PMS / Premenstrual Symptoms
You've been told it's normal. It's common -- but that doesn't mean you have to live with it.
It's Not in Your Head. It's in Your Hormones.
Every month, a week or two before your period, it starts. The bloating. The mood swings. The cramps that sideline you. The cravings. The exhaustion. You've been dealing with it since you were a teenager, and every doctor you've seen has said the same thing: "That's just PMS. Here's a birth control prescription."
But birth control doesn't fix PMS. It covers it up. Your body is still imbalanced underneath -- you just can't feel it because synthetic hormones are overriding your natural cycle. The moment you stop, everything comes roaring back.
Functional medicine takes a different approach. We test your actual hormone levels and metabolites with the DUTCH panel. We look at your gut health, your nutrient status, your cortisol rhythm. Then we fix what's actually broken. Most women see real improvement within 2 to 3 cycles -- without adding a prescription.
The Monthly Pattern You Know Too Well
If your calendar practically has a countdown to when these hit, your hormones are out of balance. The pattern itself is the biggest clue.
Mood Swings That Hijack Your Week
One day you're fine. The next you're crying at a dog food commercial. The emotional rollercoaster isn't weakness -- it's a hormone signal your body is sending.
Bloating and Water Retention
Your jeans fit Monday. By Thursday you can't button them. That puffiness in your face, hands, and belly is estrogen and progesterone doing their thing -- badly.
Cramps That Stop You Cold
Not mild discomfort. Real pain that has you canceling plans, calling out of work, curled up with a heating pad wondering why this has to happen every single month.
Cravings You Can't Control
Chocolate. Carbs. Salt. Your body isn't being weak -- it's trying to compensate for blood sugar and serotonin shifts driven by hormonal changes.
Headaches and Migraines
That throbbing headache that shows up like clockwork before your period? Estrogen drops trigger it. It's predictable once you understand the pattern.
Fatigue and Brain Fog
The week before your period, your energy tanks. You can't concentrate. Everything takes twice the effort. Progesterone shifts are usually the culprit.
A Functional Medicine Approach to PMS
We don't prescribe birth control and call it a day. We find out why your hormones are off -- and fix the actual cause.
DUTCH Hormone Testing
We map your full hormone profile -- estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and their metabolites. The DUTCH panel shows how your body processes these hormones, not just how much you have. That's where PMS answers live.
Nutritional Protocol
Specific nutrients affect how your body handles estrogen. Magnesium, B6, DIM, calcium, omega-3s -- targeted to your test results. Not a random supplement stack from TikTok. A plan based on what YOUR labs show.
Gut Health Connection
Your gut recycles estrogen. If your gut microbiome is off, you can end up with too much estrogen circulating -- and that excess drives PMS symptoms. Fixing the gut often fixes the cycle.
Lifestyle & Stress Management
Cortisol and sex hormones share the same building blocks. When stress eats up your resources, your cycle pays the price. We address sleep, stress, exercise timing, and caffeine intake as part of the protocol.
Frequently Asked Questions
PMS is absolutely treatable. It's not something you just have to accept. Severe PMS -- sometimes called PMDD -- is driven by identifiable hormone imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, and gut health issues. When we find the root cause and address it, most women see significant improvement within 2 to 3 cycles.
Birth control masks the symptoms by overriding your natural cycle with synthetic hormones. It doesn't fix the underlying imbalance. When you stop taking it, the symptoms come back -- often worse. We address the root cause so your own hormones work properly.
Your gut contains an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase that recycles estrogen. If your gut microbiome is imbalanced, this enzyme gets overactive and puts too much estrogen back into circulation. That excess estrogen relative to progesterone is one of the most common drivers of PMS.
Most women notice meaningful changes within 2 to 3 menstrual cycles -- that's roughly 2 to 3 months. Some feel better within the first cycle. We retest hormones at 90 days to confirm the numbers match what you're experiencing.
Related Conditions
Done Losing a Week Every Month?
Find out what's driving your PMS -- and fix it for good. Jacksonville and Orange Park.