Women’s Health Nutrition: How to Decrease PMS Symptoms and Improve Athletic Performance

By Drew Mulvey MS, CDN, CNS, CLT, PNL1, CPT

You’re moody, crampy, emotional, and bloated. Hello, it’s time for your period! Does anyone else feel that way? These symptoms are a sign of the hormonal fluctuations associated with one’s menses. They can be quite a nuisance and can significantly impair one’s training, or motivation to train, during it.

What if I told you there was a way to prevent these symptoms from occurring and keep you performing at your best. Would you want to know? I know I did and saw significant improvement in my PMS symptoms when I started applying them to my routine.

Gamma Linoleic Acid and Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Prostaglandins increase during your period which can increase the amount of swelling, pain, cramping, bloating, and digestive issues that are commonly experienced during one’s menses. To combat this, it is important to add sources of anti-inflammatories that decrease prostaglandin formation such as hemp oil and fish oil supplements. Each is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids that decrease inflammation. Hemp seed oil is also an excellent source of Gamma Linoleic Acid, and Omega 6 which is actually anti-inflammatory (most Omega 6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory). On a side note, it is also very beneficial for the lining of the gut which can prevent further stomach issues which could significantly impact one’s athletic performance. Other common supplements recommended for GLA are 1000-1500 mg of Evening Primrose Oil or Borage Seed Oil. 1 tbsp of hemp seed oil contains about ~450 mg GLA.1 Another source of GLA is spirulina and chlorella, which have about 131 mg in a 10 mg dose (heaping tablespoon).2 Be careful with these! They are excellent for detox and binding heavy metals but can also bind vitamins. I would recommend adding the powders to smoothies away from the time you take your vitamins. 

Omega 3 fatty acids are also incredible for decreasing the formation of prostaglandins around one’s period. In fact, I commonly recommend including a quality fish oil supplement. I personally love Metagenics Omegagenics EPA-DHA 500 EC. Other products I like for GLA are Foods Alive Organic Hemp Seed Oil and Klaire Labs Evening Primrose Oil. 

(Products can be found in my dispensary.) 

B6

Another nutrient that is important for PMS is B6. B6 is important for the production of serotonin and dopamine. Progesterone and estrogen drop on the first day of your period which causes some of the mood swings and a general decrease in well-being on the first day of the period. Leading up to this, in the mid to late luteal phase, progesterone is high. This also helps to increase dopamine levels in the kidney which increases salt excretion, helping the body to decrease water retention.3 Another article looking into the role of hormones on athletic performance also covered the importance of serotonin. Subjects with greater PMS symptoms had lower levels of serotonin at the end of the luteal phase (the second phase leading up to menstruation). Lack of serotonin was associated with greater onsets of fatigue in athletes.4 Estrogen is responsible for serotonin production and starts dropping mid to late luteal phase. Adding B6 also helps to decrease the production of prostaglandins. Therefore it is important to supplement and incorporate high-quality food sources of B6 at least 5-7 days before the onset of menstruation. Great sources of vitamin B6 include bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, nutritional yeast, pistachios, and green peas. 

Diuretics

Progesterone is elevated a bit before one’s period and is also responsible for water retention as it manipulates another hormone, aldosterone, responsible for the fluid-electrolyte balance. When this is increased, the body retains more water. Therefore, increasing water intake, and decreasing salt and processed foods will only help to decrease the bloat. Other ways to decrease the bloat is to add in foods that have high water content such as cucumbers and foods that are natural diuretics such as chickpeas, asparagus, watermelon, lemons, beets, pineapple, celery, and mint.5 I am thinking that making a watermelon nojito can be an excellent addition to help decrease the bloat. 

Magnesium

Magnesium is not only important for increasing a general sense of well-being and calm, but it is also beneficial for decreasing muscle cramping commonly associated with the onset of one’s period. This is also another reason why magnesium is incredibly important for athletic performance as it keeps one from cramping up on the field and during a long run. Some great sources of magnesium include any green food such as green leafy vegetables, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, avocados, zucchini, green beans, and peas and chocolate. You wonder why you crave chocolate around your period! My personal favorite product that I incorporate is Metagenics Magnesium Citrate. Note: if you are on medications for blood pressure, please consult your physician before going on this supplement.

References:

1. Berardi, J. All About Hemp. Precision Nutrition Website. https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-hemp. Accessed June 8, 2022. 

2. Howd, Vicki. Why Chlorella And Spirulina Should Be Your Top 2 Superfoods. Indigo Herbs Website. January 14, 2016. https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/blog/chlorella-and-spirulina-superfood-heroes. Accessed June 14, 2022. 

3. Ebrahimi E, Khayati Motlagh S, Nemati S, Tavakoli Z. Effects of magnesium and vitamin b6 on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. J Caring Sci. 2012;1(4):183-189. Published 2012 Nov 22. doi:10.5681/jcs.2012.026

4. Carmichael MA, Thomson RL, Moran LJ, Wycherley TP. The Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Athletes’ Performance: A Narrative Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1667. Published 2021 Feb 9. doi:10.3390/ijerph18041667

5. Hannah. 15 Foods that are diuretics. Facty Health Website. Updated March 2, 2021. https://facty.com/food/nutrition/15-foods-that-are-diuretic/11/. Accessed June 13, 2022.