Natural Solutions for PMS
Quick summary if you don’t have time for the read:
PMS is driven by:
High estrogen and inflammatory metabolites
Low progesterone
High prostaglandins
Poor gut health and liver detoxification
Stress and cortisol dysregulation
The solutions we use to address this:
Eating enough food
Magnesium glycinate
B6
Vitex
Restorative practices for stress reduction
Gut and liver support
Anti-inflammatory diet
Let’s first look at what causes PMS as that will help unpack what we can do to address these niggly symptoms!
Key Drivers of PMS
1. High Estrogen and Inflammatory Estrogen Metabolites
One of the most common drivers of PMS is estrogen dominance—where estrogen levels are too high compared to progesterone, or the body is producing more inflammatory types of estrogen. Estrogen itself isn’t “bad”—we need it for mood, bone health, and cycle regularity—but when it’s too high, it can overstimulate brain chemistry, contributing to irritability, breast tenderness and fluid retention. Even more importantly, the way your body metabolizes estrogen matters. Certain breakdown products (like 4-OH or 16-OH estrogen metabolites) are more inflammatory, and when these dominate, PMS symptoms can feel more intense.
2. Low Progesterone
Progesterone is the natural calming, soothing hormone of the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle). It supports sleep, balances estrogen, and makes a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone, which acts a lot like your brain’s own calming neurotransmitter, GABA. If you don’t ovulate, or if your luteal phase is weak, progesterone levels can drop—leaving you feeling anxious, restless, or prone to mood swings in the days before your period. Many PMS solutions aim to restore progesterone or mimic its calming effects.
3. High Prostaglandins
Prostaglandins are hormone-like compounds made from fatty acids. They play a useful role in stimulating uterine contractions to help the period flow—but when they’re too high, they ramp up inflammation and pain. This is what drives cramping, headaches, and even loose stools around menstruation. Diet, stress, and certain nutrient deficiencies (like omega-3s or magnesium) can all tilt prostaglandin production toward the more inflammatory types, making PMS symptoms worse.
4. Poor Detoxification and Gut Health
Your liver and gut work together to clear out estrogen and keep hormone balance in check. If detoxification pathways (like methylation and glucuronidation) are sluggish—or if gut health is compromised (e.g. low beneficial bacteria, constipation or an overgrowth of bacteria that produce beta-glucuronidase, which reactivates estrogen)—then estrogen can “recycle” back into the system. This estrogen buildup can amplify PMS symptoms. Supporting gut health, bowel regularity and liver detox pathways is a cornerstone of natural PMS care.
5. Stress and Cortisol Dysregulation
Finally, stress is a big amplifier of PMS. The adrenal glands, which produce cortisol, are closely linked with the reproductive system. Chronic stress can “steal” resources from progesterone production (sometimes called the pregnenolone steal), lower GABA activity in the brain and make the nervous system more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. This stress can result in the body not deeming your environment as ‘safe’ to bring a baby into the world and therefore it doesn’t ovulate… and no ovulation = no/little progesterone production.
Natural Solutions for PMS
Here are 7 research-backed strategies to address the above factors and therefore calm PMS.
1. Eat Enough (Especially Protein & Balanced Meals)
Under-eating—whether from dieting, skipping meals, or simply being too busy—sends a stress signal to the brain. The hypothalamus is highly sensitive to energy availability. When the body doesn’t feel “safe,” it may down-regulate reproductive hormones, disrupting ovulation and lowering progesterone production. Without enough progesterone, PMS mood swings, anxiety, and poor sleep often worsen.
Eating three balanced meals with quality protein, healthy fats, and fibre-rich carbs reassures the body that resources are plentiful. This stabilises blood sugar, supports the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis and promotes regular ovulation—your natural source of progesterone. Read more on stabilising your blood sugars here.
2. Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium is often called “nature’s chill pill” for good reason. It calms the nervous system, reduces inflammation and regulates prostaglandins—the compounds responsible for cramps and headaches. Magnesium also helps the brain respond better to progesterone’s calming effects in the luteal phase.
The glycinate form is especially effective because glycine itself is a calming neurotransmitter. Together, magnesium and glycine improve sleep, soothe mood symptoms, and ease physical PMS pain.
Evidence: Randomized controlled trials show magnesium (300–360 mg/day) can reduce PMS symptoms like irritability, fluid retention, and cramps. Benefits are even greater when combined with vitamin B6.
3. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine or P5P)
Vitamin B6 is crucial for making neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, which support mood and resilience to stress. It also aids estrogen metabolism and helps lower excess prolactin, which is linked to breast tenderness and irritability.
Clinical trials have found B6 (50–100 mg/day, often in the active form P5P) to significantly reduce PMS mood and physical symptoms. It’s a simple, safe starting point—though very high doses should be avoided long term - work with a practitioner to find the right dose for you.
4. Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry)
Vitex is one of the best-researched herbal remedies for PMS. It works by gently shifting brain signalling (dopamine) to improve luteinizing hormone (LH) release and boost progesterone production after ovulation. It also lowers prolactin, easing breast tenderness and mood irritability.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that women taking Vitex were more than twice as likely to achieve remission of PMS symptoms compared to placebo. Results are often noticeable after 2–3 cycles of consistent use and it’s important to not take if you have PCOS.
5. Restorative Practices for Stress & Cortisol Balance
Chronic stress is one of the biggest disruptors of hormone balance. Elevated cortisol can “steal” resources from progesterone production, amplify inflammation and make the nervous system more reactive to hormonal shifts.
Daily restorative practices—such as yoga, breathwork, meditation, gentle walking or even consistent sleep routines—help reset the stress response. Over time, this lowers cortisol, improves resilience, and allows the ovaries to produce adequate progesterone.
6. Support Detoxification: Encourage a Daily Bowel Motion
Your body clears estrogen and inflammatory metabolites primarily through the liver and gut. If bowel motions are sluggish, estrogen can be reabsorbed, worsening PMS symptoms like breast pain, bloating and mood swings.
Aiming for at least one healthy bowel motion per day is a powerful way to support hormone balance. Fibre (vegetables, flaxseed, chia), hydration, magnesium, movement and probiotics all help regulate gut motility and promote efficient estrogen clearance.
7. Reduce Inflammatory Foods
Inflammatory foods can worsen PMS by driving prostaglandin production, raising cortisol, and disrupting gut health. The biggest culprits include:
Seed oils (rich in omega-6s)
Refined sugar (blood sugar spikes worsen mood swings)
Alcohol (affects liver detox and estrogen metabolism)
Gluten and dairy (for some, these increase inflammation and histamine load - a trial and error period is needed to assess)
Shifting toward an anti-inflammatory diet—rich in omega-3 fats (fish, flax, walnuts), colourful vegetables and whole foods—can significantly reduce cramping, breast tenderness and mood instability.
Final Thoughts
PMS doesn’t have to be your normal! It’s communication from your body that something is not right. See what stands out to you the most from the 5 causative factors and then implement the strategies that specifically address these.
Or reach out for support and we can get you booked in for an appointment to look at things more closely.
