Raw and our montly cycles....ladies only please.

[LauraPaulsen]

Hello Ladies,

I've been eating raw for over a month. I did have a week in between where I wasn't eating raw.

Has anyone had any problems with their cycles while detoxing? Or eating raw in general?

I don't have any problems , except that this month I got my TOM two weeks early. What is that? Any ideas or suggestions? Oh and I'm TTC so i've been testing for ovulation...I havent' ovulated yet this month..any ideas?

Thanks.

[sagebabies]

I'm nursing 6 month old twins so I don't have any advice for you but I just wanted to say hang in there! I hope things get back to normal.

[LauraPaulsen]

Thanks Lisa. :D

[Coriander74]

I think anytime you change your diet/lifestyle it can affect your cycle. I know mine has been super regular but recently when I ate non-raw for a week my cycle was thrown off.

Keep track of what you eat, stress levels, and cycle times, and maybe you will figure out what's working for you! :)

One more thing... if there is a sudden change in the number of women you're surrounded by, that can throw you off too. When I went to Boot Camp, 42 of us were in one dorm and almost all of us started our cycles, even if we'd just ended them before Boot Camp.

All the best ...

[Dr. White]

I am very regular and have been about 90% for the last month . I did not have a cycle this month. It's the first time in 8 years of marriage that this has happened.

[Zella Juice]

here's what happened to me...

as soon as I went raw...my cycle went super regular. I started documenting it because I was so amazed. I have never had regular periods. It was crazy. most months it was down to the exact amount of days as the last month. Then soon after going raw...probably a month later. I started getting bad migranes. I documented those too and realized they were during the time of my period and halfway through (when ovulating). I would have 4 to 6 bad migranes in one month.

I couldn't figure out why this was happening when I was the most healthiest I had been in my whole life.

Before going raw I had alot of hairloss. I did some research and figured out that my problems were probably hormonal. But just being raw wasn't working. I needed something in my diet that I wasn't getting.

Another raw fooder told me about Modifilan. It's a supplement that is dried seaweed. She told me to take it for the hairloss. Then I read up more about seaweed and found out it helped the thyroid and when your thyroid is healthy it balances out your hormones. The seaweed also gets rid of heavy metals in the body. It was kinda expensive to take the supplement..so I started using dulse in my smoothies and raw soups. For my next period I had no headaches and the color of the blood was the color of the dulse. That's when I knew it was really getting into my system.

Now I don't have headaches and my hair is starting to grow back. I still have the Modifilan for days when I can't make a smoothie. I just feel so much better now that I have added seaweed (iodine) supplement to my diet.

[JennaBoBenna]

My periods improved so much after going raw! I used to have violent periods--migraines, cramping, and vomitting the first day of my period. But since raw, those symptoms are all gone!! My period has always been regular, except this past month I got it a week early because I've been around my friends a lot. I always make sure to eat or take lots of magnesium before my period (yay! chocolate :D) and I take extra iron during to give me a boost. I go to Jamba Juice and get some fresh OJ and their femme boost mixed in. It's best to take iron with Vitamin C :)

[Rawkinlocs]

My cycles improved with raw...lighter, less days, no cramping and clotting, etc.

But yeah, I did also have my cycles change up on me as far as when they'd occur and now they're pretty "regular".

[noodle-o]

This is my first cycle since going raw. First, it was later than I expected. I suspect that the change in my lifestyle stalled my O a bit. When AF finally arrived, it was so light that I almost wasn't sure if it was really a period or not. I have had about 1/2 of day of "normal". I am not complaining. After years and years of super heavy flow needing double-duty protection I am glad for the break. I think I will be interested to see what happens the next time around.

[noodle-o]

Dr. White,

You may have just had a delay in ovulation (common with "stress" or significant change). This means that you didn't "skip" a period, but may still be in the pre-ovulatory phase of your cycle. After O'ing, you will have your AF usually within 10-16 days (average of 14 days) depending on your particular nature. Most women have their menstruation around 2 weeks after O'ing.

I have had cycles before where my pre-luteal (before O'ing) phase was up to 48 days. That means that I would have had my menstruation 60 days after my previous one. But because I was keeping track of my particular symptoms associated with each phase during the cycle, I knew that I had not O'd and that I was not pregnant either. I was using a sympto-thermal method of tracking my cycles. (TCOYF)

[SeaSprite]

Laura, I had the same thing happen when I first went 100% raw. I'd been flirting with rawness ;) for a while and when I went to 100%, and also stopped taking dilantin, I had a crazy detox and all kinds of weird symptoms, my period changing schedule being one of them. It was two weeks early and really light, but I had really bad PMS and broke out. Then I started on that schedule like clockwork from that point on, I've never been so regular (I'm feeling really glad you said ladies only!) Now I always always ovulate on the full moon, AF shows up three days before the new moon, and is over by the new moon. No cramps, grumpiness, swelling (except the twins, they're a bit sore), and usually no breakouts. Last month I complained "how am I supposed to know I'm getting my period??" So, it sounds like that's pretty normal, and you have a lot to look forward to! :D

[bodaflower]

I haven't been 100% raw lately, also i just started school again (a big source of stress for me..) and so I've also been around more ladies (I wasn't aware that being around more women than usual could affect it). I also took birth control but then stopped so I am presuming one of those (or all of them) is the reason that I haven't had my period in a month and a half ( I took a test and it was negative for pregnancy)

When I am raw for extended periods of time, however, my periods do get much.. "cleaner" (no cramping, mood swings, in general a happier time)

[lifesdance]

I've noticed that for me since I have gone raw that my period is quite a bit lighter, and doesn't last as long. Also no bloating and I have no warning signs (like cramping) that it is about to commence. I do know when I am ovulating, as I can feel it and can tell which side I am ovulating on.
I have read somewhere that after a long time on raw we can sometimes just stop menstruating all together. We still ovulate but no longer menstruate. Has anyone else heard of this or had it happen to them?
The thing that I do for iron is to make a strong stinging nettle tea (out of dried nettles) in a quart jar and let it sit over night to steep and I use that as the liquid in my green smoothies. Stinging nettle has a lot of iron and also other vitamins and minerals, and I think it is probably more easy to assimilate than other ways of taking iron.

[noodle-o]

http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/menstruation.htm

I obviously can't vouch for the science, not having the ability at home to verify here sources, but this seems like an interesting article.

[raw_danceruk]

Mine regulated firstly whilst transistioning. 1 day or 2 days at the most, completly painless. Then now completly gone, still ovulating, had all hormones run which were normal. So..thank RAW..for the joy that is...no periods :D

[livin]

here's what happened to me...

Then soon after going raw...probably a month later. I started getting bad migranes. I documented those too and realized they were during the time of my period and halfway through (when ovulating).

Before going raw I had alot of hairloss. I did some research and figured out that my problems were probably hormonal. But just being raw wasn't working. I needed something in my diet that I wasn't getting.

Another raw fooder told me about Modifilan.

Now I don't have headaches and my hair is starting to grow back.


I've recently started having migranes a few days before my period. I have been experiencing hairloss (pretty thin now) for a few years now - and nothing has helped.
I want to get Modifilan tomorrow! Did you find Modifilan at your local health food store or online? Getting rid of migranes and having my hair hair grow back should be worth the expense!

[belle]

Has anyone expxerienced the opposite? Have an absent menstrual cycle prior to raw, then menstruating after going raw?

[ChaiLife]

I completely skipped mine. Had the hormone issues and emotions, etc but nothing came of it. Was really weird. Happened last time I went raw too. NOT that I am complaining!!:D

[virginia]

My cycles became so much lighter and easier when I became vegetarian and then again when I became raw...didn't even notice menopause happening, Virginia

[Zella Juice]

here's the link

http://www.modifilan-seaweed-extract.com/

there are a few different distributers. I chose this one cause they are closest to me and I can get them in 2 days or less.

but also try the Dulse blended in your soup or smoothies. I got the dulse at

http://www.realrawfood.com/

[SuziS]

I also take Modifilan and love it! I have no pms symptoms anymore.

[livin]

here's the link

http://www.modifilan-seaweed-extract.com/

there are a few different distributers. I chose this one cause they are closest to me and I can get them in 2 days or less.

but also try the Dulse blended in your soup or smoothies. I got the dulse at

http://www.realrawfood.com/

Thanks a lot Zella Juice! I ordered the Modifilan today for the link you shared. I'll probably get the dulse later. Can't wait to get started!:D

[ksana]

I don't have periods, either. I went raw after the birth of my third baby and weaned her at 13 months, one month ago, and still haven't had a period. But the thing is, I only eat about 80% raw, which is practically all fruit. I read somewhere that fruitarians were more likely to cease periods than any other type of raw fooders, so maybe that's it. The question is, I've finished having kids now, and don't want to become pregnant, but are the signs of ovulation the same as before? It's just that without a period to let you know where you are in your cycle, it's hard to predict when it's going to happen. As far as I can tell, I still haven't ovulated. Do I have a reason to be concerned?

ksana

[Riiiya]

uuh i'm still waiting for mine - 5 days late :mad: i'm not too happy, i don't want to miss a period ... i'm only 20 i want to have them regularly :(

[MSloan65]

Hi Laura,

The same thing happened to me. I've been 100% raw now for 4 months and I feel awesome.

My period has fluctuated more the older I've gotten and it was always a guessing game on when I would get it. If I was under alot of stress there was a chance it would be quite late.

Since eating raw the first two months it came 2 weeks early. Very unusual to me. It was also pretty heavy. I felt very sure that it was just another way for my body to detox. I've been reading that our periods anyway are a form of detoxing every month. So it made sense to me.

The last two months thought it has been totally on time and slightly lighter.

Thanks for sharing!
Martha

[trinity082482]

My periods are like 1/5th of what they used to be. I used to bleed so heavy for seriously like 8 days it was like a massacre. And now It's usually 4 days, and between those days I have maybe 16 hours of heavier flow but the rest of the time its lighter than normal. So I am soo much more comfortable during my periods than I used to be. I feel blessed lol.
Sorry for the graphic detailed. :)

[Anastasia Alston]

I've only had 2 periods since going raw. I'm almost clockwork regular, bleed for 7 days (always) w/the first 2 days heaviest & a dull throbbing in my perineum that went down the backs of my legs; the first one was on time, SUPER heavy, very dark blood, but no throbbing. The second one was a surprise: early by a week or so, lighter & shorter by 2 days!!! :D There were no indications that I was about to bleed - no irritability, no cramping, no nothing! The whole thing went by like a breeze, too!

Stasi