I think this feeling of being overly tired around the menstrual cycle is very common.
The fatigue is related to hormonal changes.
If you do have adrenal fatigue, often caused by excess stress over a long period of time, you'll probably have problems with other hormonal release because the thyroid gland takes over when your adrenal glands are exhausted.
This is known as hypothyroidism.
There is plenty you can do.

Here are my notes on hypothyroidism to help you determine if a mild form of this condition might be your problem. Doctors can be quite good at diagnosing these diseases so it may be worth a trip to your local M.D.
The suggestions below would help for adrenal burnout and being simple diet and lifestyle changes they are safe.

I truly hope you find something here helpful.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh


Hypothyroidism and adrenal exhaustion.

Symptoms:
cold intolerance
depression
fatigue
sleepiness
muscle weakness
brittle fingernails and hair
elevated cholesterol
dry skin
weight gain
+ possible symptoms:
joint pains
autoimmune disorders
immune system Depression (resulting in more flus, viruses, infections)
slow and clumsy speech
depression
decreased sexual function

These symptoms are the same as a person would experience with a poor
eicosanoid balance suggesting a direct link. Remember that eicosanoids
control nearly every function in your body (including stimulating the
message system that releases hormones from the thyroid) and you can control the production and the balance of eicosanoids with
your diet.


Hormones released by the thyroid perform many functions including
controlling your body's heat production, affecting your metabolism,
affecting behaviour and controlling growth and development.

Having enough good eicosanoids (the hormones controlled by diet) in your
body helps the message system inside your cells (cyclic AMP) that results in the release of hormones from
your thyroid gland and the efficient functioning of those hormones.

Thyroid hormones help to burn stored fat to create body heat. If your
thyroid is not releasing enough hormones it will be difficult for you to
lose excess body fat because simply creating enough body heat is the main
fat burning function for humans. (We use a tremendous amount of energy just
keeping our bodies warm).

Thyroid hormones help metabolise cholesterol ensuring a healthier balance of
HDL and LDL cholesterol. You want more HDL cholesterol and less LDL
cholesterol (put in simplistic terms). A poor balance leads to heart
disease.

Thyroid hormones indirectly help reduce the production of "bad" eicosanoids
allowing a better balance of good and bad eicosanoids leading to better
overall health.


SO HOW CAN YOU INCREASE YOUR THYROID HORMONE PRODUCTION?

Excess levels of the stress hormone cortisol can reduce your production of
thyroid hormones. So you need to reduce excess production of the stress
hormone cortisol. What produces excess cortisol?

1.A diet high in carbohydrates and especially carbohydrates HIGH on the
glycemic index.
Excess insulin causes thyroid hormones to degrade after they're released so
they can't function as efficiently.
You need to control your insulin production by eating fruit and vegetables
low on the glycemic index and by eating enough protein to release insulin's
opposing hormone glucagon.

2.A diet without a good carbohydrate/protein ratio.

3.Excess stress. You need to learn relaxation exercises and how to exercise
within certain time limits and with the minimum possible stress (build up
gradually).
Listen to what your body is telling you. Sometimes your body can take more,
sometimes it's telling you it's had enough. Fitness is built over time.
Your body will adapt. Give it time and be gentle.

EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Developing good emotional health is also crucial to reducing stress. In the case of hypothyroidism it is probably the most important first step to recovery. When you are constantly under stress your adrenal glands can be overworked and eventually become exhausted. The thyroid gland acts as a back up system in these circumstances. This can also result in your thyroid gland becoming exhausted which can lead to hypothyroidsim.
Since the major cause of stress is usually emotional distress or negative emotions developing techniques to rid yourself of negative emotions is really essential.
My strongest recommendation is to learn EFT (emotional freedom technique), a method of tapping on various accupressure points which can be very fast and very effective at removing negative emotions.
Long term deepseated emotional distress can be removed in minutes. Recent research has shown that EFT is effective, particularly at removing phobias.
Clinical experience with EFT is overwhelmingly positive, with seemingly miraculous results with severe long term emotional trauma (go to www.emofree.com and order the free introductory pack of CDs which includes EFT instruction and 6 days at the VA - treating post traumatic stress disorder with EFT. A free EFT manual is also posted on the site www.geocities.com/glorioushealth ).

DIET
Eat low fat protein with every meal, fruit and vegetables for carbohydrate and good fats from almonds, macadamia nuts and/or cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Since hypothyroidism and Depression usually present together I suggest you follow the basic diet and lifestyle suggestions in From Depression to glorious health (free download www.geocities.com/glorioushealth )
Diet is crucial to returning normal healthy eicosanoid balance.

Pharmaceutical grade fish oil should be considered as a primary supplement due to its positive effect on the production of good eicosanoids.

HORMONES T4 AND T3
The artificial hormone T4 is commonly prescribed for hypothryoidism. But your body can have trouble converting the T4 thyroid hormone into its natural form (T3) which is the active form of the hormone. Selenium is required for the conversion process so an intake of 3-5 brazil nuts a day (240mcg to 400mcg selenium) to ensure adequate selenium intake is recommended. Many patients report success with a regime of the T3 hormone combined with T4. This method of homonal prescription requires some skill so you will need to seek out an experienced practitioner.

SLEEP
Sleep is also critical to reduce your body's level of the stress hormone cortisol. Aim to get 9 hours of sleep every night and go to bed and wake up at the same times to produce a healthy sleep pattern. Avoid bright lights in the evening. Red light is alright (get red light bulbs for your lamps.) Get 15 -30 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning (indirect light is alright. Your eyes need to detect the light to reset your circadian clock and to stimulate the production of serotonin the feel good hormone.)

HYGIENE
Hygeine. A little known fact is the connection between your immune system and hypothyroidism (especially Grave's disease and Hashimoto's disease). Certain autoanitbodies can can interfere with the production or use of thryroid hormones like T3 and T4. This malfunction in the immune system can occur after a bout of influenza, a cold or similar diseases. Advanced hygeine with facial dips and a specially designed soap can reduced the recurrance of respiratory tract infections (and many other infections) which can increase the levels of these counterproductive anitbodies.
Advanced hygiene can also increase levels of albumin. 25% of thyroid hormones are bound to albumin and prealbumin (a carrier protein) so increasing albumin levels can increase the efficiency of thyroid hormone delivery.
For more information on advanced hygiene see www.advancedhygieneproducts.com

EXERCISE
Moderate exercise helps reduce levels of cortisol the stress hormone and levels of insulin. Too much exercise can actually lead to the excess production of cortisol so finding a healthy balance is essential. Around 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day including 5-10 minutes of strength building exercise is probably about right. More than 50 minutes of exercise can put you into the danger area for releasing excess cortisol.

From depression to glorious health. Free groundbreaking ebook describing natural therapies to reverse depression.

http://www.geocities.com/glorioushealth

Do you have any other problems with menstruation...lengthy periods?...excessive bleeding?...passing clots?...pain?

I previously experienced terrific fatigue with my period that got progressively worse over the years...it was due to endometriosis. Endo is very common and often goes undiagnosed...partly because a definitive diagnosis requires a surgical procedure called a laporascopy so they can look inside your pelvic cavity.

Both fatigue with periods and endo can both be a result of hormonal imbalances...you may be estrogen dominant. BTW...this can also occur with adrenal fatigue.

Be careful with DHEA...especially if you show other signs of estrogen dominance/ low progesterone. DHEA is a precursor for testosterone and estrogen and can make the problem worse!

You might want to order diagnostic tests for hormone levels including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, am and pm cortisol, and dhea levels...thyroid, too, it you suspect this could be a problem. There are many sites that offer these tests (saliva and urine) that do not require a doctors script. It is best to know what your levels are before beginning any kind of hormone replacement...including DHEA. All of these hormones are interconnected and require a delicate balance for optimal health.

Also make sure that you are getting sufficient B vitamins...often low in vegetarians. And you can try using some adaptogenic herbs...cordyceps, rhodiola, ginseng, etc....which will assist with adrenal function and improve your energy levels without the possible problems associated with hormonal treatments.

There's at least one case where you would not want to be taking DHEA. It's a condition called late onset congenital andrenal hyperplasia (LOCAH). You'll have the symptoms of low cortisol, but you will also be making excess amounts of DHEA. In this condition you have a genetic defect where you do not produce adequate amounts of an enzyme that's used to produce cortisol from its precursors. With this condition you may also have signs of excess androgens (hair in the wrong places, infertility) and high cholesterol levels. Needless to say, DHEA would not help in this case.

All my hormones are low so my holistic doctor put me on all of them because I was so deficient. I also have extreme anxiety before my period. I feel much better when my period stops. I think it is because the estroge and progesterone levels go back up.

Lori

I'm very new to the AF understanding, but feel that I've probably had symptoms of it for many years....like 20 years! One of my biggest complaints has been my symptoms during hormonal shifts, and now that I'm peri-menopausal, the biggest time for symptoms is post-menstrual, for about 10 days. I get stronger food sensitivities at that time, cramps, urinary problems, more dehydrated, and have difficulty sleeping.

I've had PTSD for many years, so it is no wonder that my adrenals are as good as they are! I think I have flare ups, and sometimes, I can go for months feeling ok. I don't know why some months, my system gets overly excitable from my female hormone changes, and the symptoms are horrible. That is why I got on doing more research, and am now learning that I have something going on with my endocrine system.

It seems complicated, and I'm not sure that taking DHEA would be the right first step. Be careful. It seems that if you use one supplement or another, it can do more harm than good if it is the wrong end of the stick. Get bloodwork, or saliva tests and know which kind of adrenal issue you are having, first.