Fiber and The Menstrual Cycle
Edited and revised by Emily Cafarella: Click here to read her bio and learn more about her!
Written by Ali Long: Ali is an intern at BNC, an undergraduate psychology student, and will be graduating in 2024! She plans to one day pursue a career as a registered dietitian where she can help women find the root cause of their hormone-related health issues. Her approach centers on utilizing nutrition as a powerful tool to alleviate physical and psychological symptoms, which is why she is specifically interested in the holistic approach to health. On her days off from school, she enjoys pilates, weightlifting, traveling, cooking, baking, and experimenting with different types of coffee!
Can Increasing Fiber Intake Help My Menstrual Symptoms?
Do you have painful gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms throughout your menstrual cycle? Your nutrition may play a large role in alleviating some of these symptoms.
The menstrual cycle can be influenced by many factors that impact menstrual pain levels, length, and more. One often overlooked aspect is the role of dietary fiber and gut health.
In this blog post, we'll explore the connection between fiber intake, gastrointestinal (GI) health, and menstrual health.
Understanding the Menstrual Cycle
Before diving into the relationship between fiber and the menstrual cycle, it's vital to understand the phases of the menstrual cycle.
The cycle typically lasts an average of 28 days and is divided into four phases:
Menstruation
Follicular phase
Ovulation
Luteal phase
Menstruation begins on the day of the first bleed. This phase typically lasts 2-7 days in length. This phase is the first phase in the menstrual cycle.
The follicular phase is the second phase in the menstrual cycle. This phase occurs when the follicle prepares to release the egg.
Ovulation occurs when the egg releases. This is the main event in a woman’s menstrual cycle and happens about halfway through each cycle.
At this point, the body needs to focus on rebuilding the uterine lining for the next cycle. This phase is called the luteal phase. This is the last phase of the menstrual cycle before it begins again when menstruation occurs.
Each phase is regulated by different hormones.
These include 5:
Estrogen
Prominent in the follicular phase
Progesterone
Prominent in the luteal phase
Luteinizing hormone (LH)
Prominent during ovulation
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
Prominent during ovulation
When these hormones are balanced, it typically results in the menstrual cycle functioning as it should. However, when these hormones are out of balance, it can cause chaos.
The Gut-Microbiota Connection
One of the results of unbalanced hormones can be painful gastrointestinal symptoms. This is especially true during the menstruation phase.
To understand this, let’s first look at the role of gut microbiota in health.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a crucial role in overall health. The gut contains a diverse and constantly changing community of microorganisms known as the gut microbiota 6. These microbes play a vital role in digestion, immunity, metabolism, and more 6.
More specifically, hormonal health is impacted by the gut microbiota. By interacting with estrogen, androgens, insulin, and other hormones, the microbiota plays a major role in the reproductive endocrine system throughout a woman’s lifetime 4.
This is considering that many of our sex hormones facilitate communication between microorganisms and their hosts (4).
This plays a crucial role in various physiological processes such as (4):
Reproduction
Cell function
Inflammation
Metabolism
Brain function
Therefore, these disruptions in gut health can affect hormone levels.
This may lead to:
Irregular menstrual cycles
Hormonal imbalances
Bloating
Cramping
Mood swings
So how can you regain control of these symptoms? One way to do this is through nutrition. More specifically, fiber.
The Role of Fiber in Gut Health
Dietary fiber is found in plant-based foods such as:
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains
Nuts
Seeds
Fiber is essential for maintaining a healthy gut microbiota. This is because fiber can act as a prebiotic, providing nourishment for beneficial bacteria in the gut.
When the gut microbiota is disrupted, dietary fiber and prebiotics can be a strategy for restoring balance by providing nutrients for gut microbes 2.
One of the key benefits of fiber is its ability to regulate bowel movements and promote regularity. More specifically, soluble fiber has many benefits in gut health.
This is considering that soluble fiber 7, 3:
Aids digestion
Boosts stool volume
Maintains colon health
With that being said, ensuring sufficient fiber intake is particularly crucial. This is especially true during menstruation because of hormonal changes.
Impact on Hormonal Balance
By promoting gut health and supporting regular bowel movements, fiber indirectly influences hormonal balance.
A diet high in fiber may be especially helpful if you are more estrogen-dominant or have an endocrine disorder that causes elevated estrogen levels such as PCOS and endometriosis.
This is considering that a diet rich in fiber may help your body reduce estrogen levels by aiding in the excretion of excess hormones through the stool 1.
Therefore, increasing fiber intake to support your gut health can positively impact hormonal balance.
Practical Tips for Increasing Fiber Intake
It is not always easy to increase fiber intake. In fact, it is a very common food component that gets overlooked.
Here are some practical tips on increasing fiber intake if you believe you are not getting enough fiber:
Choose whole grains
One easy tip for increasing fiber intake is to choose whole grains. Whole grains are filled with fiber, as well as many vitamins and minerals! Making the switch from refined grains to whole grains can make a tremendous impact on your gut health.
Do this by making simple swaps when you are at the grocery store.
Swap out refined grains for:
Oats
Quinoa
Brown rice
Barley
2. Incorporate fruits and vegetables
Another practical way to increase fiber intake is by incorporating plenty of fruits and vegetables into your meals. Try aiming for a colorful variety, the more color, the better!
If you're feeling overwhelmed while grocery shopping, consider selecting one fruit or vegetable representing each color of the rainbow.
3. Snack on nuts and seeds
An easy way to get in some extra fiber is to pick out different nuts and seeds to snack on! Try eating almonds, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, and more for an extra source of fiber throughout your day. If you are unable to eat nuts due to allergy, seeds are a great alternative! This includes seed butters too (as opposed to nut butter)!
These are great to eat in between meals as they help keep you full until your next meal. You could also try finding a nut snack mix with various nuts and seeds such as trail mix.
4. Include legumes in your meals
Legumes can be a great fiber source to add to your meals. Not only are legumes packed with fiber, but they are also incredibly nutrient-dense. They are full of B vitamins, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and other vitamins and minerals!
Some common legumes include:
Beans
Lentils
Chickpeas
Legumes often fit well into soups, salads, burrito bowls, and stir-fries, however you can enjoy legumes by themselves as well. They are a very diverse food!
5. Stay hydrated
Drinking plenty of water is essential when eating fiber. This is because soluble fiber pulls water into the gastrointestinal tract in order to properly digest and form stools. Without the combo of water and fiber, nutrients would not be absorbed as effectively and gastrointestinal discomfort may occur.
Try carrying a reusable water bottle around with you throughout your day to remind yourself to stay hydrated. Some people even love to set reminders on their phone to drink water!
Making these small changes one at a time is a great way to get started in increasing fiber intake.
Final Thoughts
If you are noticing painful gastrointestinal symptoms throughout your cycle, increasing fiber intake may be important to consider.
Fiber can help these symptoms by promoting bowel movements and indirectly balance your hormones.
If you need additional support with understanding how to support your body, consult a registered dietitian.
Meeting 1:1 with a registered dietitian can support you and your health and fertility goals. Schedule your first free consultation here!
In functional nutrition coaching with a registered dietitian, you will receive:
A personalized approach rooted in functional and integrative practices
Treatment for conditions such as PCOS, digestion issues, preconception, infertility, endometriosis, hormone imbalances, thyroid disorder and more using a holistic perspective
An assessment, evaluation, and personalized plan to heal and restore your energy while eliminating symptoms
References:
Annex Naturopathic Clinic. (2023, November 14). Treat High Estrogen Dominance Naturally: Food Diet & Lifestyle. Annex Naturopathic Clinic. Retrieved March 15, 2024, from https://citynaturopathic.ca/how-to-treat-estrogen-dominance/
Holscher H. D. (2017). Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Gut microbes, 8(2), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756
Marengo, K. (2023). Why Is Fiber Good for You? The Crunchy Truth. Healthline. Retrieved March 15, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-is-fiber-good-for-you#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
Qi, X., Yun, C., Pang, Y., & Qiao, J. (2021). The impact of the gut microbiota on the reproductive and metabolic endocrine system. Gut microbes, 13(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2021.1894070
Thiyagarajan, D. K., Basit, H., & Jeanmonod, R. (2022). Physiology, Menstrual Cycle. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Thursby, E., & Juge, N. (2017). Introduction to the human gut microbiota. The Biochemical journal, 474(11), 1823–1836. https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20160510
Yusuf, K., Saha, S., & Umar, S. (2022). Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber for the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Biomedicines, 10(6), 1242. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10061242
