The hormone expert for women tells us her method for eliminating menstrual cramps

According to the Office on Women’s Health, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 90% of women report having some type of premenstrual symptoms.

Symptoms can include stomach cramps, back pain, insomnia, cravings for food, acne breakouts, and other uncomfortable effects.

However, according to female hormone expert Alisa Vitti, women don’t have to put up with living with these uncomfortable symptoms.

Vitti is also a functional nutrition health coach and founder of Flo Living, a digital hormonal health platform aiming to end menstrual-related distress.

Women “are so desperate to feel better,” she said. Fox News Digital spoke to the Massachusetts-based expert about the cycle synchronization method she developed.

The method allows women to sync their diet and fitness habits with their menstrual cycles to optimize weight, energy levels, mood and productivity, the company’s website says.

The method is based on the four phases of the menstrual cycle: the menstrual phase, the follicular phase, the ovulatory phase and the luteal phase.

During the menstrual phase, women are encouraged to eat high-protein foods while also engaging in light exercise like yoga and Pilates.

After the menstrual phase comes the follicular phase, when women tend to have more energy.

During this time, Vitti recommends women eat fermented foods and engage in cardio exercise based on their hormone levels.

During the ovulatory phase, when women have the highest estrogen levels of the month, Vitti’s method suggests they should eat more raw foods and engage in HIIT (high-intensity interval training) training.

Last and longest, the luteal phase brings with it high progesterone levels, with an emphasis on root vegetable consumption and strength training, she said.

“Women of childbearing age are told, ‘Oh, intermittent fasting is the best thing right now and HIIT workouts are the gold standard,'” Vitti said.

“They’re desperate to feel better, so they try these things and their symptoms get worse,” she said. “It is not your fault.”

Vitti, the author of two books, said she suffered from problems related to her period for ten years. Ultimately, she decided to figure out how to make herself feel better.

“I initially had PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) that no one knew about and went undiagnosed for seven years,” she said.

Vitti did not have a menstrual period for ten years, from the age of 12 to 22, she said. Gynecologists advised her to start taking birth control pills to manage the problem.

When Vitti attended college at Johns Hopkins University, her symptoms worsened, she said.

“My weight was skyrocketing, I was covered in acne on my face, chest and back…” [I had] lots of anxiety, depression and insomnia,” she recalls.

Vitti spent evenings in the medical library researching what might be wrong and brought an obstetric diary to her gynecologist’s office, convinced she had PCOS, she said.

PCOS is a hormonal condition that causes women to not ovulate. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, sufferers have high androgen levels and small cysts on their ovaries.

After several tests, Vitti was indeed diagnosed with PCOS – and told there was no cure.

Doctors told her her condition would get worse over time and she was more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, infertility and other conditions, she said.

The first cure the doctors suggested was birth control, to which Vitti replied, “It’s not my future.”

She decided to find a way to restore her menstrual cycle and heal her hormonal health, which sparked the cycle sync method.

According to Vitti, cycle syncing focuses on resolving hormonal issues, eliminating symptoms, and taking care of one’s hormones on a daily basis.

The method changed her life, she said, and enabled her to become pregnant with her now eight-year-old daughter.

Thousands of women have used the procedure, Vitti said — and many have been open about the benefits they’ve experienced.

According to Flo Living, 70 percent of women have reported weight loss during cycle sync and 85 percent have noticed an improvement in mood.

Callie Jardine, 23, a holistic health coach in South Florida, decided to stop taking hormonal birth control in 2020 because she wanted more control over her body.

That decision led to acne, irregular periods and mood swings, she told Fox News Digital, prompting her to try cycle syncing.

“Before I started [it]”I felt disconnected from my body,” she said.

Now Jardine said she recommends the practice to others.

“[It] Not only can this help alleviate the painful symptoms of menstruation, but it also gives us a deeper love and understanding of our bodies during the weeks when we may be feeling tired and bloated,” she said.

Pennsylvania-based gynecologist and ob-gyn Dr. Kristin Friel told Fox News Digital that she doesn’t see any risk in timing healthy lifestyle habits with the phases of the menstrual cycle.

“I would say give it a try,” she said. “If the tips motivate and help you stay on track with healthy diet and exercise routines, then that’s a big benefit.”

The recommendations associated with the cycle synchronization method — eat less sugar, drink less alcohol and exercise more — are all positive, Friel said.

However, not every woman experiences hormone shifts in the same way, and the method only works for women who ovulate regularly during the ovulatory phase, Friel noted.

“For example, this wouldn’t work for anyone using birth control, which is the case for many women,” she said.

Flo Living also offers nutrient-enriched dietary supplements that women can order after reviewing them online. They can also use the app to track their cycles and get more tips.

“I’m proud to have done something to really help women focus on their biology and teach them how to properly take care of their cycle phases, but also that we’ve changed our narrative a bit, so we can feel more positive about our bodies,” Vitti said.

She recommends talking to a doctor before deciding to stop taking birth control pills and before starting any new supplements.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, hormonal birth control uses synthetic hormones to stop ovulation.

Because these hormones override the natural hormones, cycle sync “doesn’t really” apply to those on birth control.