The Root Cause Medicine Podcast is created by Rupa Health, the best way to order, track & manage results from 30+ lab companies in one place for free. The Root Cause Medicine Podcast is a weekly one-on-one conversation with renowned medical experts, specialists, and pioneers who are influencing the way we look at our health and wellbeing. This week we’re joined by Nicole Jardim, a Certified Women’s Health Coach. In this episode, Nicole Jardim joins Dr. Carrie Jones to share how to fix your periods and balance your hormones naturally. Nicole is a Certified Women’s Health Coach, writer, speaker, mentor, and creator of the Fix Your Period program. She is the author of Fix Your Period: 6 Weeks to Banish Bloating, Conquer Cramps, Manage Moodiness, and Ignite Lasting Hormone Balance, and the co-author of The Happy Balance, a recipe book filled with over eighty hormone-balancing recipes. Nicole is also the host of The Period Party podcast and has been called on as a women’s health expert for sites such as The Guardian, Well+Good, and Healthline. Key Takeaways: What does a normal period look like? Nicole highlights that a true period is always preceded by ovulation. If you don't ovulate in a particular cycle, then you're basically experiencing what is known as an anovulatory cycle or hormone withdrawal bleeding. Normal periods should last between three and seven days long. If they're over seven days, you might experience estrogen and progesterone issues. Painful cramps during the period are another sign of an unhealthy or abnormal period. What is a normal period flow? A range of sixty milliliters is considered ideal for the entire period. Over eighty milliliters is a heavy period, and under twenty-five is a very light period. The normal period range is somewhere between thirty and fifty milliliters. Heavy versus light periods Heavy periods are often caused by a reproductive hormone imbalance, insulin resistance, ovarian dysfunction, or other hormone-related condition. An excessively light period usually indicates a lack of estrogen, nutrients, ovulation, or thyroid issues. What is PMS? Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, ranges from physical like bloating, crampiness, heaviness, headaches, migraines, and body aches, to mental and emotional symptoms, like being quick to anger, impatient, frustrated, or anxious. Though some of these symptoms are normal, many are driven by inflammation, detoxification problems, blood sugar issues, and lifestyle. What is PMDD? Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which causes a range of emotional, mental, and physical symptoms, and somewhere between two and eight percent of women worldwide experience it. Also, check out Nicole’s recommended lab testing: Gut testing, DUTCH Test Order these tests through Rupa Health - https://www.rupahealth.com/reference-guide