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Knowing the connection between your hormones, physical activities, and diet will definitely benefit your menstrual health!

Women are complicated beings, and that is proven more once we talk about menstrual health.

A woman undergoes a lot of changes during the different phases of her menstrual cycle. These changes may manifest in her moods and energy levels, her food cravings, and even in her weight or looks.

Image Source: Pexels.com

According to Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Victoria Rowena Rigor Sese, these changes may be attributed to the fluctuations in the hormones of a woman.

She says, “The two major hormones in the body of a woman are estrogen and progesterone. They drop, they have to drop for the menses to come out. That's a physiological thing that happens. One requirement for a good menstrual flow is that the estrogen and the progesterone levels should drop to low levels to promote the bleeding. So yes, in a way that's the reason kung bakit may mga craving and less ang energy. Nagda-drop ang energy during the menstrual period, during the menses.”

Because of this, she highlights the benefits of syncing one's exercises and nutrition with her menstrual cycle.

Nutrition 101: The relationship between your hormones and the food you eat

“It relieves symptoms during the menstrual period. 'Di ba may mga discomforts talaga 'yun that is normal. Nakaka-relieve, at the same it also promotes overall menstrual health.”

This is the same idea that Associate Professor Molly Mallari emphasizes in her exclusive interview with GMANetwork.com. She is the current chairperson of the Department of Sports Science in the College of Human Kinetics at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Assistant Professor Molly Mallari

She states, “If you notice changes in your mood, energy level, and cravings, it's advisable to take note of the stage of the menstrual cycle you're in and adjust your activities and food intake.”

She further discusses the considerations and adjustments women can make to alleviate their menstrual discomforts as well as achieve optimal performance during menstruation.

Menstrual phase

The menstrual phase is when a woman gets her period. During this stage, the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, and women may feel a few symptoms like cramps and bloating, tender breasts, mood swings, headaches, and low back pain.

Mallari explains, “So estrogen plays a major role when it comes to how we feel, our metabolism. One of the things that could happen is that we consume our carbohydrates faster, kaya medyo nagke-crave tayo nung mga sweets and salty foods 'di ba. Pero kahit na nagke-crave tayo dapat iko-control pa rin natin 'yung pag-intake ng too many sweets and salty foods for the reason that we bloat.

“We bloat, that is generally retaining your water tapos lalong nagkakaroon ng symptoms. Nagka-cramps tayo, you feel heavy, you feel sluggish, you feel bloated, and things like that.”

Since a woman's body consumes carbs faster during this phase, Mallari suggests doing shorter exercises to strike a balance between a woman's energy supply and energy expenditure.

“Pwede ka naman mag-work out pero keep in mind na mas mabilis mag-consume 'yung body mo ng carbohydrates so pwedeng shorter high-intensity exercises. Mag-adjust ka in that way.”

Othe recommended physical activities during this phase include doing yoga or pilates, stretching to help relieve discomfort, as well as walking.

When it comes to nutrition, choosing better options for carbs is always a wise decision.

She adds, “Choosing the lower glycemic index foods would also be advisable. Ito 'yung mga hindi masyadong mabilis matunaw kumbaga sa body natin. 'Yung release ng sugar niya is slower. So siyempre, pinakamabilis mag-release also is mga sweets. But then you have your carbs na hindi matamis, mas mabagal din sila normally mag-release ng glucose sa ating body. So that's always a better option, compared to carbs na sweet.”

Mallari also recommends avoiding gassy foods or those that may cause stomach discomforts like dairy and spicy food.

Ovulation phase

Another phase in the menstrual cycle that women should pay attention to is during ovulation. This is when the ovary releases a mature egg, thus the possibility of a pregnancy.

"After naman 'yung period, tumataas 'yung estrogen levels. Pero with ovulation, may research na it's associated with softening ng hamstring muscles natin and that is also connected with possible knee instability. So parang hindi rin ganun ka-ideal na binubugbog, 'yung nagma-marathon ka during that time, 'yung mga ganun. There's a bigger possibility na ma-injure 'yung women.

Luteal phase

When pregnancy doesn't occur, a woman will go into the luteal phase of her menstrual cycle.

“Pababa na ulit 'yung estrogen levels. This is the time naman na one feels very sluggish pero kailangan pa ring i-continue 'yung physical activity during this time. Regular physical activity talaga is very important, kahit male or female. It has been associated with reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.”

Mallari also remarks that around halfway through the luteal phase, women may feel an improvement in their endurance performance. With this, any kind of exercise may be beneficial.

For both the ovulation and luteal phases, Mallari suggests that women should simply focus on their recommended diet. There must be variety, moderation, and balance in their food intake.

She also highlights the importance of hydrating.

“Don't forget 'yung hydration lalo na kung kunwari mahilig nga sa sweet and salty food. It helps flush out 'yung mga toxins sa katawan natin and of course, it keeps us healthy. It keeps all of our organs healthy and working properly. Proper hydration is important.”

General health tips

Aside from adapting one's physical activities and food intake to the phase of her menstrual cycle, Mallari draws our attention to one key player that may still affect a woman's menstrual health.

“I would really suggest [relieving yourself of] stress, especially during the pandemic. I think that would be a major player pagdating sa pag-ski-skip ng menses. So try to do things that are relaxing.

She further clarifies that her recommendations are general practices, and their effectiveness may vary for each woman.

“This is a very individual response also of each woman. So each person could respond differently compared to others. So kung sanay na sanay ang isang babae doing a high-level physical activity then posibleng halos hindi na rin niya napapansin kahit may regular mens siya.

“One size does not fit all when it comes to diet and exercise. If they're having irregular menses, the first thing that needs to be confirmed is if there is PCOS kasi of course with PCOS, there have to be recommendations from your doctor as to diet, exercise, and everything else. Kasi nga may iba't ibang klaseng PCOS, na variants na kailangang i-address differently.

“After nun, titingnan mo how you respond to exercise. Kasi baka akala nila just because this is the case, magwo-work na kaagad sa kanila. Siyempre, try it 'no but also take everything with a grain of salt.”

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