Hi wonderful Boarders,
I have been having lots of problems with PMS all my life. Now that I am slowly but surely turning more and more raw, I wonder how I can take control. I am still dealing with nasty symptoms that render me quite useless for a few days out of the month.

I understand that a woman's body uses the menstrual eliminative processes to also cleanse itself. I had this idea of doing mild cleanses during the most difficult days to support the cleansing process? Has anyone tried that? ANy other experiences how raw changed PMS?

Also, I would like to do a mild cleanse. I am not at a point yet where I would want to do juice fasting. Is there a milder form of cleanse that any of you could recommend?

Thanks much!

I have always had mild uneventful menses but I have been pretty much thin almost too thin my whole adult life. I think it is related to body fat stores, the more body fat in the body, the higher the estrogen and progesterone levels and the greater the intensity of swings/changes/adverse effects in the cycle. Some of these levels are genetic and some are goverened by body fat and poor diet, such as the plethora of 8 year olds menstruating in our toxic food environment, which used to be a very rare thing before the obesity epidemic.

If you have any excess fat to lose, lose it and see if that helps. Fasting will certainly accelerate this. Also weight-bearing exercise helps for body recomposition: weight can stay the same, but muscle mass increases while fat decreases.

Eating right with lots of protective and anti-inflammatory f+v should also help a lot. There are some studies showing help with various nutrients and elminiating junk and you should get a good balance with your high f+v diet.

i am also one of those mild, uneventful menses people... regardless of how much fat i've carried around or how much exercising or lack thereof in my routine. but i have noticed that my 6 day cycle has gotten progressively shorter and lighter... down to a very quick 3 days.

as to whether you should cleanse during menstruation... hmmmm... i know the ayurvedic cleansing protocol called panchakarma shouldn't be undertaken during menstruation, but i don't know why that is, exactly. many traditioal cultural practices dictate rest or light duty for women during menstruation. its a good time to recharge your batteries.

it seems like if you want to check a light cleanse, you could do mono-eating (eating one type of food only all day long) of grapes, apples, or another sweet fruit. mono eating is very cleansing to the lymph system. it would be likely easier than a juice fast. if you decide to try it, let us know how you did! good luck!

Hi Arugula,

my body mass index is well within healthy limits and I have been working out regularly for years, cardio, weights and yoga. Exercise sure improves things, yet not near to the point of feeling okay.

A few years ago my period stopped completely (due to severe stress) for 16 months. Even though lots of other things weren't right (the stress related issues started to cause adrenal and thyroid problems), I felt incredibly good without the constant PMS.

THank you Butterfly, thats a good idea, to mono for a day or two. Might try tomorrow, actually, but dont have nuff grapes at hom to mono on just them. Might try mono-ing per meal, does that work, too, as possibly even a milder variation of it? So, say, grapes till lunch, then a break for a few hours, then apples, then bananas?

yes mono meals are also cleansing, but would be more mild than eating the same thing all day long.

i also thought that maybe oil pulling, which draws toxins from the system, might be great for you. its touted to be good for PMS, and its certainly gentle. at worst, your teeth will just get really white!

as an aside, have you tried maca? i just mention it because i've read testimonials on another raw food board from some women about how it helped them with all sorts of female reproductive system issues, from PMS, to fibroid cysts, etc. i personally tried maca and it did nothing for me except boost my libido (which does not need boosting,thanks) and cause my fingernails to get brittle and break off! but again, i have never had issues with my cycle, my libido, or my reproductive system in general... so maybe i was throwing something out of balance that was already in balance? not sure.

[www.rawfoodtalk.com]

Just not eating refined sugar or other garbage quickly diminished my awful cramps. I also have shorter, lighter periods now, but I'm on NuvaRing which artificially forces it to stop when I insert a new ring.

Hi Cocao_nibs,

I had candida, which causes heavy menstrual cycles, and my periods went from 5 light and easy days to 5 or (usually) 6 days of horror. I had more bleeding than I think I could handle. I was so wiped out for days. It wasn't long after going raw that my periods got much better even though it was over a year before my candida overgrowth symptoms completely disapeared. Now my cycles are 4 or 5 light days and feel good most of the time. I like to mono eat watermellon when I am on mine and it is fantastic. It is a diuretic and flushes me out. I feel great when I do that. I don't know what you pay for watermellon, but in the south it is a cheap food to mono eat, a lot cheaper than grapes. Good luck! I hope you are better soon.

It is possible things could get worse before they get better, since menstruation is also a cleansing function of the body.

I've read about some women's cycles even disappearing completely, while they still positively ovulate. :O (Jealous! haha)

hating your period makes it hate you back, just my observation. i don't think of it as cleansing, there has been zero proof to support that this is true.
i used to suffer horribly, now i don't and it has a LOT to do with my attitude about my femininity and my body. again, this is just my experience and observations.

evening primrose oil or borage oil supplementation can be very helpful, as is getting enough efa's all around. a tea of supportive herbs like a red raspberry leaf combo can help as well. enough iron in the diet prior to the onset is good.

i have also found that what i use (diva cup, pads etc) makes a difference. not inserting anything allows for a natural flow for me. as much as i like the diva cup, i don't use it all the time.

good luck, feel better.

While we are on the subject.....I have been 100% raw for 3 months now. And from november to jan i ate nothing but fruits and veggies.
I have not started my perion since the begining of december.
Anyone know why?
is this normal when going raw?


.........living to tell a tale of a life it self........

>Anyone know why?

Yeah, you aren't eating enough, your body fat is too low.

>is this normal when going raw?

No. You need more calories.

As always, it seems like everyone's experiences with menstruation are so VASTLY different. For me, it makes no difference if I have a more positive attitude towards my period, or use pads only, take birth control/don't take birth control, or partial fast/don't fast. The only even remotely more-than-a-coincidence thing I have established is that it is relative to how many greens I consume. For example, in January I ate LOTS of greens and had a 5 day light period. In February I got into mono-eating dates and melons, and had fewer greens and had a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE period. Oh I am so jealous of those people with no periods!!! :0)


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

but why? it's giving you such a clear and unmistakable body message about what you need to eat. i think that's pretty terrific, not everyone has such a reliable source of info that pertains just to them. i think you're lucky to have found such a valuable answer.

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> but why? it's giving you such a clear and
> unmistakable body message about what you need to
> eat. i think that's pretty terrific, not everyone
> has such a reliable source of info that pertains
> just to them. i think you're lucky to have found
> such a valuable answer.


I hated the cramps when I had them, but it set me on a healthier path. That's how I could I quit refined sugar when I was so addicted. Now I see sugar and think PAIN! We are luckier than men in a way, to have this to guide us.

I agree with coco, loving your body and completely loving your moon cycle is healing in and of itself. I replied to something similar a few months ago in another raw forum, so phew I don't have to retype. Warning it's kind of long.

Essentially I've noticed huge changes in my cycle going raw but also it has a lot to do with how I view my beautiful moon cycle. My periods have gone from horrendous in my teen years to glorius as I get younger. When you embrace your inner goddess, your body responds in kind. I realize some women can't get to this place of acceptance, but if you can and when you do, you will notice a powerful shift in your life and how you feel during menstruation. Similar to how our awareness shifts and expands as we eat more living foods. When you're menstruating you're on creative fire literally...use it. ;-)


Peace. ~RawAngel

Here is the repost of what I posted in the other forum:

I began menstruating when I was 11 and I suffered greatly for most of my teen years and twenties. My periods were often painful, debilitating, very heavy and lengthy, 8-9 days. Sometimes I had to miss school I would be in so much pain. My PMS would begin 2 weeks before so I was always cranky and in pain most of the month! I was also living in a highly dysfunctional household and eating junk every day.

When I turned 30 I was going through major upheavals in my life. I traveled to Bali, Indonesia to find myself. I initially was going to stay for 2 weeks and ended up staying for 6 months. I quit my job and lived off my savings. And my periods were still as painful as ever. I was walking around in Ubud one day and I came upon this female deity statue in a local craft store. It was one the most beautiful statues I'd ever seen. It clearly showed a beautiful goddess menstruating and holding her hands up to the heavens with a huge grin on her face, as if offering her blood to the Gods. In that instant I knew what this signified and to this day it still gives me chills.

It basically demonstrated life force energy and women's ability to create life. Which is a huge blessing and is life itself. During our cycles, and a few days before, we are at our highest creativity, sensitivity and awareness. Just like you can't bullshit a pregnant woman, you cannot bullshit a woman on her period. lol. Our sixth sense goes through the roof.

Having your period represents being alive and being blessed with the ability to create life. And even if you do not wish to create another human being in this lifetime, it still represents your power to create as a woman. If you can create life, you can create everything and this is what makes women scary at times to men. I love men, so this is not a man bashing statement. Simply, over the course of history, we've learned to hate this part of ourselves for obvious and not so obvious reasons in many cultures. And in some cases there was a deliberate attempt to keep women at bay by making them dislike something about their bodies or keeping them in complete ignorance of their own natural bodily functions, which as we know still goes on to this day.

When I began to study this more for myself, researching the history of why we feel this way about ourselves and healing my own body with the foods I was eating, I experienced a huge paradigm shift in my reality and physically in my body with my periods. It didn't take long.

Our moon cycles are in direct correlation to the cycles of the Moon (which is the embodiment of the feminine). It is said if you gaze into the full moon you can see a profile or the full face of a woman. I've seen both. This is another area I recommend most women get in tune with and research for themselves. When you do, you will be blown away and it will change your life. Most ancient cultures were aware of this fact and fortunately it has been retained in most indigenous cultures. Thus, the reason I discovered it when traveling abroad.

Our mothers and grandmothers and the women before them had a very different viewpoint of their menstrual cycles, more than likely born in shame. They were something to be hidden and despised. We mentally associated them with something "disgusting" and to this day we carry a lot of shame in our emotional bodies, which continues the self-destructive patterns. And this in turn causes many of the painful symptoms associated with having your period. It literally starts with you and yourself. The medical world doesn't help either in most cases, it further supports the insanity of loathing something that is a natural cycle of life. A lot of medical practices go against what is natural, even birthing. A high percentage of women around the world still squat when they give birth which makes sense as far as gravity is concerned. But this another subject.

In truth, our cycles are a great blessing and are to be celebrated. When we look at it in this light, we can embrace every aspect of bleeding, even the painful aspects which will eventually shift when you change how you view your period.

Now my cycle is extremely regular, every 28 days, like a clock. I have zero PMS symptoms and it's light and only lasts a short time, 3-4 days. I celebrate it when it arrives now and my body returns the favor. I often deliberately plan to create pieces of art or write during my cycle. My sixth sense is off the charts, my sense of smell and sight increase. And you may notice these things occuring also, even now, if you pay attention, right before your period starts your senses take off.

It is not a coincidence.

It is the beauty of being a woman.

We are very powerful and can create life.

None of us would be here if our mothers didn't bleed and our fathers weren't able to plant the seed.

Love your moon cycle. Love yourself.

whee! that was terrific! gave me chilly chills. (did you read my birth stories? unassisted blissful births, beautiful.)

you know, i resonate with so much of what you are saying. the body shame and sexual guilt in this culture are insidious and just astounding when you really take a look at it all. the feminine "hygiene" products, even the name is appalling, kootchy deodorants, a multitude of bleached paper products to dispose of your body "waste", the talk about it being toxins and cleansing (this one Really gets me, coming from such a health conscious group in other ways it just illuminates to me how deeply our cultural disgust with women's bodies and sexuality actually go). etc etc etc. the only women who are "allowed" to love and enjoy their bodies are the sleek little airbrushed, computer enhanced twinkies on glossy magazine covers and billboards, every other shape and size (most of them) is disparaged. look at how much energy goes into diet products, making and pushing them, it's wretched. we are taught to literally HATE our bodies, to hate ourselves. it's a money maker, baby.

for any woman to say that she doesn't have body issues is hard for me to believe. we all grew up in this misogynistic, repressive culture. we ALL suffer from this affliction in one way or another, it's deeply, deeply ingrained in us. i know because i feel it and think it about myself too. but i'm working on being aware of those thoughts when they occur, of appraising them for their value as true thoughts and letting them go on their way. it brings my awareness around to where i could stand to do some work on myself. for me that's what the cramps were about. i'm working through it and i'm grateful for the pain. pain is the teacher, it grabs your attention and makes you focus like Nothing else!

stoner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While we are on the subject.....I have been 100%
> raw for 3 months now. And from november to jan i
> ate nothing but fruits and veggies.
> I have not started my perion since the begining of
> december.
> Anyone know why?
> is this normal when going raw?


Eat more fatty raw foods...nuts, nut pates, avocados, raw treats etc. Hemp seed milk and hemp seeds would be very good for you too. Do some energy work with a good, reputable healer if and when you can. Reiki and/or acupuncture would be really wonderful for you. Have you ever tried either?
There's an emotional block in your body, they'll help you move it and get the flow going. Don't worry about it though! You're just fine as you are...just get more fat in your diet for the time being and spend more time with yourself, listening to music or meditating. Stuff like this. Peace. ~RawAngel

Rawangel... Do you have any more reading? =D

I have begun a lot of healing in these respects, but ingrained thought patterns can run deeper than realized.

I used to always have this strange feeling of still being a child, never being able to think of myself as a woman. Growing up, I even bitterly despised the fact that I had to be a girl. That has changed completely on raw, it's opened a huge door to self-discovery, for me. Even the weight I'm gaining now is all curves! How exciting! I'm open to being a woman, having children... something I would have laughed in your face at if you had said it to me six months ago.

I haven't made the shift to completely loving my period, as it was always a HUGE source of suffering for me (I started around 11, too). But it's definitely something worth thinking more about.

Angie, Every other period I have is better.

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> whee! that was terrific! gave me chilly chills.
> (did you read my birth stories? unassisted
> blissful births, beautiful.)
>
> you know, i resonate with so much of what you are
> saying. the body shame and sexual guilt in this
> culture are insidious and just astounding when you
> really take a look at it all. the feminine
> "hygiene" products, even the name is appalling,
> kootchy deodorants, a multitude of bleached paper
> products to dispose of your body "waste", the talk
> about it being toxins and cleansing (this one
> Really gets me, coming from such a health
> conscious group in other ways it just illuminates
> to me how deeply our cultural disgust with women's
> bodies and sexuality actually go). etc etc etc.


Oh my God you have me rolling on the floor laughing at the kootchie deodorants and other products. Hahaha! lol. What's not funny is they really blank with the natural chemical balance of the vagina and cause yeast infections. Be we know this. Your post is illuminating and further goes to demonstrate how much further we need to collectively heal from nutty programming when it comes to our bodies and sex. It's got me thinking. I would expand on the whole scent in the nether regions, but I don't want get banned. LOL. Most of the guys I've been in relationships with were in fact running after me because of my "natural scent". ;-) And they told me so. ha.

(((hugs)))

you rock Coco!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2008 05:45PM by rawangel.

This is my experience.

I used to have heavy flow and lot of cramps and headaches. Forlike two days before the period.

Slowly, the cramps went away. But the headache was there. Ater that, the headache also went away. I used to get irregular spotting before and after (for many days) period. That also went away after 3 months or so high raw.

The headache is almost gone. Now I can say that I don't have a bad headache before peiod that I used to.

So I am very happy. I try to mostly juice fast the day before I get my period (I get a slight headache and I know its' almost time). Thats it.

I can't wait to have very light short periods I hope that will also happen for me.

I agree with everyone that each experience is different and we should listen to our bodies.

Take care
A Iyer

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> whee! that was terrific! gave me chilly chills.
> (did you read my birth stories? unassisted
> blissful births, beautiful.)

forgot to comment on this...no, but i'm got check it out...thank you

phantom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is possible things could get worse before they
> get better, since menstruation is also a cleansing
> function of the body.
>
> I've read about some women's cycles even
> disappearing completely, while they still
> positively ovulate. :O (Jealous! haha)


Phantom I sent you a PM regarding your other post. I'm biased, but you most definately want to keep having your cycle. Periods keep your hormones in check and they do get better and expand...you'll see. What's also great is we as women have a physical monthly release as you mentioned, which includes emotional/life buid ups as well. The loving men in our lives don't have the same gift, so we should be thankful in my opinion. Guys release in other ways, but we can physically see ours.

Interesting posts all around, thanks everyone.

Oil pulling: I will do that, thank you!! I thought I try it while working out.

Maca: yes, hubby has that at home. Shall do.

No period: When my period stopped I was given progesterone and other hormones, nothing helped to bring it back. Unrelated to the menstruation issue, I was given thyroid hormone (T3, Cytomel), and all of a sudden my period came back. I know I ruined my adrenals (and hence my thyroid) during the menstruation-less time. As a matter of fact my Doc says all fruit in the morning is a no-no for my adrenals, it puts too much stress on them. I am valuing her opinion (she is an ostheopath, the clinic is big on cleanses and you get wheat grass juice in the waiting room), yet am still experimenting on myself and listening to my body. Slow de-toxing is probably the way for me. Be careful, Stoner. I am not certain it's a good thing in the long run, it can lead to osteoporosis to not have your period for a long time. Also, not eating enough fats prevents you from making hormones. I second the Evening Primrose and EFAs, I take them regularly and they help.

Monoing: I am at it already since morning and feel horrible. Detox, for sure, and also stress on my adrenals. i do have to be careful with just fruit. WIll do greens for the second block of food intake today. Thanks for your suggestions, angie and butterfly.

Pads and tampons: Did you know that ANY pad that EVER was used by a woman anywhere is still in existence in some landfill? As much as I can I use natural cotton pads (wash, hang, reuse) as well as natural mini sponges for tampons (rinse, reinsert). hey are very comfortable.


Thanks all! Keep the comments coming, i am taking careful notes.

Where do you find reusable cotton pads?! I've found cotton ones, but they have the sticky tape and I don't think are reusable...

I am going to make cotton pads out of my old diapers. I think I will dye them in beet juice.

I couldn't get the diva cup to be comfortable. I did everything the instructions said to.

the diva cup and keeper take some playing around with to get the fit right at first but once you do it's easy after that. i cut that stick thing right off, it poked me like crazy! stupid stick thing.

if you google it you can find so many free patterns for making cotton pads. they are usually for sale in health food stores too, or online.

i have to post my birth stories somewhere, i have a blog off in limbo, maybe i should figure out how to use it. ha ha.

Right here:
[www.gladrags.com]


These kits are a good place to start. There are pads and a pad holder:
[www.gladrags.com]

They also sell the sea sponge tampons:
[www.gladrags.com]

they are much more comfortable than regular tampons. I just rinse them, squeeze out the water and reinsert. Much softer and more comfortable than regular tampons because of the shape and because of them being moist on insertion.

Anyone have information or opinions on whether the sea sponge tampons are (ethically) vegan? My research on sea sponges off and on over the course of several years has been very inconclusive.

Would love to hear others' thoughts.