✦ Women's Health

Acycleyoucanlivewith.

Painful periods, week-long PMS, irregular cycles — these are signals, not features. Most respond to clear, targeted care.

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✦ The pattern

“Your cycle is a monthly report card on your hormones, your stress system and your nutrient status. Read it well and most of what's wrong becomes solvable.”

The standard answer for PMS, painful periods or irregular cycles is the pill. That's a real tool — but it silences the signal rather than asking what the signal means. I'd rather understand what's going on first, and use the pill (or not) by choice.

Whether it's heavy bleeding, mood swings that wreck the week before your period, cramping that puts you in bed, or cycles that never quite settle — there's usually a clear pattern underneath that responds well to the right inputs.

✦ Worth knowing

Three things to hold onto.

PMS is not normal

Common, yes — but feeling like a different person for a week each month is your body asking for support, not a personality trait.

Pain has causes

Painful periods point to inflammation, prostaglandin balance, estrogen metabolism or — in some cases — endometriosis. Each has a different path.

Cycles tell the truth

Irregular, missing or short cycles are diagnostic. They tell us about ovulation, thyroid, insulin, and how your stress system is treating your reproductive system.

✦ The work

How I think about pms & cycle support.

What's likely going on

Estrogen-to-progesterone imbalance is the most common pattern — often driven by stress, sluggish liver detox, or just a few years of lifestyle wear. Inflammation and low magnesium drive cramping. Blood sugar swings amplify mood symptoms. PCOS and thyroid issues show up here too. The diagnosis matters because the treatment changes.

How I assess

Cycle-timed hormone panel (day 19–22 for progesterone), full thyroid, fasting insulin, inflammation markers, key nutrients. Symptom mapping across a cycle so we see the pattern, not a snapshot. If endometriosis or fibroids are on the table we coordinate imaging.

What treatment looks like

Targeted nutrients (magnesium, B6, omega-3s and others matched to your case), herbal medicine to support progesterone or modulate estrogen metabolism, and inflammation work. Where you and I agree it's the right call, bioidentical progesterone in the second half of the cycle. The pill stays a tool, used with eyes open.

✦ How I'd work with you

Considered.
Tested.
Re-tested.

Cycles take time to respond — three cycles is a fair test. We track symptoms, retest where it matters, and adjust until your week before doesn't cost you a week of your life.

Therapies I'd likely use

Functional lab testing Bioidentical hormones IFS therapy

✦ Common questions

You're probably wondering.

Will I have to come off the pill?

Not necessarily. The pill is a valid tool for some women. I'll ask what you want from it, what it's doing well, and what it's hiding. Then we decide together.

How fast can I expect changes?

First cycle usually shows something. By cycle three you and I should both be able to see a clear shift. If we're not, we change the plan.

Could this be endometriosis?

Possibly. Pain that's debilitating, doesn't respond to standard care, or comes with painful intercourse or bowel symptoms during your period warrants a closer look. We'll work it up properly if so.

✦ Next step