Hey everyone,
I am in search of natural remedies/supplements to help with regulating my menstrual cycle. Some background:
I am 27 years old, 5’4/5’5 and about 125 pounds. My body fat is around 11%. I follow a relaxed high-protein-low-carb diet (not strict keto) for the most part, eat a ton of vegetables, and avoid processed foods and sugars. I focus on HIIT-style workouts, sprinting, and weight lifting circuit training (before the coronavirus shut the gyms down).
The issue:
Since I got my first period, it has been very irregular. I didn’t get it until I was almost 17 (I was a competitive gymnast), and even then I only got it once or twice a year for the next couple of years. Around age 19 I got on birth control (the pill) to regulate my periods, and stayed on it until I was 23. I got back on it after getting married (age 25) but experienced lots of mood swings, headaches, anxiety, and irritability, so I got back off of it after about 6 months. For the last year and a half, I have been waiting for my cycle to sort itself out, since I know coming off the pill can be an adjustment, but it has yet to be regular.
More recently, my periods have gotten significantly longer and more painful in the first few days, to the point where I am physically sick with flu-like symptoms. My previous cycle lasted 18 days, and then I only had 7 days off before it started again, and I am currently on day 10. I am also experiencing digestive issues which typically coincides with my cycle. I usually have diarrhea when my cycle first starts and experience constipation for the rest of the cycle.
I have been to the OBGYN, gotten blood tests done and received ultrasounds, but the doctors said nothing is out of its normal range. They said that with the length of my periods and the irregularity, I am probably not ovulating each month. I am not trying to get pregnant, but I would like to ovulate regularly so I can have a consistent cycle. Of course, they just want to prescribe the pill again to regulate my cycle, but I am no longer interested in taking it. They also offered a progesterone pill I could take after a few days on my period to shorten my period, but again, I’m not interested in taking synthetic hormone pills.
I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for natural remedies like herbs or supplements or any lifestyle changes that have worked for them in regulating cycles. Most of the information I found on these forums was about women not getting their periods or their periods being too short, so I’m not sure if anyone else is experiencing what I am, but I thought I’d ask!
Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any help you can provide. I don’t know how much longer I can take of these 2-3-week long periods!
