Hormones 101

Painful cramps, heavy bleeding, and mood swings are what numerous women deal with each month, and doctors say it shouldn’t be kept in the dark.

Writer: Theresa Campbell

Three local women, Alex, 22, Becca, 23, and Olivia, 24 (whose first names were changed), lead active lives until that time of the month when they experience tender breasts, fatigue, mood swings, depression, irritability, food cravings, headaches, insomnia, muscle or joint pain, and poor concentration.

“I get really emotional over unimportant things the day before I start my period,” Becca says. “I don’t know why until the next day—the day ‘Aunt Flo’ comes.”

For centuries, many women have bemoaned their menstrual cycle as “the curse”—a description Alex finds fitting.

“I have very bad periods every other month,” Alex says. “It’s super-frustrating. I could have really bad, painful cramps one month, and the next month it will be very light with no cramps.”

Alex didn’t start menstruating until she was 17.

“It was a concern. I asked my doctor and she says it was because I was very athletic and, most of the time, athletes don’t start until a later time,” she says.

Adding to her stress was being diagnosed at 18 with Factor V Leiden, which makes some forms of contraception too risky in regulating her periods.

“Women with this have an increase of developing blood clots during pregnancy or when taking the hormone estrogen,” Alex says. “They did come out with a birth control that I can take. Now I feel a little more regulated with the birth control, but it’s still not extremely regulated.”

She is happy, however, that she doesn’t have the painful cramps like before.

“But the mood swings with this birth control are crazier than ever,” Alex says. “I can go from being happy one second to just, like, truly frustrated or angry. One little thing or stress, and I can go through the roof!”

During stress-out moments, she reminds herself what’s happening and also strives to make her boyfriend aware that he is not causing her mood swings.

“I would tell other young women and girls dealing with heavy cramps with their periods to get checked,” Alex says.

Olivia also believes it’s important to talk to medical professionals about hormonal concerns, and for those who wish to prevent pregnancy to learn the best forms of contraception for them.

“If you’re epileptic, such as myself, then some medications completely deplete the effectiveness of birth control,” Olivia says. “I’m very worried about it. My doctor told me to go see the pharmacist to double-check what will work with my other medications.”

A regular monthly menstrual cycle, anywhere from 21 to 36 days, is a sign of hormones in balance, yet about 80 percent of women reportedly experience symptoms of being imbalanced, which can lead to worsening symptoms and feelings of fatigue.

“For a lot of women, there is a misconception that this is something they have to deal with, which is not true, because we do have options and things to do to help them. Things can be done to regulate the hormones better,” says Pamela Cook, a nurse practitioner at Renew Me MD in The Villages, which provides gynecology services, annual female exams, birth control, and related services.

“Sometimes we use oral contraceptives to regulate hormones, and there are medicines that can make the symptoms better and more tolerable, and there are herbs to help with the breast tenderness,” Pamela says.
Dr. Alfred H. Moffett, of Lake OB-GYN Associates of Mid-Florida, which has locations in Leesburg and The Villages, says girls just starting their periods are routinely irregular, but in time, they usually regulate themselves.

He encourages young women to seek gynecological services when they become sexually active, if they have problems with pain, heavy bleeding, or anxiety, or when they turn 18.

“We like to see them before they go off to college, and it gives us a chance to chat with them about contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, about healthy living, healthy diet, sleep patterns, and it gives us a chance to tell them that they have someone they can call in an emergency,” Dr. Moffitt says.

He also talks to women interested in pregnancy about how to prepare for it, such as maintaining a good diet, not using drugs, and avoiding stress, and he discusses hormonal issues with women during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.

Dr. Moffitt, who is pleased to have treated some of his female patients for 45 years, encourages women to be open about their health concerns.

“I can’t fix it if I don’t know about it,” he says. “You are going to find that we are not accusatory, we’re not going to be judgmental. We are going to try to be your best friend with a medical degree to help you get in the right mode of management so we can get you better.”