When I first met Charlotte she was suffering from severe PMS and period pain that would vary throughout the month. She was also diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which impacts ovulation, hormones, weight and skin and had experienced these symptoms for years.
Charlotte's PMS symptoms would start with ovulation and sometimes last for two weeks. She was feeling very emotional, often wanting to cry for no reason. Her feelings of low mood caused her to lose patience which impacted her relationship and ability to fully perform at work.
Constantly being tired meant she found it difficult to concentrate. It was knocking her confidence, moods, sometimes even preventing her from socialising and generally impacting her overall happiness.
7-10 days before her period she would experience many of the common symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance such:
Period pains
A bloated tummy
‘Feeling rubbish’
Sweet cravings
Severe fatigue (wanting to go to bed at 8pm!)
Breast tenderness
Being tearful
Water retention
Migraines
Spots on jawline
Depressed mood
Inability to cope with stress
Despite visits to the GP in the past to discuss her PCOS and symptom worsening with the coil, very little had changed over time.
After our initial consultation together, the most important element was to help Charlotte rebalance what she was eating, ensuring she was supporting her hormones throughout her cycle.
First, we introduced her onto the Hormone Balancing Programme which has several important aims:
To balance blood sugar - this is Essential when dealing with PCOS and hormonal imbalance
Increasing fibre - which helps hormone clearance, in particular oestrogen.
Incorporate more essential fatty acids - which help with hormone production and reducing inflammation
Reduce foods and toxins that interfere with hormone production and detoxification
Clean up the diet to reduce inflammatory foods which impact PMS and energy
A significant part of this was ensuring Charlotte ate three square meals, to minimise snacking and stabilise cravings, especially during tough working days.
We also worked together to reduce additional stressors put on the body by changing up her eating patterns, discussing the right types of exercise for her, the importance of managing stress and sleep.
Even after just 1 month, Charlotte noticed a huge improvement in her overall mood, the period pain and PMS symptoms.
Here is what Charlotte had to say...
“I'm so thankful I reached out to Kelly, she has helped me so much. I no longer get pains in the run up to my period, and the pains during my period have significantly reduced, I hardly get any PMS, I get a bit emotional but that I can laugh off, my skin is so much better, I don't experience PMS anywhere near to the extent that I used to and I'm so much happier in myself.
Kelly has educated me and made me realise that I can be symptom free and that it's all in my control. I've loved working with Kelly, she's amazing at what she does and so passionate about helping you. Kelly educated me on the importance of diet and the impact it has on your hormones and menstrual cycle. There are so many conflicting messages on what you should eat, what food groups you should cut out etc. but Kelly taught me the benefits and nutritional value in certain foods and made me realise food is fuel.
As someone who has always suffered from a bad relationship with food, this has massively helped me. I thought I had a pretty healthy diet before, however Kelly opened my eyes to the fact I wasn't eating enough to allow my body to detox itself and I was eating things that were making my pains and symptoms worse! I now eat substantial, filling meals which keep me full, fill me with energy and help reduce my symptoms.
The meal plans and information that Kelly provides you with are great - I especially love the shopping list you can just print out and take with you to the supermarket.
Kelly also taught me the importance of managing my stress - my job is very fast paced, full-on and stressful - another contributing factor to my symptoms. Also, I would only ever do high intensity workouts which I didn't realise was also adding stress to my body! She provided me with breathing exercises and suggested adding yoga/Pilates to my workout schedule - something which I now love!
Thanks Kelly x”
Charlotte was on the 3 Month Nutritional Therapy Package.
If you're experiencing similar symptoms, book a free 20 minute consultation on how I can help you today.
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Kelly Mulhall
Registered Nutritional Therapist
Kelly is a Registered Nutritional Therapist who focuses on positive physical and mental wellbeing, achieved through diet, lifestyle, sleep and exercise. Having struggled for years with IBS and hormonal imbalance, and increasingly frustrated with the lack of support and helpful advice from her GP, Kelly began her own journey of healing the body from the inside out. After seeing huge improvements she quit her job to study nutrition and focus on harnessing the healing powers of food to help other people in similar situations.