Day 6 - period arrived a week early

[kiramazing]

Hi all! This is my first go at Whole30 and so far I feel pretty great! I should start by saying I wanted to try Whole30 because I believe I have a hormonal imbalance of some kind (I am in my mid-20’s and have dealt with depression, menstural irregularities, lethargy, difficulty gaining weight/low BMI, low appetite, and troublesome skin since I was a teen). About 6 months ago my appetite was healthy for the first time in years and I startrd gaining weight (although I had weight to gain, it wasn’t necessarily healthy weight because I wasn’t eating very healthy foods) and my period was shockingly regular for the first time in years. I went from having literally no idea when it would arrive, to having it begin on the 12th or 13th of the month every month for the last six months. I should mention I have been on the Mirena IUD for the last 3 years and while it helped by making my periods significantly lighter, they were still unpredictable and lasted 8 days on average. I should also mention I have been anemic since I was a teen but I found a good iron supplement that agrees with my digestion about a year ago and have not been tested since to determine if I am still anemic. This would lead to miserable, long, painful periods to the point I need to load up on painkillers to go to work, and I have missed many events due to my period prior to getting thr IUD and having lighter periods (most so light a pantyliner was sufficient - I have probably worn maybe 10 light tampons in the last 3 years whereas I used to have to change my “overnight” tampons multiple times a day and actually passed out on campus once in college due to overwhelming pain and lightheadedness).

Now that you have a bit of backstory, my question is this: why would Whole30 make my period arrive a week early after only 6 days on the program? My last period ended about 2 weeks ago! I am eating lots of fats in an effort to maintain my weight. Also lots of iron-rich foods. In general I feel great, especially the last couple days, no overwhelming cravings and food boredom hasn’t hit too hard yet. My energy is the best it’s been in a long time, and I’ve also taken this opportunity to remove caffeine from my diet altogether. I should also mention this period is probably the heaviest it’s been since I got the IUD in (but not nearly as bad as prior to), and there was some cramping and acne but not as bad as usual. I also am very emotional and have gotten weepy over things I usually wouldn’t. That said, my depression/malaise have taken a hike as well (in this case weepy/depressed are very different) and I really haven’t felt this good in years. 

I am wondering if this is a definitive answer that my suspected hormonal issues are indeed diet-related? I know this program can have a strong effect on hormones which is a major reason I started it, but I’m flummoxed by the lack of scientific research on WHY my period would arrive 7 days early after just a few days of diet change. Can anyone provide insight as to why this may be occuring? Many forums I have read seem to inditate women getting their period later rather than earlier, much less a whole week early so early in the program. Should I be concerned by this dramatic shift? I was not planning on a Whole60 but now I am curious as to how my cycle would adapt if I kept this up.  

Thank you for reading and any additional insight you can provide!

[SugarcubeOD]

Have you looked through this Ladies Only forum to see other threads about this issue?

 

[kiramazing]

Thanks @SugarcubeOD! I saw a few of those but not the Mirena one, which had some info I found helpful. I guess I am more interested in specifically “why,” as I was certainly expecting hormonal fluctuations during the month. Best I can figure based on what I have seen in the forums is blood sugar regulation or perhaps the good fats (I always cook with good fats at home but who knows what sorts of fats I consume when eating “on the go”). I’m disappointed (though not surprised...) that I can’t seem to find any medical research on the topic. I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with the blood sugar guess for now. 

I saw one comment from a woman whose doctor suspected that the early period was due to the body “realizing” that it was healthier now and best to start fresh by flushing out the unhealthy stuff for optimal baby environment. Seems suspiciously pseudoscience-y but I enjoy the idea that my body is starting fresh so I’ll use it as motivation to push on. 

[agua6]

So I have been super interested in learning about my health for a while, one thing in particular that I have learned a ton about is how a woman's cycle works. So to answer your question, no Whole30 will not make your period come "early" only because your period will never come "early", it always arrives when it is supposed to. HOWEVER, cleaning up your diet/hormone balance could help your body to regulate and cause you to ovulate sooner that usual, which would make your period also arrive sooner than usual.

So just a quick lesson. The time between your period and ovulation (follicular phase) can fluctuate do to external and internal factors. The time between ovulation and your period (luteal phase) will always remain consistent to you (give or take a couple days). Basically your period is not the main event, ovulation is and that is what triggers your period ~10-16 days later depending on what your luteal phase is.

For example, my luteal phase is 11 days (sometimes 12 or 13). I tend to ovulate anywhere from cycle day 15-17 which will give me a 26-28 day cycle. There was one month I ovulated on cycle day 10, so my period came "early" (but not really) about 11 days after I ovulated, which made my cycle 22 days.

It is also possible to have spotting around ovulation. It is also possible to have breakthrough bleeding.

[ladyshanny]

Just now, agua6 said:

So I have been super interested in learning about my health for a while, one thing in particular that I have learned a ton about is how a woman's cycle works. So to answer your question, no Whole30 will not make your period come "early" only because your period will never come "early", it always arrives when it is supposed to. HOWEVER, cleaning up your diet/hormone balance could help your body to regulate and cause you to ovulate sooner that usual, which would make your period also arrive sooner than usual.

I get where you're coming from but most women don't actually know when they are ovulating. They count their cycle based on when they see visible evidence (blood). They are getting their period earlier than anticipated - yes, because they ovulated sooner - but the end result is the same. They are bleeding earlier than they thought they would. 

[agua6]

8 minutes ago, ladyshanny said:

I get where you're coming from but most women don't actually know when they are ovulating. They count their cycle based on when they see visible evidence (blood). They are getting their period earlier than anticipated - yes, because they ovulated sooner - but the end result is the same. They are bleeding earlier than they thought they would. 

Yes, I understand that most women do not know when they ovulate as the only ways to really confirm it are an ultrasound or taking your temperature every morning (BBT). I also understand the end result is the same. However most women do have visible evidence to ovulation in the form of cervical fluids/mucus. Our education on this subject is severely lacking so most women don't truly know enough about the science/facts behind menstrual cycles. Not unlike the lack of education on nutrition. It just seemed like she was looking for a little more information that I felt I could provide.