Premenstrual Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Premenstrual syndrome, which causes people (and those around them) to feel miserable before and around their period, seems to be associated with a relative deficiency of several hormones, including progesterone and PGE1. It is worth allowing the treatments 3 months to work, as they can be very helpful but may take a little time to kick in.

TREATMENT

Recommended Supplements

Vitamin B6 and magnesium

Take vitamin B6 75-250 mg plus magnesium 200-400 mg each day. These can be found in a good multi-nutrient powder. For the first few months add magnesium 200 mg and vitamin B6 100 mg at bedtime.

Evening primrose oil

Take evening primrose oil 3,000 mg a day. After 3 months you can take it just the week before you expect your period. Use only brands that say “Efamol” (a distributor used by several brands) or Barleans on the label, as quality control is very important for this nutrient. If it is too expensive, you can substitute borage oil 3,000 mg (not as researched, but may have the same components as primrose oil) and any respected company’s brand is OK. These oils raise the PGE 1 hormone and decrease moodiness.

Other Therapies & Advice

Natural progesterone cream

Ask your holistic physician to prescribe a dose of 10-50 mg of natural progesterone cream, which is applied to your skin twice daily during the ten days before you expect your period.