How to 'Hack' Your Menstrual Cycle With Diet, Exercise, & Sleep

How much do you know about menstrual cycles? Half of you will be a lot more informed than the other half. The menstrual cycle holds great significance in a woman's life, impacting various aspects of her body with over 90% of all women experiencing premenstrual symptoms. However, misconceptions and limited understanding still surround its effects, leaving many women in the dark about their own bodies.

Today, we’re joined by Hazel Wallace. She’s a medical doctor, nutritionist and author of The Female Factor. Here to give us an education on the menstrual cycle.

Dr Hazel Wallace shares with us how the cycle affects almost every aspect of the body, from heart health and sleep to metabolism and even whether there’s scientific evidence behind ‘cycle syncing’.

Whether you’ve had a menstrual cycle or not, you’ll learn a lot during this episode. If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to joinZOE.com/podcast and get 10% off your personalized nutrition program.

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Quick fire questions
03:49 What is the menstrual cycle?
05:42 What is the luteal phase?
06:54 When does the menstrual cycle begin?
07:43 How regular are menstrual cycles - Do they change over time?
08:29 What is actually happening during the menstrual cycle?
09:41 What role does oestrogen have in hormonal changes?
10:48 How does the menstrual cycle affect performance in athletes
12:05 How does the menstrual cycle affect women?
16:30 Are cravings real? Why do they happen?
18:21 What is PMS and what do people experience?
20:11 Is there much research behind PMS?
21:40 What is PMDD?
23:16 How do you identify PMDD?
26:17 What is cycle syncing?
27:43 What role does nutrition have in reducing symptoms during the cycle
30:22 Can regular exercise improve symptoms?
33:52 How is sleep impacted by the menstrual cycle?
37:41 How does this impact our immune system?
38:56 Why is there such little research into this area?
41:13 How has the exclusion of women in research impacted us?
44:14 Menstrual cycle tracking - what is it and how can you do it?
46:31 How can tracking help?
47:26 What diet can help symptoms?
49:31 How does the menstrual cycle affect the microbiome?
52:07 How can intermittent fasting affect the menstrual cycle?
54:59 Summary
58:00 Goodbyes
58:11 Outro

Mentioned in today’s episode:

Hazel’s book is available to buy here

[gingercampbell]

I cannot stand having a menstrual cycle. It affects every single moment that any help is so appreciated.

[adrbl]

One/two-day preperiod depression is the worst part of my period. Cramps, stiff breasts, bloating, and diarrhea are not so much of a problem as I work from home and painkillers do a good job for me.
My sis and mom have the same depression right before the beginning of the period.
Thank God I know what it is and understanding the cause makes it easier to not get too suicidal 💀

[inesmilovanovic]

Isn‘t it sad that we as women or people with a cycle have only 1 week every month where we feel normal & fantastic.. 😢

[thatsovanessa]

great podcast! it's a shame us women cannot catch a break and living in a mans world does not help. We are expected to show up to work everyday and perform the exact same as men even though are hormones are on a rollercoaster affecting us physically and mentally very much. We also need more sleep in general than men which I personally have always observed but have never heard anyone validate this until this year! Also I can't imagine women competing in the Olympics (to touch on what they said earlier) and they being on day 1 of their period!! I wish young girls were actually thoroughly taught that we have so many phases of our cycle, because up until my mid 20s I literally only knew I got a period once a month and THAT'S IT!! I was completely unaware that we had different phases we go through throughout the month (and yes I had health class in HS but remember learning ZERO about women's cycles) Women go through too much!

[earthmamma]

I was experiencing horrible mood swings, painful cramping, severe bloating… I was just a mess practically all the time. I started to change my diet and now I barely feel anything. I found that the less carbs I ate the better period symptoms got. It’s purely anecdotal but maybe worth a try for other women out there.

[CommunityActionForWater]

I enjoyed this podcast. I remember being told by a doctor friend that the fact I often experienced diahorrea during painful periods was just a coincidence, and not actually related to my period. At the time I already knew other women who has similar anecdotes, and it is great to hear the frequent occurance of menstrual gut symptoms confirmed here. Great also to know that there will be more research on this topic. Now I'm enjoying being post-menopause and not having to worry about all that stuff anymore!

[CristinaEzPT]

Great podcast and so helpful! Like Hazel said, it would be great to have more studies where participants are women to really understand what is happening in a woman's body at different stages of her cycle and her life! It's unfortunate that in this day and age so many have to suffer in silence because the subjects of menstrual cycles and perimenopause and menopause are so taboo 😞

[florenciaguarino]

Loved it! Just one thing though…Men hormones are NOT more stable than women’s, men hormones change when they see something or someone they like, if they are surrounded by men vs by women etc etc… it’s very situational, men have a 24hr cycle. It would be interesting to dive into those as well! ❤

[jecookdale]

I found this interesting and refered to some information to teach puberty to a greater depth to my class of 11year olds. Girls and boys - they appreciated it, some slightly reluctantly! 😅

[michaela]

I used to have debilitating period pain and migraines that would leave me incapacitated for a day if I was lucky. I got a hormonal iud at 20 and it completely changed my life… until it didn’t. I had no periods and no more migraines, cramps, or ANY period symptoms at all. But it completely severed my connection to my body. 4 years later I got it removed and I now track my entire cycle (ovulation, period, etc.). It has changed my entire understanding of myself for the better and I can’t recommend it enough. In fact, I am currently in bed after calling out of work because I’m about to get my period and have such intense fatigue. But I choose feeling things over not having symptoms, even if sometimes it doesn’t feel so good 😂 I am still able to regulate myself much better and prepare for the harder times in my cycle, and it limits the days I’m out of commission.

[MD-frzh]

so happy I found this video and learning about pmdd. I am always so depressed and suicidal before my period, and after it I'm so happy and energised, this left me think I'm bipolar, but pmdd makes total sense.

[SLCLT]

You should invite dr Mindy Pelz! She talks about different fasting lengths you should do in your cycle, her book is great

[francisimanuel]

Still waiting for a video on Endometriosis.

[tiphainer]

Great podcast! I was looking for an accessible discussion about cycle syncing.
I have just one note:
Why on Earth did she correct herself from « All women who menstruate » to « All people who are menstruating »?? English is not my first language but I do know that only women menstruate.

[magicwandm]

For pmdd, working on my mental health and cultivating positivity helped a lot

[fairytale]

There is something always stuck with me, do you guys think we need start communicating about this hormones fluctuations and their effects on our day-to-day life and work? It is frustrating to see how my performance influences and seems like no one can get it. Even myself, having less empathy. I always wished for support when I seem not being able to give to myself alone!

[awfd]

I am so glad that I found your channel and I am grateful to you that you talk about women’s issues. Also they are more researches. Can please talk about endometriosis and PCOS.

[shellbellhealing]

Women often develop symptoms after being prescribed birth control. Interfering with the natural cycle can be dangerous. Some women even experience symptoms of poisoning and can have life threatening symptoms or early menopause or infertility due to these hormones and this is something that needs to be taken into consideration before prescribing more meds or more birth control. My life turned upside down after the IUD went in affecting me physically mentally emotionally. The symptoms were extreme

[golnooshhataminejad]

I get my worst migraines headaches in the spring phase as some with chronic migraine😕 so I’m missing on all the good time. I always feel better before menstruation just because I get much less head pain.

[Valholla]

While I can understand the reluctance to approve something that hasn’t been thoroughly researched, fasting is a place where we can use a little common sense.

Our prehistoric ancestors did not have refrigerators. Millions of Muslims practice Ramadan every year. The common sense evidence is all around us so I look forward to the day when science backs it up and professionals are no longer afraid of the obvious.

And thank goodness I found Dr. Mindy Pelz before listening to this episode because she is going to be hailed as the woman who revolutionized hacking fasting for women