The Blood Sugar Issue Causing Your Period Cramps (And How to Fix It Naturally)
If you deal with PMS, period cramps, heavy bleeding, cravings, or fatigue before your cycle, you’re not alone.
But despite what you’ve been told, these symptoms aren’t random, and they’re not something you have to live with.
For many women, period problems are treated as a hormone issue only. You’re told to go on birth control, take painkillers, or accept that cramps and PMS are just “part of being a woman.”
But one of the most overlooked root causes of PMS and period pain is unstable blood sugar.
Blood sugar imbalances cause inflammation, increase stress hormones like cortisol, and disrupt estrogen and progesterone levels, all of which directly cause PMS and painful periods.
When blood sugar is on a rollercoaster, your hormones will be, too.
My Experience With Painful Periods and Hormone Imbalance
I specialize in menstrual health issues because throughout my teens and twenties, my periods were nothing short of debilitating. My cramps were terrible, I was exhausted for a week and had acne breakouts before every cycle.
I went to many doctors and gynecologists, desperately looking for answers and was repeatedly prescribed birth control, without anyone investigating what was actually causing my pain. My periods were so painful and heavy, I couldn’t leave the house for a week every month.
This also caused me a lot of anxiety because I anticipated the pain every cycle.
When I was in school studying holistic nutrition, I started my journey to figure out the root cause of my period cramps.
When I learned how blood sugar balance affects hormone health, I finally had a path forward and I knew what to do to fix my symptoms, without birth control or a huge list of supplements.
When I stabilized my blood sugar:
My energy improved and I stopped crashing at 3 PM everyday
My moods became calmer
Anxiety decreased
Cravings disappeared
My periods stopped controlling my life
This is now the very first foundation I work on with my 1:1 clients, because it’s truly impossible to balance estrogen and progesterone in a body that’s constantly having blood sugar spikes and crashes.
What Is the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster?
Blood sugar refers to the amount of glucose that’s circulating in your bloodstream. When you eat carbohydrates, they get broken down into glucose and this gets used by your cells for energy.
Your blood sugar should stay within a fairly narrow range throughout the day and when it rises too high or drops too low, you will typically experience symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, energy crashes especially in the PM, anxiety and sugar or carb cravings.
Maybe you’re familiar with the 3 p.m. slump where you feel tired, get brain fog, and crave a sweet or salty snack around this time.
This is a pretty tell-tale sign of a blood sugar crash. I used to experience these daily!
The most common reasons for blood sugar spikes and crashes:
Meals that aren’t balanced (too high in carbohydrates and low in protein, fiber and fat)
Skipped meals (this causes blood sugar to drop)
Under-eating. The majority of women I work with are unknowingly undereating and this causes blood sugar to swing up and down.
When meals aren’t properly balanced, blood sugar rises quickly and what goes up, must come down.
This pattern is what I call the blood sugar spike-crash cycle.
Here’s what happens:
Blood sugar spikes → insulin is released (the pancreas usually overshoots after a spike and makes too much) → blood sugar drops → cravings, fatigue, irritability and anxiety show up.
How Blood Sugar Imbalances Cause PMS and Period Pain
The spike-crash cycle isn’t a problem when it happens here and there but it’s very common for women to ride this blood sugar rollercoaster on a daily basis.
Blood sugar spikes and crashes are a huge contributor to both inflammation and elevated cortisol levels.
When your blood sugar spikes and crashes, this creates an inflammatory response in the body and inflammation is the number one driver of PMS and painful periods.
At the same time, repeated insulin and cortisol spikes disrupt reproductive hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone. When blood sugar isn’t balanced, progesterone levels can decrease and estrogen dominance can develop.
This is how unstable blood sugar contributes to:
Period cramps
Heavy bleeding and clots
Spotting before your period
PMS
Breast tenderness
Acne
Anxiety
Irregular cycles
For years, I tried to correct estrogen dominance and low progesterone with supplements. But my symptoms minimally improved until I addressed what was actually driving those imbalances in the first place.
When you keep your blood sugar stable:
Inflammation decreases
Stress hormones like cortisol stop spiking
Estrogen and progesterone hormones naturally rebalance
PMS decreases
Periods become less painful and symptomatic
How to Get Off the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
You don’t need a strict or perfect diet to balance your blood sugar.
These are the three most impactful changes to start with to support blood sugar stability for hormone health.
1. Eat a High-Protein Breakfast
Starting your day with a high protein breakfast is one of the most effective ways to stabilize blood sugar and reduce PMS and period cramps.
Typical breakfast foods like cereal, toast, muffins, bagels, and plain oats are what we call naked carbohydrates. These foods are digested quickly, which means they tend to spike blood sugar, and lead to cravings and energy crashes later in the day.
Protein and fat slow down how quickly carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. When blood sugar rises slowly and steadily instead of spiking, energy stays stable, cravings decrease and hormones naturally come into balance.
Examples of blood-sugar-balanced breakfasts:
Eggs with sautéed veggies on sourdough toast and avocado
Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit and granola
Turkey bacon, eggs, and sautéed sweet potato
My clients consistently notice improvements in cravings, mood, and luteal-phase symptoms when they prioritize protein-rich breakfasts.
2. Always Pair Carbohydrates With Protein
Carbohydrates aren’t the problem, eating them alone is.
Pairing carbs with protein and fat slows down glucose absorption which helps to prevent blood sugar spikes.
Simple swaps:
Bowl of pasta with sauce → add chicken, turkey, or beef
Toast or bagel → pair with eggs or turkey bacon, and avocado
Cookies/sweets → pair with a meat stick or handful of nuts
These small changes dramatically reduce the spike-crash cycle that drives hormone imbalance.
3. Move Your Body After Meals
Think of your muscles like sponges for glucose.
When you move your body after meals, your muscles soak up the glucose which helps to prevent blood sugar from spiking.
Even 5–10 minutes of light movement after eating helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. This can be a short walk, a few minutes of using the stairs in your home or doing squats or lunges. This doesn’t have to be something you do after every meal, I often have calls after I eat but I incorporate it into my routine, when it makes sense.
Strength training is especially beneficial for blood sugar stability. Remember those muscle sponges? The more muscle mass you have, the easier it is to keep blood sugar stable, even when you’re sitting.
How Does Balanced Blood Sugar Make Your Periods Easier?
When you stabilize your blood sugar, inflammation decreases and since inflammation is a big contributor to PMS and period pain, your periods become easier, too.
A normal period shouldn’t impact your life.
It’s normal to feel slightly lower energy levels and to crave more rest and downtime as your hormones all drop to their lowest point in your cycle. But your periods shouldn’t be a buzzkill that ruins a week of your life every month.
Your periods should be nearly pain-free, without any PMS, bloating or spotting before your cycle starts.
Want support balancing blood sugar for hormone health?
Dive deeper into the blood sugar-hormone connection in episode 6 of The Nourished Way podcast. Listen here!
If you’re ready for a deeper level of support, The Period Protocol teaches you how to identify what’s causing your period and cycle symptoms and exactly how to fix them, naturally.
Inside The Period Protocol, blood sugar balance is where we begin because it’s so foundational for hormone balance.
You learn how to stabilize your energy, reduce inflammation, build easy, blood-sugar balanced meals, and eliminate PMS and period cramps, for good.
When you understand what your symptoms are communicating, and what to change, your periods become easy-breezy.
Here’s what you can expect after following and implementing the recommendations inside the protocol:
Understanding of your cycle phases and how to support your body in each
Understand the root causes of PMS and cramps so your periods become pain-free, the way they’re supposed to be
Stable your hormones so the week before your period no longer tanks your mood, energy, and motivation
Confidence in knowing how to eat to stabilize your blood sugar, balance your hormones, and optimize nourishment so you feel energized all day
How to support ovulation for fertility and optimal health: Ovulation is the most important of your menstrual cycle, even if you’re not trying to conceive. You’ll learn how to improve ovulation for easier luteal phases and symptom-free periods
Get all the details about The Period Protocol here!
FAQ: Blood Sugar and Period Symptoms
Can blood sugar imbalances really cause PMS and cramps?
Yes. Blood sugar swings increase inflammation and stress hormones, which disrupt estrogen and progesterone balance.These are two key drivers of PMS and period cramps.
What are signs my blood sugar is affecting my hormones?
Cravings, fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, PMS, heavy or painful periods, and energy crashes are all common signs.
Do I need to cut carbs to balance my hormones?
Definitely not! Carbohydrates should be paired with protein and fat to support stable blood sugar. The goal is balance, not restriction. You’ll learn exactly how to do this inside The Period Protocol.
How long does it take to see improvements?
Many women notice improvements in energy, cravings, and PMS within a few weeks of stabilizing blood sugar. You got this!
