The Luteal Low: Why You Feel Like a Different Person Before Your Period

28 Days of Decoding Your Body: The Hormone Balance Challenge 🕯️🍵🕊️ Day 16-17

My fiancé started celebrating my “good skin days”

Not because he cares what my skin looks like - honestly, I don’t think he (or majority of the world) even notices the difference most of the time.

But because he knows how easy it is for me to zero in on what’s wrong.

To let one blemish cloud the whole picture.

To fixate on what needs fixing.

And so his little reminder for me to be happy/confident/grateful for my skin is not about making a comment on my appearance.

It’s his way of helping me pause and remember that the healing and the calm deserves attention, too - not just the flare-ups.

taken 2 days apart. On the left - a skin flare up + cortisone injection while in the my luteal phase. On the right, feeling confident, period started, skin cleared up. Reminder: these things are temporary, this too shall past, and register the good days more than the "bad"

Because here’s the truth: our brains are wired to scan for threats

it’s part of how we’ve survived as a species. We notice what’s wrong faster than what’s right. It’s called the negativity bias and it means we’re far more likely to catalog the bad days than acknowledge the good ones.

But if we only measure progress by the absence of problems, we miss the quiet signs that things are shifting. We don’t clock the neutrality, the calm, or the uneventful, forgetting that that was the very thing we’ve been striving for. We take what’s already been healed for granted and pivot to the next thing that needs “to be fixed.”

So this is your reminder:
Don’t just keep track of the flare-ups, the spirals, the missteps.
Let yourself register the ease and the relief.
Let yourself feel the good (or maybe just neutral) days, too.

and this becomes so important for my girls who are struggling with PMS because when the bloat, the acne, the anxiety flares up, it’s so easy to feel like nothing is working. Like you’re back at square one….but you’re not. You’re just in a louder moment.

And when we learn to understand those shifts, we can stop measuring our worth by symptoms alone and rather allow us to understand and shift what is going on.

So here’s what we’re diving into today:

• What PMS actually is (and why it’s not just “part of being a woman”)

• The connection between blood sugar and your mood, skin, and cravings

• How stress and cortisol sneak into the PMS picture

• A lil PMS Toolkit

Today’s Hormone Balance Action Steps:

💪🏼 Action Step:

• Drink a *smart* cup of caffeine (details below)

✍🏼 Reflection: An invitation to look into what calm really feels like in your body—beyond just distraction or productivity.

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What is PMS???

PMS (AKA premenstrual syndrome) is often brushed off as “just part of being a woman.” But it’s way more complex (and valid) than that.

While it’s incredibly common ….like 75%+ of women experiencing it…common doesn’t mean normal. (unfortunate recurring theme here for us girlies)

And if you’ve ever experienced PMS, you know it’s not subtle.

• All of a sudden you’re crying because you don’t know which route to take to get home

• You have no idea why you’re randomly constipated

• You feel like you just gained 8 lbs. overnight

• Your boobs feel like they weigh a ton

• You feel like a different person…..like just not yourself

PMS is more than just cramps. It’s a full-body, full-emotion experience that can impact your appetite, mood, energy, digestion, skin, and sleep.

And while the intensity varies from person to person, many of the symptoms have a shared root cause in hormonal shifts, stress response, and inflammation.

Some of the most common PMS symptoms include:

• Breast tenderness or swelling

• Cramping and pelvic heaviness

• Mood swings, anxiety, irritability, or tearfulness

• Bloating and fluid retention

• Constipation or digestive changes

• Headaches or migraines

• Sleep disruptions

• Intense cravings (especially for sugar or salt)

• Fatigue or feeling “off” in your body

P.S. If your symptoms are severe, disruptive to daily life, or persist for more than a few days, that may point to PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) - which involves deeper mood changes, rage, or depressive symptoms and deserves medical support. Please note that none of this replaces medical advice, and if you’re experiencing the above, please reach out to your doctor or care provider (or me at Roots to Leaves 👋🏼)

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The Blood Sugar Connection to PMS

Now, let’s talk about a root cause that often gets overlooked: blood sugar.

I know everyone went crazy about blood sugar for a bit, and we love a good Glucose Goddess post but do your really understand what it is ?

so let’s do a quick recap

1. You eat a bowl of pasta - aka carbohydrates.

2. Your body breaks those carbs down into glucose (sugar), which enters your bloodstream and raises your blood sugar levels.

3. Your body notices this rise and signals, “Hey, we need to get that glucose into the cells so it can actually be used for energy.”

4. To make that happen, your pancreas releases insulin - the hormone gatekeeper to your cells.

5. Insulin travels to your cells and unlocks the doors, allowing glucose to move out of the bloodstream and into the cells, where it can finally do its job

Capisce?

Okay now enter your luteal phase: the window after ovulation and before your period. During this time, your body becomes more sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugar.

That’s because progesterone - the dominant hormone in this phase - can decrease insulin sensitivity and production.

What does that actually feel like:

• More energy dips

• Intense sugar cravings

• Emotional rollercoasters

• Feeling “hangry” or shaky if meals are missed

And when blood sugar is dysregulated, it becomes harder for your body to clear estrogen efficiently - especially through the liver and gut.

That combo of unbalanced estrogen and low, sluggish progesterone can create the perfect hormonal storm for PMS to thrive.

So basically:

• Supporting blood sugar is an incredibly important part of the Luteal phase and in making sure that PMS stays in check

and some of the best ways to do that is:

• not fast in the luteal phase (HUGE 🚩)

• eat consistent meals during the luteal phase

• focus on protein x veggies x fat and moderate carbs (not no carb, but not carb focus)

• go for fruit and root veggies as your carb source

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Stress and PMS: A Sneaky Feedback Loop

The second major player? Stress.

When your brain perceives stress - whether emotional, physical, or even subtle internal inflammation - it triggers the HPA axis (your brain–adrenal connection), which pumps out cortisol.

Chronic stress (even low-level!) can:

• Lower hormone production

• Lead to increased pain response (hi cramps)

• Lead to heightened emotional reactivity

→ hi PMS

So now you’ve got a revved-up stress response during a time when your body is already struggling with blood sugar…

Okay so what to do now?

OoooOOOOoooh there are many things you can do, but at its heart, supporting a healthy and easeful luteal phase includes:

• Blood sugar stable, low inflammatory diet

• Consistent stress reduction practices

• A lil bit of cycle syncing

🫐 DIET:

• All cycle long:

  • continue with a whole food diet that focuses on blood sugar stability.

  • Include 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds + 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds x day

  • Limit omega-6 rich seed oils

  • Nix the alcohol (I know…but truly. If we’re already facing mood fluctuations, alcohol isn’t going to be our friend)

  • Keep caffeine to <200 mg x day (more on that below)

  • Daily cruciferous veggies

• In the luteal phase (2 weeks before your period):

  • more protein and healthy fat forward meals

  • go for fruit, squash, potatoes as your carbs sources

  • include more magnesium rich foods (a lil dark chocolate, leafy greens, seeds)

  • bump up your omega-3 rich fats (chia, walnuts, fish)

• For my dairy free or limited dairy folks: bump up calcium rich food intake, like high quality dairy, sardines, and tofu

🧠 STRESS & MIND:

• All cycle long:

  • Move your body consistently throughout the week. Consistency is more important here than intensity. Extra points for 3 x week of aerobic exercise

  • Daily morning routine

  • Light therapy - sunlight in the morning is huge for PMS/PMDD

  • If stress/anxiety is the biggest player, find a therapist or a trusted health professional to engage in guided meditation or CBT

  • Quit the cigs (smoking can cause PMS)

  • Acupuncture !! Can be quite helpful in relieving PMS

• In Luteal Phase:

  • Yoga and pilates to help with mind/mood/endorphins

  • 1 week before your period, bump up the self-care with more consistent meditation

  • Cycle syncing bonus: think: low stress activities. spend time with low-stress people and don’t go for high intensity events and activities

for specific luteal phase support - alllllll the luteal phase meditations + breathwork + exercises can be found here

Just did their Tune In Practice today

POTENTIAL HERBS + SUPPLEMENTS:

• B6: vitamin B6 has been shown to help improve PMS symptoms due to its impacts on neurotransmitters sand progesterone.

• Magnesium: Magnesium can do wonders for PMS related pain. Dose usually starts at 300 mg, but can be increased a few days before your period

• Egg shell powder: my fav way to boost up calcium, especially for my dairy free girlies. For a quick recipe, check this out

• Vitex: vitex can help support progesterone and has been studied for its impacts on PMS. Speak with your doctor or dietitian about dosing and if it is a good fit for you

• Saffron: saffron has been studied as an anti-depressant for women with mild depression. In a double blind RCT, saffron was shown to have a 50% reduction in severity of symptoms. This link highlights a meta-analysis of emerging results. This can be saffron tea or a saffron supplement

• Myoinositol: especially if you have PCOS or find your mood fluctuations are due to blood sugar fluctuations

• Vitamin D3: a big player in mood. Test yours levels and if below <35, I’d consider a supplement

• Adaptogens: more of a way to support stress relief, consider ashwagandha

OTHER TOOLS:

• Test your thyroid: hypothyroidism can play a big role in PMS. Ask for

  • TSH

  • T4

  • T3

  • rT3

  • TPO and TgAB

• Test your hormones: talk to your doc or reach out to me to discuss reproductive hormone testing. Specifically, high estrogen and low progesterone can lead to PMS .Test them on 5-7 days post ovulation

• Cycle syncing for all the reasons you already know 😏

Put It Into Practice

Drink a *smart* cup of caffeine

because black coffee straight to the dome early in the a.m. in the luteal phase = your blood sugar is about to tank, your cortisol skyrocket, and your PMS in full swing

So here’s our formula for smart caffeine (pick 3 of the below to follow)

• Keep sugar/sweetener to less than <1 tsp (highly recommend this)

• Caffeine 30 minutes after waking up

• Coffee or matcha with full fat dairy or nut milk

• Caffeine with or after food

• No more caffeine after 12:00 pm

• Keep caffeine to less than <200 mg x day (2 cups coffee)

Sorry gals, but this means no venti frap from Starbucks or oat milk matcha with sugar. Be mindful, follow the above and I promise this will make a HUGE difference

So now in your line up you have….

1. Drink water with lemon within 30 minutes of rising

2. Get sunlight on your skin within 30 minutes of rising

3. Take 5-10 minutes to meditate

4. Have a *smart* cup of caffeine

5. Have a savory breakfast

6. Bring in a serving of cruciferous veggies x day

7. Eat 2 Tbsp seeds x day

You’ve got this 💪🏼

Time to Reflect:

Okay, now more than ever, if you’re in your luteal phase or suffering from PMS - you’ll want to take some time to dig deeper

figuring out what calm feels like to you is so important in knowing how to get back to it.

So grab a warm cup of tea or a smart cup of caffeine, a little corner in the sunshine (or clouds if you’re on the east coup) and dive in

because this journal prompt really changed my relationship to myself in the luteal phase