I just started my period and had the worst headache, lights cramps, breast tenderness, fatigue, and slight nausea (from the headache). I painfully wondered what was happening, surely I had been avoiding sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, so why was I experiencing so much pain? What had I done wrong? What could I have done differently? This curiosity led me to researching menstrual headaches. One of the main causes for menstrual headaches was an imbalance in estrogen. Our estrogen drops to the lowest before the menstrual phase begins, this causing headaches, as well as other symptoms, listed below. Being aware of your estrogen is important for many reasons. Some possible signs that can nod to either low or high levels of estrogen I have listed below!
Low Estrogen Symptoms:
- UTIs
- painful sex
- irregular or absent periods
- mood swings
- hot flashes
- headaches
- fatigue
- difficulty concentrating
- breast tenderness
High Estrogen Symptoms:
- weight gain
- breast tenderness
- worsening pms
- light or heavy bleeding
- fibrocystic lumps in breast
- fibroids in uterus
- fatigue
- decreased sex drive
- depression or anxiety
Personally I was experiencing more symptoms that aligned with low estrogen so I sought out estrogen rich foods and here's what I found:
- flax + sesame seeds
- soy + tofu/tempeh
- pistachios, walnuts, peanuts
- dried apricots, prunes, dates
- alfalfa + mung bean sprouts
- green beans
- peaches + strawberries
- white + black beans
- red wine
- garlic
- barley, oats, + rye
Here is what I found for estrogen flushing foods:
- cruciferous veg
- citrus
- flax seeds (they work for both :))
- wild caught fish
- leafy greens
- green tea
- seaweed + iodine rich foods
- selenium rich foods like Brazil nuts
- sesame seeds
- turmeric + cayenne
Once again, this is based on my own research and personal experience. Always do what's best for you :)
XO, Soph
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