This feature will deal with the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone, how they affect the monthly cycle and mood, how imbalances can occur resulting in premenstrual tension or syndrome (PMT or PMS), and how essential oils and other natural products can help.

To most people, the term ‘hormones’ refers to female hormones such as oestrogen (sometimes called estrogens or estrogenic), progesterone, the male hormone testosterone. In fact, a hormone is defined as ‘any chemical substance produced by the body’ (1), which includes not only the sex hormones, but also any other chemical needed to trigger body functions - this includes over 45 hormones (2), all of which are produced in the endocrine glands. Endocrine glands are found throughout the body and secrete their hormones directly into the bloodstream. Hormones are often referred to as ‘chemical messengers’ because they carry vital information to other parts of the body to switch off, regulate, or switch on the various body activities.

The female hormones are mostly produced in the ovaries. They control our sexual development, puberty, and the menstrual cycle. Oestrogen is the predominant hormone for the first 2 weeks of the natural monthly cycle, with progesterone becoming dominant for the last 2 weeks before the onset of menstruation. In overall control of the release of these 2 hormones are two other hormones secreted at different stages in the monthly cycle by the anterior gland of the pituitary in the brain. The first is follicle stimulating hormone (or FSH), which stimulates the ripening of follicles each month in the ovaries until the egg (ovum) bursts from the follicle and travels along the fallopian tube to the uterus. At the mid cycle stage when the ovum is embedded in the uterus waiting fertilisation, the anterior gland of the pituitary releases another hormone called prolactin, which triggers the ovum to release progesterone before being shed around 14 days later if not fertilised. This is a very simple overview, but once we know which hormones are responsible for each action and where they come from, it is easier to select the appropriate essential oils to help with some of the more common problems that may arise.

As every woman knows, PMS usually occurs up to 10 days before menstruation and ceases soon after menstruation begins. The classic symptoms are irritability, mood changes, headaches, migraines, and possibly even depression. There also may be weight gain as fluid and salts accumulate in the tissues. It is generally accepted that most cases of PMS occur due to an imbalance between the hormones oestrogen and progesterone during the second half of the monthly cycle when progesterone should be the dominant hormone (3): either the body is not producing enough progesterone, or there is too much oestrogen (4) - a condition known medically as oestrogen dominance. Oestrogen dominance accounts for 80% of cases of PMS, the other 20% occurring due to oestrogen deficiency. If your PMS is severe, it is worth consulting your GP who can use a simple blood test to confirm the cause. This article deals primarily with the oestrogen-dominance type PMS because it is by far the most common.

Factors that can exacerbate the hormone imbalance include low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia - which accounts for our carbohydrate and sugar cravings at around the time of menstruation as the body tries to compensate); excessive oestrogen or too little progesterone from the diet; and high stress levels which can also interfere with the regulating hormones in the pituitary. Orthodox medication to help severe PMS is a low dose progesterone pill but is not without side effects. However, for many, PMS is not bad enough to seek treatment from the Doctor, but can be bad enough to cause a nuisance and affect relationships at home and at work.

Finding relief
One of the easiest ways to help PMS is to change the diet to cut down on meat products that contain high levels of estrogens used by the farmers in animal feed and medication (exeno-estrogens), or to replace these meats with organic and hormone-free products. An increased intake of fresh fruit, vegetables and fibre will also increase overall health - fibre binds with excess oestrogen in the gut to prevent it from being absorbed into the body. Oestrogen is stored in body fat so keeping to a low fat diet will also help keep oestrogen levels low.

Other dietary advice, or as a supplement in extreme cases, includes vitamin B6 (found in cheese, fish, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, bananas, and yeast products), vitamin E (wheat germ, green veg, sunflower seeds, wholegrain cereals), magnesium (veg, nuts, whole grains, cocoa), zinc (meat, dairy products and fish), and essential fatty acids (EFA’s: sunflower, evening primrose, starflower). Avoid Soya products, as Soya is an excellent source of phyto-oestrogen, often used to enhance hormone replacement therapy leading up to the menopause. Despite the dietary recommendation to take evening primrose as a supplement for PMS, there is little evidence to suggest its effectiveness as carrier oil, because the molecules of most carriers are too large to be absorbed into the bloodstream to have any real effect. Select the carrier most appropriate for your skin type as this will have a far more beneficial effect.

Other supplements your herbalist may include the herb Vitex that has been shown to inhibit FSH levels in the pituitary and boost prolactin release to help balance progesterone levels. Dandelion leaf tea can also be taken as a diuretic to help excess fluid retention (5). There are other progesterone type herbs (called phyto-alternative progestogens) such as Agnus Castus which was used in the 70’s as a precursor to HRT. Before taking any herbal preparations, it would be advisable to talk to your GP or herbalist first.

Essential oils
Without understanding how all the hormones work and how the imbalance associated with PMS occurs, many therapists make the mistake of recommending estrogenic oils indiscriminately to help with all female problems. In theory, oestrogen-type oils should really be avoided when treating PMT because they will further increase oestrogen-dominance during the second half of the monthly cycle. However, many of these estrogenic oils are useful in treating some of the other problems associated with PMS such as bloating (Fennel), and emotional disturbances (Clary sage or Geranium), so the answer is to select your oils carefully - the psychological and emotional benefits of using estrogenic oils may far outweigh possible exacerbation of the physiological symptoms. Estrogenic oils are reported to include Anise, Fennel, Niaouli, Clary sage, Sage, Aniseed and Geranium (6, 7, 8, 9,10). Estrogenic oils can be particularly useful for menopausal or peri-menopausal problems such as hot flushes, migraines, forgetfulness and irritability associated with the declining levels of oestrogen as a woman comes up to menopausal age - this will be discussed at a later date.

Useful essential oil for PMS are those reported as stimulating the anterior gland of the pituitary including Bitter orange and Peppermint (8,11) which help address imbalances in the controlling hormones FSH and prolactin. The chemical citral has been shown to reduce the number of normal ovarian follicles in animals (12) which in turn would reduce the amount of oestrogen secreted into the blood - essential oils high in citral include Lemongrass and Eucalyptus citriodora, but due to their high citral content (70-80%), they can often irritate the skin. These oils would be best used in a diffuser, or the citral content can be modified by blending 50-50 with an oil high in limonene such as Grapefruit or Sweet orange, which act to chemically quench the irritating properties.

Hyperglycemic oils that help to raise blood-sugar levels are reported to include Rosemary (13) and diuretic oils to help with fluid retention (excluding the estrogenic oils) include Caraway, Yarrow, Lemon, Eucalyptus dives, Hyssop, Juniper (berry and twig) and Sweet marjoram (7). Unfortunately, unlike herbal preparations, there are no real proven phyto-alternative essential oils for progesterone, making it better to use essential oils to address the associated physical and emotional symptoms instead. Excluding the estrogenic oils, useful oils would be Basil, Bergamot, Coriander, Lemon, Lemon balm (Melissa), Mandarin, Neroli, Roman Chamomile, Petitgrain, Sweet marjoram and Ylang ylang for anxiety, with Bergamot, Frankincense, Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Neroli, Sweet thyme and Thyme for depression.

To conclude
When using essential oils to help PMS, weeding out informed and accurate information from the various aromatherapy texts is a difficult task. Many authors and practitioners assume that the term ‘hormonal action’ refers to the female hormones only, and will use these oils indiscriminately to treat all types of female problems. Now with a little more knowledge and understanding, your overall blend should be a combination of oils to address the physiological symptoms of oestrogen dominance in the second half of the monthly cycle, along with oils selected to address mood and emotion. You may find it useful to prepare a base blend to address the common physiological symptoms experienced each month, and then add different oils as required to address your emotional needs at the time.

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