trained in pharmaceuticals, not root cause solutions.

Ovulation is the most important part of your cycle because it’s the only way your body produces progesterone. Progesterone is a calming, anti-inflammatory hormone that supports better sleep, steadier moods, and an easy luteal phase.

When ovulation is suppressed, progesterone production drops and symptoms like PMS, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and period cramps show up.

4. Brown Spotting Before Your Period Isn’t Random

Brown spotting in the days leading up to your period is commonly linked to low progesterone.

Progesterone helps stabilize and maintain the uterine lining after ovulation. When levels are low or drop too early, the lining can begin to shed early, which causes brown spotting before your period starts.

Low progesterone is also commonly associated with PMS symptoms and feeling less than your best during the luteal phase.

5. Period Cramps Are a Sign of Chronic Inflammation

Painful periods are driven by chronic inflammation in the body.

Where does inflammation come from? Things like:

• Under-eating and over-exercising

• Chronic stress

• Blood sugar imbalances

• Inflammatory foods like seed oils, refined grains, and alcohol

• Environmental toxins such as fragrances and conventional cleaning products

Listen to my podcast episode about inflammation and period cramps here! You can also download my anti-inflammatory guide here.

The empowering part is that so much of this is within your control.

How to Fix Your Cycle

Painful periods, PMS, bloating, and mood swings before your period are signals that something needs support, not signs that you just have to suffer through another month.

By addressing the root causes like blood sugar imbalances, inflammation, and sub-optimal progesterone levels, you can eliminate period cramps, stabilize your moods, and improve your energy all month long.

This is exactly why I created The Period Protocol.

It walks you step by step through how to balance your hormones at the root so you can eliminate PMS, fatigue, bloating, and period cramps, not just mask them.

It’s the exact process I used to go from debilitating cramps every single month to completely symptom-free periods. If it’s possible for me, I KNOW it’s possible for you, too.

If you want to learn more, you can check out The Period Protocol here!