Trying to make sense of your PMS and period symptoms? Read on to learn the 4 general PMS and Period Types, as well as the specific tips on how to improve.
In the past, I didn’t really pay much attention to my menstruation.
I was always glad that it came as it was supposed to, but I often dreaded the pain and discomfort that I had to go through.
As I’m learning more about the science and mysteries of menstruation, however, my attitude has made a dramatic shift.
Now I feel truly blessed for my menstruation, because I’ve discovered the gifts it brings – valuable information about the state of our health, and hints on how to take care of ourselves.
4 PMS and Period Symptoms Types
I’ve learned that there are four common types of health profiles (or constitutions) based on various combinations of PMS and period symptoms.
Of course, this is a rather simplified overview. In reality, each one of us is quite unique and our profiles can be much more diverse and complicated.
Nevertheless, I find the following 4 types offer a general direction for us to understand our own health profiles (based on our genetic, physical, hormonal, as well as mental, emotional and environmental makeups).
And this provides a basis for us to explore, experiment, and find out what works for each of us.
The Cold Type
This type is usually associated with a feeling of cold and dull pain/cramping during menstruation, especially around the lower abdominal area. Applying something warm such as a heating pad usually helps relieve the discomfort.
The menstrual blood is usually dark red with clots. Sometimes the period is late, and can lasts over 7 days.
Hormonal Profile:
The cold type may have an underlying progesterone deficiency, as one of the major roles of progesterone is to raise the basal body temperature.
So in addition to feeling cold, there may be other signs of low progesterone such as irregular cycles, fatigue and weight gain, spotting before periods, insomnia, PMS mood swings, or infertility.
Tips:
It’s important for the cold type to stay warm, especially the lower part of the body. Avoid sitting on the cold floor, walking with bare feet on a cold surface, and eating cold temperature foods/drinks.
Personally I’m a cold type. To keep myself warm during my menses, I like to soak my feet in warm water, drink Yogi Moon Cycle Tea, and keep my belly warm with a heating pad 1-2 days before my period and while I’m menstruating.
If your progesterone levels are low, you also want to address the underlying imbalance. Try to understand the specific causes of your progesterone deficiency and learn natural ways to increase progesterone naturally.
The Stressful Type
This type characterizes many familiar premenstrual symptoms – mood swings, depression, irritability, anger outbursts, alternating between food cravings and a poor appetite, diarrhea and constipation, breast tenderness, and bloating.
Symptoms often change from month to month, but usually disappear at the onset of menstruation. Irregular periods are also common. Menstruation arrives sometimes early, sometimes late.
And menstrual bleeding tends to be heavy, dark with clots, and accompanied by intense period pain.
Hormonal Profile:
The stressful type may have an underlying estrogen dominance. Too much estrogens in the body can jam up the liver, hindering its ability to digest foods and purify the blood. This can produce various signs of estrogen domiance.
Tips:
Regularity is very important for the stressful type. Keep a regular daily rhythm – go to bed and wake up, consistently, at the same time every day.
Find ways to de-stress on a daily basis, so it doesn’t build up and become over-powering. Create a balanced lifestyle to keep PMS at bay. And learn to express emotions constructively and channel them for creative use.
Since the stressful type is often associated with elevated estrogen levels, it’s important to identify the underlying causes and take steps to lower estrogen dominance naturally.
The Blood Deficiency Type
These women tend to experience fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, dry skin, blurred vision, brittle nails, poor memory and concentration, and lower back pain, especially around menstruation.
The menstrual blood is usually scant, and pink or light red in color. It’s also common to have a delayed period, sometimes up to 40 days.
Hormonal Profile:
Healthy blood is essential for the production of estrogen and ovulation. So blood deficiency can lead to, or accompany with, estrogen deficiency.
This could be due to genetic factors (e.g., delayed menarche), low body fact, nutritional deficiencies, aging ovaries, or other reasons that hinder estrogen productions.
Tips:
Make sure you get plenty of sleep and rest, and nourish your blood especially after menstruation.
Add foods that promote estrogen and ovulation. Take a whole food-based multivitamin and a non-constipating iron supplement.
Additionally, if you have an underlying estrogen deficiency, learn to use natural ways to boost your estrogen levels.
The Fatigue Type
The symptoms for the fatigue type may include poor appetite, shortness of breath (especially on exertion), frequent loose stools, and mental and physical exhaustion.
The fatigue type also tends to accumulate body fluid (edema) in the lower part of the body, such as swollen feet and ankles.
The menstrual blood is usually light red, sometimes heavy and sometimes scanty. The duration of period is usually short.
Hormonal Profile:
The fatigue type may have an underlying progesterone deficiency, similar to the Cold Type.
Additionally, they may also have an underactive thyroid or tired adrenals, as these two grands produce hormones that play important roles in sustaining our energy levels.
Tips:
The key for the fatigue type is to strengthen the digestive system. Eat small and frequent meals. Make sure to have a nutritious breakfast.
Choose foods that are easy to digest and well balanced. Eat slowly. And consider taking B Complex and Maca for extra energy support.
For the fatigue type, it’s also helpful to support progesterone, improve thyroid functions, and strengthen the adrenals.
Combination Types
The above characterize the four most basic types of PMS and period symptoms.
In reatlity, you may find yourself experiencing symptoms described in more than just one type.
The Cold Type and the Stressful Type
For example, like me, you may identify with both the Cold Type and the Stressful Type (with an underlying estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency).
The Cold Type and the Blood Deficiency Type
Sometimes low estrogen can lead to low progesterone, and vice versa. If both of the sex hormones are deficient, you can experience symptoms of the Cold Type as well as the Blood Deficiency Type.
The Cold Type and the Fatigue Type
When your progesterone deficiency is coupled with a sluggish thyroid and/or adrenal fatigue, you may have symptoms of both the Cold Type and the Fatigue Type.
The Blood Deficiency Type and the Fatigue Type
In our body, the blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells. When the blood is deficient, there may be symptoms of fatigue, depression, anxiety, and a general feeling of malaise.
The Stressful Type and the Fatigue Type
Since adrenal fatigue can lead to estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency, it’s also common to see a combination of the Stressful Type and the Fatigue Type (and even the Cold Type).
If you have a combination type, it’s important to address both imbalances concurrently. However, it may help to prioritize as one type tends to be more predominant than the other.
I hope this article offers you a deeper understanding of your reproductive health – and a practical roadmap to begin to restore balance and harmony in your menstrual cycles.
So, which type are you? Please leave a comment to share your questions and experiences.
Side Note:
Your PMS and Period Type is not set in stone. It can change at different phases of your life cycle (e.g., pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, etc.)
For example, my type has changed from The Cold Type and the Stressful Type (when I wrote this article) to The Cold Type and The Fatigue Type (as of now).
It’s important to pay attention to the changes in our body and honor its needs, as it has a supreme intelligence that can guide us toward balance and harmony.
Boost Progesterone
Chasteberry (proven to help treat low progesterone and regulate menstrual cycles in more than 60 years of clinical research, including 5 randomized trials)
Vitamin B6 (one of the best vitamins to boost progesterone)
Progesterone Cream (bio-identical hormonal support)
Reduce Estrogen Dominance
Liver Cleanse Detox and Repair Formula (support liver functions)
Dim Plus (improve estrogen metabolism)
Support Adrenal and Thyroid Functions
Adrenal Health Daily Support (promote overall hormone balance)
Thyroid Support Complex (support energy and metabolism)
Balance Nutrition
Once Daily Organic Whole Food Vitamin Supplement (provide essential nutrients for health and hormone balance)
Liquid Iron (support healthy blood)
Fish Oil (help reduce inflammation and support overall health)
Recommended Reading
The Hormone Cure, by Dr. Sara Gottfried
Cooking for Hormone Balance, by Magdalena Wszelaki
I guess I’m every single type???