Every so often, I come across research that doesn’t just inform my clinical work - it validates what women have been experiencing for years. Recently, two studies did exactly that.

One explored how body composition influences the severity of PMS symptoms.

The other examined over 2 million women and found that reproductive disorders - like PCOS, endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain or irregular cycles - significantly increase the likelihood of depression years before those women are diagnosed.

On paper, these are two separate studies. But together, they tell a much bigger story about women’s health , one I see every single day in clinic.

Because our period is not “just our period”. It’s a reflection of our entire internal system: metabolic, emotional, hormonal, neurological.

And when something shifts, your cycle is often the first place you see it.

PMS Isn’t Random .. It’s a Window Into Your Internal Landscape

One of the findings from the PMS study was that women with higher visceral fat (the deep abdominal fat around the organs) had noticeably more intense PMS symptoms.

This wasn’t about appearance or aesthetics. It was about inflammation, insulin resistance, stress physiology and hormonal communication.

Visceral fat is metabolically active. It changes the way hormones speak to each other. So when internal inflammation is high or blood sugar is unstable, PMS becomes louder and more demanding.

Women often come to me saying:

• “I feel like I’m a different person before my period.”

• “Everything feels heavier in that week.”

• “I can’t explain why I feel so overwhelmed.”

None of this is “just hormones”. It’s a physiological environment that needs support.

And I’ve seen this reflected many times in clinic. There’s one story that captures this so clearly.

Client Story - When PMS Begins to Shape Motherhood and Marriage

A client I worked with ... I’ll call her M .. is a mum of two. On the surface, she was holding everything together: work, parenting, the household, the mental load. But every month, the week before her period, something in her shifted.

She explained it like this:

“It’s like my capacity shrinks. Things I can normally handle become overwhelming.”

She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t irrational. She was simply overloaded in a body that felt fragile and overstimulated.

She’d withdraw from her husband because she felt emotionally stretched thin. She’d get overstimulated by normal household noise.
She found herself quieter, more internal, less present.

The moment that hit her hardest was when her son gently asked if he’d done something wrong. That was the point she realised her PMS wasn’t just uncomfortable , it was shaping how she showed up as a mum.

When we looked deeper, it was clear she wasn’t “moody” or “emotional”. Her physiology was struggling. Blood sugar instability, high inflammatory load, nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress and disrupted sleep had all accumulated beneath the surface.

Her PMS was a reflection of her internal state.

As we stabilised her meals, increased her protein, supported her sleep, improved her micronutrient intake and reduced visceral fat, the shift was gentle but profound. But for this particular client, we didn’t rely on symptoms alone ... we used functional testing to understand why her PMS felt so overwhelming and what her body was struggling with beneath the surface.

Hormone Testing

Her functional hormone panel gave us clarity that blood tests couldn’t capture. It showed:

• Low progesterone in the late luteal phase, which explained the emotional fragility and reduced resilience before her period.

• Elevated estrogen metabolites, suggesting her detoxification pathways were under pressure.

• High cortisol output earlier in the day, followed by a sharp drop-off, indicating chronic stress and HPA-axis dysregulation.

• Poor methylation markers, which influence how efficiently hormones (especially estrogen) are cleared.

• Reduced DHEA, a sign her body had been compensating for stress for a long time.

These findings matched her lived experience; the overwhelm, the crash, the reduced emotional bandwidth, the heightened sensitivity. Her body wasn’t “making it up”; it was doing its best under the load.

Her Microbiome Test

Her microbiome results added another layer of insight:

• Low levels of beneficial bacteria involved in estrogen metabolism
  (particularly those supporting the estrobolome - the gut microbes responsible for estrogen clearance).

• Overgrowth of inflammatory species, which can worsen bloating, brain fog, and PMS severity.

• Low short-chain fatty acid production, especially butyrate, which plays a role in gut lining integrity and immune regulation.

• Evidence of dysbiosis, which can increase circulating inflammation and worsen hormone symptoms.

• Poor beta-glucuronidase balance, affecting how well her body recycles and detoxifies estrogen.

When you put all of this together, the picture became clear:
Her PMS wasn’t simply a hormonal issue , it was a gut issue, stress issue, detoxification issue, and metabolic issue.

And once we addressed those layers, her symptoms changed, her weight reduced, her healthy behaviours got easier... life got better!!!

How This Informed Her Treatment Plan

With these results, her plan became far more precise:

• Supporting progesterone production through nutrition, sleep, and stress interventions.

• Improving estrogen clearance through cruciferous veggies, fibre, calcium-D-glucarate, choline, and specific methylation nutrients.

• Reducing inflammation through gut repair and microbiome diversity strategies.

• Introducing gentle adaptogens where appropriate (matched to her cortisol rhythm).

• Increasing protein, stabilising blood sugar, and reducing visceral fat to calm her internal environment.

• Targeting specific strains of probiotics based on her gut results.

• Prioritising sleep rhythm and nervous system regulation to stabilise cortisol.

Within a few cycles, she didn’t become a new person ... she became herself, consistently.

And this is one of the most powerful aspects of functional testing:
It stops women from feeling like they’re guessing.
It gives them a map, not just a list of symptoms.

This is why I take PMS seriously , not because of the pain or cravings, but because of what it means for a woman’s identity, relationships and emotional capacity.

Reproductive Disorders and Emotional Health ... Why the Link Runs Deeper Than We Think

The second study - following more than two million women - found that women with reproductive disorders had significantly higher rates of depression three years before diagnosis.

This means women were struggling emotionally long before anyone connected the dots. They often come to me as a last resort.

Hormonal disruption affects:

• serotonin and dopamine pathways

• inflammation in the brain

• sleep

• energy regulation

• pain perception

• stress reactivity

So it makes perfect sense that conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, irregular cycles or pelvic pain aren’t just physical - they create psychological load too.

Many women I’ve worked with describe years of feeling “not themselves”, being told they were stressed or anxious, or thinking they were somehow failing to cope , when the truth was that their biology was under strain.

This is the gap in women’s healthcare: symptoms are separated into boxes instead of being understood as one interconnected system.

Why This Work Matters So Deeply

When I read research like this, I don’t just see data.
I see the real women holding their lives together while quietly navigating symptoms that impact their work, relationships, motherhood, sense of identity and mental clarity.

Women who have been dismissed. Women who have learned to downplay their discomfort. Women who think they “should be coping better.”

This is why my approach to women’s health is holistic and education-driven. Not to make the period perfect - but to restore clarity, stability, energy, and a sense of self.

Because your period isn’t an inconvenience. It’s a monthly reflection of your internal world. And when you support that world, everything becomes more manageable - PMS, mental clarity, emotional steadiness, relationships, and overall vitality.

Your cycle is a vital sign!!!! And learning to listen to it is one of the most powerful things a woman can do for her long-term health.

If This Resonates With You - Hormone Rehab Might Be the Next Step

If you’re reading this and recognising pieces of your own experience — the overwhelm before your period, the shifts in mood, the fatigue, the sense of “not feeling like yourself” - you’re not alone, and you don’t have to navigate it in fragments.

This is exactly why I built Hormone Rehab, my advanced membership for women who want structured, evidence-based support to rebuild their hormonal foundation.

Hormone Rehab is designed to help you:

• understand your symptoms with clarity

• stabilise blood sugar, mood, and energy

• support stress physiology and sleep patterns

• reduce inflammation and improve cycle regularity

• learn the why behind what your body is doing

• make changes that actually last

It’s not a quick fix - it’s a full recalibration of your hormonal environment, delivered with education, clinical strategy and ongoing support.

If you’re ready to feel steady, consistent, and more like yourself again, you can learn more here:

https://www.inherhealthclinic.com/advanced-membership

References

1. Physical, Psychological, and Behavioral Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome in Relation to Body Size and Shape
BMC Women’s Health (2025)

2. The Overlooked Link Between Reproductive System Disorders and Depression: A Cohort Study in 2 Million Women
Psychological Medicine (2025)