How to approach the most hormonally turbulent phase of your cycle

As women, we're raised to believe that our period is the 'worst' phase of our cycle. Cause what could feel more treacherous or cringeworthy than shedding the lining of our own uterus each and every month? But every girl quickly learns that the real pain comes just before the bleed. 

If you don't feel like yourself a week or two before your period, maybe you find yourself feeling bloated, exhausted, anxious, and indecisive, you are not imagining it. You're in your luteal phase, and you're experiencing what's referred to as premenstrual symptoms.

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Every girl knows when her red day is on its way, our bodies make sure of it. Like when the sight of something slightly cute reduces you to tears. Or, when the sound of almost anything becomes unbearable, and mount to unexplainable fits of female rage. Then your lower stomach settles into that familiar, dull funk, and suddenly, it clicks. It's on its way.

Research shows that between 80 and 90% of women experience PMS during their reproductive years (NCBI). Most of us have been raised from the start to view this as 'normal'. That it's a woman's due diligence to 'push through it', medicate it, or simply accept it as the grade-level tax of being a woman.

What Is the Luteal Phase?

Your luteal phase is the final stage of your menstrual cycle, the 12 to 14 days between ovulation and the first day of your period. During this window, progesterone rises sharply to prepare the uterine lining for a potential pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, both progesterone and oestrogen drop, and your period begins.

Why Do Women Feel So Different In Their Luteal Phase?

The luteal phase triggers one of the most significant hormonal shifts your body experiences each month. Progesterone rises, serotonin, your mood-regulating neurotransmitter, drops, cortisol sensitivity increases, and inflammation builds. Your metabolism changes, fluid retention rises, and your brain chemistry shifts in ways that are measurable, real, and largely unresearched.

Common symptoms are cramps, hard belly bloating, water retention, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, slow digestion, mood swings, anxiety, and depressive thoughts. 

For women with endometriosis, PCOS, PMDD, or other hormonal conditions, luteal symptoms are significantly more intense. Endometriosis alone affects 10% of women of reproductive age globally (The Lancet), a figure that still, in 2025, comes attached to an average diagnosis delay of nearly a decade.

Natural Ways to Manage Your PMS Symptoms From Home

• Magnesium-rich foods, dark chocolate, leafy greens, nuts, have been shown to reduce bloating and muscle tension during the luteal phase.
• Slow-release, high-GI carbohydrates like oats, sweet potatoes, and whole grains help stabilise blood sugar and support serotonin production when it's most depleted.
• Make time for gentle movement: walking, Pilates, lower-intensity strength training, keeps circulation moving without spiking cortisol further.
• Extra time in bed is non-negotiable: progesterone disrupts sleep quality, which worsens every other symptom. 

What Should Women Avoid During Their Luteal Phase?

• Drinking copious amounts of caffeine and alcohol when and where possible (both amplify inflammation and disrupt sleep)
• Skipping meals or under-eating (which tanks blood sugar and triggers cortisol spikes)
• Intense training when your body is already exhausted, and, genuinely, scheduling anything major in this window. The imbalance in hormones can lead to brain fog and heightened anxiety, so when possible, save the big decisions, difficult conversations and high-stakes plans for later.

Sources:

• PMS prevalence statistic: NIH / StatPearls — Premenstrual Syndrome
• Endometriosis 10% statistic: The Lancet — Endometriosis: addressing the roots of slow progress (2024)