My Period Protocol (Fix Yours)

Here, you will find my tips, tricks and science-backed hacks.

By: Gabriela Yareliz

So, first things first— I am not a medical doctor (though my own research and experiments have done more for me than any doctor ever has), so you should consult with your own doctor before you try anything. This post is me sharing what worked for me. It’s also important that you know my baseline: I don’t take hormonal birth control (so my bleed is real); I do not drink alcohol ever (alcohol is an endocrine disruptor); I am regularly active and work out in routine fashion; I am always praying; and I am a pescatarian.

If you missed Part I, you can read it here. When I started bleeding through my clothes, I knew my hormones were off. Given many years of my own experiments and putting my endo in remission holistically, I sat down and knew I needed to do a protocol. It was one of those “you know what you need to do” moments. Sometimes in life, we know better, and yet we don’t do what we know to be best for us. It’s absurd. This was my situation with caffeine— matcha specifically (more in that down below).

I am also going to share the timing of things because when you feel like crap, timing is important. Timing varies from person to person, but it at least gives some hope as to when things may start to look up for you.

One last note is that none of this is sponsored. I am sharing what has worked for me for free because, well, we should help each other. The integrity of this is solid. I gain nothing by promoting the products here. Also, a lot of this is free. Let’s begin!

I Cut Caffeine

I did this one immediately when I first bled out in February. I know for a fact that I do not process caffeine well. I had been dragging myself for a long time due to work exhaustion and stress, and my way of survival was matcha. I agree with Alisa Vitti that women of childbearing years should stay away from caffeine. I have found this to be one of the biggest hormone disrupters for me. It wrecks me. After cutting caffeine, I peed a lot less and my gut felt less inflamed. My bleeding lessened with every passing cycle, so that first out-of-control bleed out was the worst one. Without caffeine as a crutch, I would need to find other energy sources. Cutting caffeine resulted in a huge shift in how I was bleeding.

I Continued Taking Elix Seven Days Before My Period

Elix uses Chinese Medicine and herbs to make a Cycle Balance tincture. Elix is the thing that has removed the pain element from my periods (which is a big deal!!). I recommend it to women everywhere I go. You take a picture of your tongue, and they make you a personalized formula that you take throughout the seven days before your cycle. I swear by it.

You can explore and try Elix here.

I Stopped Workouts That Exhausted Me

I started doing less. As I mentioned before, the commute and work already had me burnt out. Something we often don’t talk about as women is how much stress we get from wellness practices that don’t serve us. And sometimes, some of these practices serve us for a season, and we may find our way back to some when we are ready again. I stopped long workouts that I was splitting into chunks (because they were so long). I stopped the all-or-nothing mentality. I started doing less, which sort of equaled more. When I was exhausting myself or being bored by something, I often ended up sitting out most of my period week except for a day or two. I would work out like once, and then, be unable to move until I entered the follicular phase. Now that I am doing less, I am working out with more consistency. During my last cycle, I did four workouts that week.

The two workouts that have become my mainstay defaults are: Pvolve and Ladder (Team Define, with Maia Henry). I feel less inflamed, and while I still break a serious sweat, I don’t feel like I am dragging myself. Maybe, I will be able to go back to some other routines once I feel more balanced, but for now, I am feeling good with the current routine that doesn’t leave me decimated.

I Cared More About Sleep

There were nights where I wanted to see the end of the hockey game. I stopped doing that more and more. Of course, it helped that our team sucked, and there was nothing to stay up watching, but I started caring more about the sleep I was getting. Even if it meant not knowing the final score or not seeing the only (last-minute) goal of the game.

I Tried to be More Mindful of Stress

This one is tough. There are pressures in life we can’t remove, but we can slowly start reframing or adjusting our responses.

When I would feel myself getting hyped on the stress of the moment, I started pausing (we will always have the power of the pause) and asking myself— Is this so important that it’s worth hurting yourself, your nervous system, your internal systems? And every time, the answer was “no.” I am still working on this and asking myself this.

I also started taking more midday walks away from my desk. Movement really shifts our mind. One time, I was so tense I almost didn’t come back (kidding, I came back). But walking in the sunshine helped me exhale.

I Started Taking Flo Living Heavy Flo, Religiously

I love the MyFlo app (it’s free). I have used it for more than a decade. I have read all of Alisa Vitti’s books. I trust that woman with my life. Following my two very heavy cycles, after realizing it was not a one-time fluke, I ordered these Heavy Flo capsules immediately. I just finished my first bottle of these as I write this. To be transparent, I released a lot of spotting and mid-cycle micro bleeds throughout the month at different intervals. I felt the drain a lot more after workouts and walks. But was it worth it? 100000000% yes. My first normal-not-bleeding-out cycle after the February-April nightmare cycles came after taking these for the month of April.

This supplement restored my humanity and peace of mind. I am no longer walking around wondering when I am going to bleed through my clothes.

Try FloLiving here. My goal is to give my body a short supplement break this week, and then, switch over to their Hormone Balance supplement pack.

I Added Fiber and Protein

I read a study that stated that fiber intake helps women with endometriosis get rid of excess estrogen and inflammation. I was sold. I found a flavorless prebiotic fiber powder that doesn’t clump that I can add to my morning herbal caffeine-free tea or oatmeal. It’s called Loam. Try it here.

The other thing I added was I started snacking on Prima Ancestral Protein Bars. These will have you feeling full for hours. The ingredients are so clean. Try them here. (I like the salted caramel and the variety pack).

I Added Nutritious Warmth

What replaced my matcha habit, you may ask? Bone broth. But not just any bone broth— hot chocolate bone broth. The Ballerina Farm Bone Broth Hot Cocoa is my newest obsession. I replaced ice cold caffeine for warmth (complying with Chinese medicine) and nutrients.

It’s a creamy delicious addition to the morning routine.

Try it here.

Something I added to my evenings was the occasional Doctor Stolberg Rest + Digest Tea. Try that here. It’s like a hug for your insides.

I Took the EyeAm Hormone Check Drops and Did Healing Affirmations

I have been taking these every morning before breakfast for a month +, where I paired them with the Heavy Flo capsules. (No more intermittent fasting). I love their affirmation cards. I know I mentioned them in previous posts. This routine has been a reminder that I am healed and going in the direction I need to go in.

Try them here.

Make the Protocol Yours

This routine worked. I started second week of February and by May 1, I felt like a different person. With my May cycle, I confirmed that I biohacked my cycle back to balance. Little by little things started to improve and evolve, but it took a while to feel completely renewed. Interestingly, I feel like the last month of the three month protocol was the hardest and most draining, but when I turned the corner— I turned the corner.

You may think some of these things are expensive. A lot of these aspects of the protocol are free: cutting caffeine, no alcohol, tracking your cycle on MyFlo, stopping exhausting workouts and finding something less strenuous, a midday walk, prayer, simple affirmations, and managing stress— free but not easy. But definitely worth it.

There are low-cost options to add more fiber and protein to your diet and starting your morning with something warm, caffeine-free and nutritious. A box of Turmeric Ginger tea from Trader Joe’s is a daily staple during winter months for me, and it doesn’t break the bank.

And let’s say you want to try a supplement but don’t know where to start— if I had to pick one, I would pick the Flo Living Heavy Flo or their Hormone Balance. If that is too expensive, you can buy the supplements that make up these combinations separately on your own— NAC and DIM being the main elements in that one. You can buy those at a pharmacy or on Amazon.

The point of the protocol is not to overwhelm you or make anyone feel without. But the opposite. I want to empower you to take back your health. Our hormone health affects our lives every day of our 28-30 day cycle. It just does. It affects how we show up at work, in our relationships and for ourselves.

It’s not easy, but I have found through my own years-long journey that suffering is optional. Sometimes, life is life and we are derailed by changing factors (we find the need to troubleshoot)— but there are solutions and lifestyle choices that will make life feel sunnier and not leave you curled in fetal position or drenched in your own blood like I was.

I hope you bookmark this, and I hope you share this. We all know at least one person who is struggling or has terrible cycles. Share this. Share it around the world.

Know that you are not alone in your pain. People care about you. I care about you. This isn’t the end of your story. Healing is a tunnel.

Wishing you healing, joy and peace. Take care of yourself. You are worthy of love, care and all good things.