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Is Cycle Syncing the Best Way to Balance Hormones?

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on November 19, 2024

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on November 19, 2024 — Reviewed by Hilary Watts

• What is Cycle Syncing?|
• Menstrual Cycle 101|
• Cycle Syncing in Practice|
• Step-By-Step Guide|

Bloating, cramps, headaches, and mood changes can make life less enjoyable and keep you from doing the things you love. If you struggle with these and other hormone imbalance symptoms, you may be considering cycle syncing. 

This wellness trend promises to offset the hormonal roller coaster ride women are on each month, but how successful is it, and does it have any science to back it up?

In this article, we’ll define what cycle syncing is and how it’s done. And, (spoiler alert!) since there’s not much research to support its use, we’ll also dive into the science-backed alternatives we use in the clinic for improving the symptoms of female hormone imbalance. 

What is Cycle Syncing?

The cycle-syncing wellness trend (developed by Alisa Vitti, a holistic health counselor) encourages women to adjust their diet and lifestyle practices based on the phases of their menstrual cycle. 

The idea is that by aligning behaviors with menstrual cycle phases, it may be possible to find relief from hormone-related symptoms (especially for those with PMS or polycystic ovary syndrome) while also boosting energy and mood, and enhancing fertility 1. 

Cycle syncing is also touted to improve recovery, mindfulness, and body awareness, as well as enhance progress on health and wellness goals 2. 

To better understand cycle syncing, let’s review female hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle and the symptoms people can experience when these hormones are out of balance. 

Menstrual Cycle 101

In the clinic, we consult with menstruating people of all ages, and it’s rare that we encounter one who hasn’t had at least one nagging symptom related to their menstrual cycle. So, let me review the purpose of the menstrual cycle and its different phases.

The monthly menstrual cycle prepares the body for pregnancy 3. It generally starts around the age of 12 and continues until menopause (approximately 51 years old) 3. The average cycle length is 28 days but can range from 21–35 days.

During each monthly cycle, hormone levels (estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone) cause recurring changes in the uterus and ovaries 3.

Here’s a brief explanation of the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle 4:

As you can see, this is a very complex process with lots of room for error. When hormone levels are off, it can impact health and quality of life. 

During the luteal phase, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms are common. PMS symptoms may include 5:

• Appetite changes
• Weight gain
• Pain and cramping
• Headaches
• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Nausea
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Restlessness
• Mood swings
• Crying
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Irritability and anger
• Depression

But even more severe PMS symptoms called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) 6, dysmenorrhea (painful periods) 7, and abnormal bleeding 8 can all occur. 

Supporting hormone balance is a great way to minimize the impact of the menstrual cycle. Cycle syncing promises to stabilize hormones, so how is it done, and is there any research to support it? 

Cycle Syncing in Practice

When it comes to cycle syncing, there’s a lack of scientific research supporting its effectiveness. 

There is some evidence that fluctuating hormones during the menstrual cycle can influence things like food preferences 9, appetite 10 and how many calories are burned 11. Additionally, phases of your menstrual cycle may impact exercise performance. For example:

• The menstrual phase may decrease exercise performance minimally compared to other phases of the cycle 12. The menstrual or early follicular phase may also increase delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS—the discomfort felt 24–48 hours after intense exercise) and reduce strength 13. 
• High-intensity strength training during the late follicular phase (when estrogen levels are on the rise and peak) might lead to greater gains in muscle mass compared to training in the late luteal phase 14 15. 
• Training in the mid-luteal phase (when progesterone and estrogen levels are higher) might lower the chances of DOMS 13. 

Cycle syncing suggests that using this information to guide your diet and lifestyle choices can optimize how you feel and your fitness results. Here’s a table describing the various steps of cycle syncing 1:

All of this is fairly straightforward—you’re monitoring how you feel throughout your cycle and looking for trends. But how do you align your daily activities based on the data you collect? Here’s a general framework for how you might put cycle syncing into practice:

This may look somewhat daunting and not fit easily into everyone’s lifestyle. If cycle syncing has been working for you, that’s great—there’s no need to stop. But if you’re trying to decide whether you want to give it a go or not, there may be some drawbacks to consider.

Cycle Syncing: Potential Drawbacks

Research is limited, so it’s difficult to say how much hormonal ups and downs impact things like nutrition and exercise during the menstrual cycle. We also don’t know if changing the diet or exercise based on cycle phases significantly impacts symptoms. 

Additionally, not everyone experiences the same hormonal patterns each cycle, and cycles may vary each month, because of external factors like stress, exercise, and lifestyle 19. 

There are many benefits (like being more in tune with your mood and taking control of fertility outcomes) to tracking your cycle and listening to your body. But trying to match daily activities with menstrual cycle phases may have some drawbacks:

• Hormonal fluctuations are common and no two menstrual cycles are exactly the same, especially for people with hormone imbalances. Cycle syncing may be discouraging for some people who feel they’re doing all the “right” things yet still have symptoms. 
• Adapting the diet and exercise routine for four different menstrual cycle phases each month can be cumbersome and may be difficult for some people to implement. 

Aside from being difficult to put into practice and discouraging for some, cycle syncing may actually hinder exercise and fitness goals. Cycle syncing may put people off of certain types of exercise. 

For example, cycle syncing plans may recommend high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts once a week with low-intensity workouts like yoga or Pilates for up to 14 days of the menstrual cycle. During this half of a cycle, strength training, which is important for gut, bone, and muscle health, may be discouraged. 

However, research has confirmed physical and mental health benefits of resistance exercise, even during low-energy menstrual cycle phases. In fact, there’s no evidence supporting the idea that short-term changes in female hormones have any meaningful impact on performance or strength during resistance exercise 20.

My goal as a practitioner is to help people improve their quality of life with easy-to-implement, evidence-based strategies that support the individual. Cycle syncing doesn’t yet have research to support its claims, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in monitoring the menstrual cycle and practicing healthy lifestyle habits to support hormone balance. 

With that, I’ll share how we go about empowering women to take control of their menstrual cycle symptoms in the clinic. 

Supporting Hormone Balance: A Step-By-Step Guide

In my clinical experience and according to some research, women with significant menstrual cycle symptoms tend to have gut imbalances 21. When we tackle these with foundational strategies, women often find freedom from their symptoms.

As I discuss in Healthy Gut, Healthy You, there’s a two-way feedback system between the gut and female hormones. In the clinic, we’ve noticed that symptoms of PMS like pain and swelling can get much better when gut health improves. This is why we tend to start with gut health foundations, give the body some time to adjust, and then reassess. 

Here’s our simple step-by-step approach when trying to improve our clients’ menstrual cycle symptoms.

Step One: Diet

Diet is one of the most impactful strategies for improving overall health and hormonal balance. 

There doesn’t appear to be enough research to support eating specific foods based on the phase of the menstrual cycle 9. But it’s important to eat enough nutrients every day to help manage period pain and other symptoms. 

For example, research shows the following dietary nutrients can encourage female hormone balance and reduce hormone-related symptoms:

• B vitamins (B1, B2, and B6) 22 23
• Vitamin D 22 24
• Vitamin E 22
• Vitamin K 22
• Boron 22
• Magnesium 22
• 25 inc 22 26
• Selenium 27
• Calcium 22 28
• Iron (when ferritin levels are lower than 57 ng/mL and no insulin resistance is present) 29
• Healthy fats, mainly omega-3 fatty acids 30

Eating a whole-foods, anti-inflammatory diet can significantly improve PMS symptoms 31 32. Such a diet includes fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, fish, meat, poultry, and whole grains. It also limits ultra-processed foods, excess sugar, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol. 

I’m not firmly planted in any one dietary camp—I encourage my clients to find a whole-foods approach that works best for their body. 

If you’re new to making diet-related changes, the Mediterranean diet may be a great place to start. It may also be worth it to seek out a registered dietitian or certified nutrition specialist who can tailor your meal plan to your goals.

Step Two: Exercise

As a clinician for many years in the integrative and functional medicine space, I’ve noticed that exercise recommendations have generally taken a back seat to testing and supplements. But moving and challenging the body is crucial for overall health and healthy aging 33, and may be a great way to relieve PMS 34.

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to exercise for balancing female hormones. But walking is the foundation of fitness, so I encourage my clients to walk as much and as often as they can (preferably outside in nature).

Once the foundation of walking is set, I encourage them to consider devoting 30–60 minutes to various cardio and strength training exercises 5–6 days a week. 

If you’re new to exercising, it may be helpful to work with an exercise professional who can develop a plan for you.

Step Three: Self-Care

Unmanaged stress can contribute to symptoms of female hormone imbalance. Stress can destabilize sex hormones and contribute to menstrual cramps and pain, especially when combined with a poor diet, smoking, drinking, and low-quality sleep 35.

Constant stress may rob the body of the raw materials it needs to create sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. It can also disrupt digestive function 36. 

Balancing stress is key to improving hormonal imbalances. Two high-quality studies suggest that reducing stress with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and coping skills training can improve PMS symptoms like menstrual cramps 37 38. 

I encourage my clients to practice a stress management technique that works for them (like deep breathing, meditation, or yoga) daily. 

Optimizing sleep is another very important way to help us recover from stress. Women tend to have more disturbed sleep compared to men, possibly as a result of menstruation-related hormonal fluctuations. For example, women may experience a reduced response to melatonin (a sleep hormone) during the luteal phase 3. 

Here are some tips I share in Healthy Gut, Healthy You for improving sleep quality:

• Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night
• Reduce blue light at night
• Keep the sleeping environment cool
• Keep the bedroom quiet
• Avoid stressful pre-bed activities (arguments, fight scenes on TV, news)
• Strive to be in bed by 10 or 11 pm
• Avoid eating large meals before bedtime

Step Four: Elemental Dieting and Herbal Preparations

If getting diet, exercise, and self-care aligned doesn’t considerably improve premenstrual symptoms, an elemental diet or herbal supplements may be the ticket. 

An elemental diet is a liquid meal replacement shake that’s hypoallergenic and pre-digested. It helps to reduce inflammation 39 and starve bacterial overgrowths 40, and it gives the digestive system a chance to rest, heal, and repair. Better gut health means better hormone health. 

Our patient Kacheena is a beautiful example of this approach. She struggled for over 20 years with both PMS and IBS symptoms. Kacheena shared that during her menstrual cycle, she had severe PMS and excruciating pain to the point of discussing a hysterectomy with her OB/GYN.

She did some research on her own and decided to try a liquid elemental diet (Elemental Heal). She replaced only her breakfast meal with the liquid formula for 14 days and started to notice a significant improvement in her symptoms during the following menstrual cycle. 

She continued this approach and noted that after a few months, the symptoms she had experienced for years were completely gone and she was no longer considering surgery. 

I suspect Kacheena had gut dysbiosis and the elemental formula improved her gut microbiome, leading to better hormone balance and fewer symptoms. Kacheena’s story is powerful because she didn’t have to make major lifestyle changes, track everything she ate, alter her exercise habits, or have expensive testing or surgery to find a solution.

I’m not suggesting the elemental diet approach is a cure-all for menstrual symptoms. It’s just one tool we use in the clinic. 

If symptoms continue after trying an elemental diet, certain herbal preparations (like black cohosh, dong quai, and chaste tree) can help balance female hormones 41 42 43. 

Here’s how we use them in the clinic:

• Cycling people take Estro-Harmony (two capsules 1–2 times per day) and Progest-Harmony (one or two capsules 1–2 times per day).
• Post-menopausal people take Estro-Harmony (two capsules 1–2 times per day)

In line with the research, I have seen these herbal formulas help many of my clients feel more balanced and have fewer PMS symptoms. 

Foundations Over Cycle Syncing for Hormone Balance

Cycle syncing is a wellness trend aimed at helping women align their diet, activities, and work duties with the phases of their menstrual cycle. It promises to help women improve their physical health and well-being, as well as enhance work productivity. 

There isn’t any research to support its use at this time, and cycle syncing may be hard to put into practice and it can hinder fitness goals. Given the variability of menstrual cycles and individual differences, it’s more important to listen to your body and adjust what you’re eating and how you’re exercising based on how you feel each day rather than trying to follow a rigid plan. 

Female hormone imbalances are often the result of poor gut health, which can improve with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and daily self-care. If you get these foundations in place but still have nagging symptoms, a trial of the elemental diet or herbal preparations may be worth trying with a healthcare provider’s supervision. 

If you need more assistance on your health journey, contact us at the Ruscio Institute for Functional Health for an appointment.

The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations to help our clients and audience. If you’re interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you. The information on DrRuscio.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.