Over the years, I have found Dr Marilyn Glenville’s female health support products really effective here and would point you to those specifically if you need help in this area. Here is my standard protocol for you in case it helps.

PMS Protocol

Belly Fat Diet (ignore the name; it’s a simple low allergen low GL diet which happens to balance insulin, the main cause of belly fat gain)

Agnus Castus Drops

PM Support – for the P5P B6, chromium and siberian ginseng, which is fab for adrenal balancing.

A little extra magnesium preferably – 1-2 per day of Magnesium Citrizorb and

Omega Support for fish oils

Here, too, is a really useful mini-primer on PMS from Patrick Holford:

Beating PMS with Diet

Note that he suggests supplementing with 5HTP. This can really help but I’ve often found that the low GL diet automatically leads to an increase in protein consumption which, in turn, increases natural tryptophan levels, so you may not need it. Some people do boost it for up to 3 months to start with but then you should find you can do with out it. You can use this 5-HTP if necessary then.

It’s always best to start with a lower 50mg dose rather than use 100mg type products because you have much more flexibility in dosage then. My view is always to start with 50mg per day before bed or on rising and build up to max 250mg-300mg per day – preferably between meals as you absorb it better then. Many people only need low doses. Be led by your health professional, as usual.

Hope that helps. If you have really severe PMS throughout most of the month, by the way, do read this post too:

PMDD: Do You Have PMS Most of The Month?

There’s a great video about PMDD here: