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I'm Hormonal | Hormone balance, gut health & nutrition insights
Welcome to I’m Hormonal — the podcast where we make sense of your bloating, brutal PMS, and missing periods… without blaming it all on “just stress” or “being a woman.”
Hosted by Bridget Walton, Women’s Hormone Coach, this show is your no-BS guide to decoding your cycle, calming your gut, and actually balancing your hormones (not just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best).
Each week, we break down what no one taught you about hormones, nutrition, and gut health in your 30s — especially if you're tired of guessing what your body is trying to tell you.
Expect solo episodes packed with real talk and root-cause tools, plus the occasional expert guest to help you feel less confused and more in control.
Because you deserve better periods, better digestion, and a better shot at getting pregnant — without burning out trying to figure it all out alone.
I'm Hormonal | Hormone balance, gut health & nutrition insights
[Mini] What to Do About Period Pain | Ep. 109
Period pain doesn't have to be your monthly reality despite what society has normalized. Most clients see significant improvements within 30-90 days by making specific diet, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.
• Understanding the difference between normal prostaglandin-related pain and problematic symptoms
• Recognizing how inflammation, infection, and allergies can worsen period pain
• Distinguishing between typical cramping and symptoms of endometriosis/adenomyosis
• Identifying other potential causes including pelvic floor issues and ovarian cysts
• Minimizing processed food, sugar, and alcohol to reduce inflammation
• Supporting your liver with cruciferous vegetables and quality supplements
• Avoiding cow dairy for at least four weeks to test its impact
• Consider magnesium glycinate and zinc supplements for short term relief
• Tracking your consumption patterns without judgment to establish a baseline
CONNECT WITH BRIDGET
Hey there, welcome to this episode of I'm Hormonal. This is episode number 109, and I'm going to be talking in this mini episode about period pain and what you can do about it. We're going to talk a little bit about what is normal period pain and what isn't, because if you have this kind of normal period pain, there should be a lot of change, a lot of improvement that you can see through making changes in your diet, in your nutrition, in your lifestyle, in your alcohol consumption. So we'll dive into that in just a minute here. Really quick, though, I want to say welcome and thanks for listening. Again, on these Thursday episodes that I do. They are just minis. We're going to cut straight to the chase, get right into the good stuff for you, and it's normally an expansion or extension of the longer Tuesday episodes. So if you like what you hear here and you want more information on it, make sure you go back and listen to this week's earlier episode so you can get a bit more context.
Speaker 1:When we talk about period pain, I think it's so important to recognize that this is something that impacts so many women Most women, right? If you're listening to me, you're probably not surprised by this, but this is just to say that period pain is something that a lot of us assume is normal. This is expected, this is just a part of being a woman. We have to deal with it. But that's not the case and I want to really encourage you, empower you, to make some of these changes I'll talk about here in a moment to help yourself feel better when it comes to period pain, because when I'm working with my one-on-one coaching clients and they start making some of these changes, they see improvements in their period, in their period pain, normally within the first 30 days, certainly within the first three months. I had a client just the other day who was like man my period just started and I just had two days of minimal cramping. I didn't have to do anything, whereas before we started working together, about three, three and a half months ago, she had to take time off, work not every month, but most months. So use that, take that as inspiration to know that you too can have easier periods with less pain.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about what is normally causing pain with our periods, and that is the release of prostaglandins by our body to help signal to our uterus hey, dog, it's time to start shedding the uterine lining get this period going. So our body releases prostaglandins and that is what's causing this kind of mild cramping in the lower abdomen as well as in the lower back. But when there is additional inflammation, maybe infection, maybe there is some type of allergy that you have going on that can also exacerbate it. So this is the first category of like okay, what, in addition to the normal prostaglandin release, could be impacting your pain? So is there any additional inflammation that needs to be addressed in your body? Is there some sort of additional infection or just knowing that when you have allergies and you have that higher histamine release, well, histamines can act kind of like prostaglandins which could lead to stronger, longer, worse cramps.
Speaker 1:Now, aside from these, moving on to this next subcategory, here there is the conversation of endometriosis and adenomyosis, right? So those are situations where your endometrial tissue is growing in other parts of your body maybe of your pelvic cavity for the most part and it's growing in the wrong spot and that can be causing pain when it's time for your period to come around, because those tissues are still being influenced by the prostaglandins that are released Now for folks who have endometriosis or adenomyosis, that are released Now for folks who have endometriosis or adenomyosis. This is a longer like normally years long kind of pain situation and unfortunately it is something that over time gets worse. So I say that to say let me clarify for kind of normal period pain that you might experience, or if you think back to when you were in high school, that's a time when often, as your hormones are getting kind of balanced out, you'll have a little bit more of this normal period pain and that tapers down as we get a bit older. On the other side of the coin, what I mentioned a second ago is that if endometriosis or adenomyosis is a part of your picture, oftentimes over time that pain, those patterns, could get worse and be exacerbated. So just one other clue to think okay, how has this pain changed over time, if at all, to help clue you into what to do next.
Speaker 1:A couple of other suggestions I want to make here could be about pelvic floor pain. Is this more of a muscular thing? Could there be a cyst like a cyst on your ovaries that's causing pain? Considering if there's another type of infection. So whether that's a pelvic infection or otherwise. And then, last but not least, if you have a little bit of pain in between your periods in the middle of your cycle. That could be a signal that you're ovulating. So a couple of context clues to be aware of there.
Speaker 1:Next, I want to jump into what you should know, where you should start if you have period pain and what you can consider. So, first things first, if you have period pain, I want you to consider minimizing your intake of processed food, sugar and alcohol. I know that this is not rocket science, this isn't crazy and intricate, but it can make a huge difference. And why is that? Because if you are consuming a high amount of processed food, sugars and alcohol, those can all be creating additional inflammation in your digestive system. They can all be creating additional inflammation in your digestive system. They can all be creating more work essentially for your liver, when your liver has this important work already to do of helping to detoxify the hormones from your body. Specifically, I'm thinking of estrogen here. So eliminate, minimize processed food, sugars and alcohol.
Speaker 1:And the best starting point for this step, too, is to take a little survey of where are you now. So if you're listening to this and you're thinking, okay, yeah, I can do a little bit of a better job at that, take the next two days, three days, to write down in a note on your phone or maybe another area where you can track what you are consuming and do this in a real judgment-free kind of way. But just make a note of okay, what am I consuming, what is my normal breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack situation? Because if you know where you are now, then that makes it a hell of a lot easier to see those changes through and understand how your period pain might be changing as you make those shifts.
Speaker 1:The second thing I want you to be considering is what can you do to better support your liver. A couple of quick suggestions would be incorporating more cruciferous veggies into your diet. So broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli sprouts and kale are at the top of my list, at least for cruciferous veggies. You could also find a liver detox tea that's probably at a store near you. Or, if you are a supplement kind of gal, then there are definitely going to be a lot of detox or normally like a liver support supplement. Of course, making sure that you are picking a brand that is reputable and of high quality. So liver support super important for overall hormone balance and definitely can help to move the needle when it comes to period pain.
Speaker 1:The third recommendation that I have for you is to avoid cow dairy. Just see if this is something that helps to restore normal periods for you. Cow dairy can be inflammatory. For some people it's certainly more inflammatory than others. But spending at least maybe four weeks to eliminate cow dairy entirely, see how is your next period, were there any changes, and just get into that observation detective mode, this could be something that really moves the needle.
Speaker 1:When it comes to recommendations for supplements, I know I mentioned something for liver support, but overall, it's worth mentioning that if you have something, you're in it right now. Right, you're like I have period cramps right now. So what should we be doing Then? You could consider incorporating magnesium glycinate. Magnesium is going to be really good for many facets of your health, but also magnesium glycinate can be supportive of period pain, and also zinc. Maybe you get zinc through a multimanual that you take, but that's going to be one that can also be supportive of normal period pain levels. That can also be supportive of normal period pain levels, and so, of course, it's ideal to be hey, let's plan ahead, let's plan to avoid these things.
Speaker 1:I would say that's the best plan to go in with, or that's the best mindset to go in with, but a couple of more acute things that you can incorporate. If you're sitting there and you're like, hey, I got cramps right now, girl, what am I supposed to do? So I hope that this mini episode was helpful for you in sharing a couple of ideas, some context about what can contribute to period pain and also where you can start with minimizing processed food, sugar and alcohol. Giving your love, giving your love a little bit extra love to your liver. That's going to be a great first starting point, as well as avoiding cow dairy and just considering, hey, is there a supplement that might be right for me to incorporate? Now? That's all I've got for you today.
Speaker 1:I hope that you enjoyed this episode. If you have any thoughts, questions or you want to hear me talk about anything specific in the future, connect with me on instagram at. I'm a hormonal and I'll look forward to connecting with you there. If you loved today's episode and got something good out of it, make sure you subscribe so that these episodes show up automatically in your feed. No work needed on your side. Let's put it on autopilot. As always, I need to give you my reminder that the information I share with you here is for educational purposes only, and it should not be used as a replacement for medical advice or diagnosis. Now, if you are, on the other hand, in the market for some one-on-one support, then I would love for you to take me up on my offer for a free strategy call. You can find these links and more in the show notes.