PMS is associated mostly with younger women as we suffer from those painful periods, bloating and terrible moods and hear that ‘it will get better as you get older, or have a family’ but unfortunately it seems that may not be true.

If you had hoped you had left it all behind you, don’t celebrate too soon as women over 35 are just as likely to be sufferers.

Strangely it is around 40 when some women see signs of perimenopause that actually may be PMS once again responding to your changing hormones.  The signs may be an increased heavy menstrual bleeding, greater irritability, headaches and often food cravings as well.

Sadly it seems that if you are suffering it can be a sign that your actual menopause may be difficult too.

Why the change?

This is certainly a distressing and painful condition and related to hormone imbalance because once a women reaches 35 her hormonal pattern starts to shift and hormones can plunge and rise dramatically, with all the accompanying symptoms.

This can go on throughout menopause and during this time, the ratio of progesterone to oestrogen is usually very much lower than when you were younger and this can result in severe PMS symptoms.

However casual you may have been about nutrition and diet when you were in your twenties, these deficiencies really begin to hit home once you reach 40.

Having significantly inadequate levels of calcium, magnesium and B vitamins long-term can make symptoms like poor sleep, irritability, fatigue, muscle cramps, achiness, and food cravings even worse.

Key PMS symptoms and solutions after 35

Hormone balance is key at this age as it around now that the hormonal rollercoaster gets into gear so check for any signs of oestrogen dominance and low progesterone levels.  These are the symptoms you want to look out for:

1. If you are becoming much more anxious and irritable then that can mean low progesterone.This is the hormone that keeps us calm and helps lift our mood so you stay more centred and less pulled by each annoying incident, or person!

You can naturally boost your progesterone levels by supplementing with bioidentical natural progesterone and there are also herbs like black cohosh, lemon balm and maca that boost progesterone-like effects in your body to support  you.

2. Food cravings are also likely to increase, particularly for sugar and chocolate – two staple food groups for hormonally challenged women.  Try to keep your  blood sugar levels stable by including some form of protein at every meal and snack, and limiting sugar.

It is no substitute, but sometimes chocolate cravings are connected to magnesium deficiency. Ward them off with a good multivitamin that has magnesium plus snack on almonds and pumpkin seeds as they are naturally high in magnesium.

3. Bloating and stomach cramps are classic PMS symptoms and again relate to  having low levels of progesterone to oestrogen. Regular, gentle exercise is the answer and some herbs can help.

Try burdock and chasteberry and fennel, peppermint, and ginger all help with digestive upset and nausea.

4. Your libido is also affected by PMS symptoms and who feels sexy when bloated and in pain? However progesterone is associated with increased sex drive in women so that could be another bonus for ensuring you have good levels throughout the month.

5. Stress is also a factor as can a more emotional state such as mood swings and anxiety so dealing with those alongside good hormonal and nutritional support could be the last key to finally overcoming your symptoms.

Helpful information:

Certainly the biggest key ingredient when studying PMS usually involves low progesterone levels because although you may still be having periods, you may have stopped ovulating. If you stopped ovulating, then you are not producing progesterone so rebalancing with bioidentical progesterone will certainly help, as can a specific PMS related supplement.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/pms-helped-by-bioidentical-progesterone/