It has been a very long time since I had any PMS issues. A friend was complaining recently about her sore boobs and cramps. I harkened back to High School which was when I would have similar issues. (I was on a long distance running lots of bread kind of regimen).

Anyhoo, I was trying to find the link between the changes I've made and I think perhaps gluten may be one of the issues. Here's something I read recently:

PMS and menopausal symptoms are associated with gluten sensitivity and adrenal exhaustion in this manner. Recall that the adrenal gland produces reproductive hormones, and that pregnenolone serves as the building block for other hormones. Under normal conditions, ample pregnenolone exists for conversion to those hormones, but when stressed, pregnenolone is diverted instead.

I actually had a breast cyst for over a year in my left breast. Since eliminating grain and sugar it has gone away.

From TTC (trying to conceive) forums, it seems that a lot of women suffer breast tenderness around ovulation & on the run up to their period. I've only ever suffered mood swings before menstruating, but my PMS/PMT seems to have disappeared too. Definitely think it's due to hormones calming down/nutrient deficiencies resolving.

Surely, we're not meant to have these symptoms each month are we?

And, fwiw, breast tenderness is common in early pregnancy when hormone levels rise :-)

Actually, something similar did happen to me. When I started getting real periods, they would get sore, but after a few months, they stopped getting sore all together.

Since i quit gluten last year, even before quitting all grains and legumes, even before eating meat again, my boobs stopped hurting. Furthermore, NEARLY ALL PMS SYMPTOMS ARE HISTORY.....And I used to be one of the real crazies. (PMDD style) I seriously used to think someday pms would literally kill me. I would get irritable, irrational, argumentative, inconsolable--often suicidally depressed. Also brain-fogged, forgetful, clumsy/dropping everything, fatigued, with uncontrollable carb cravings, some acne, a day-before migraine and first-day terrible cramps, along with the sore boobs.

Now: ZERO boob-soreness, and none of that other horrible stuff - maybe a little water retention, maybe slight crankiness, sometimes a wee headache the day before, light cramps. Amazing. Pretty life changing, honestly.

p.s. as far as i know i'm not celiac or anything - i just stopped eating gluten b/c i though it would help my joints (it did) - i had no idea how it would change my brain/body.

Same for me absolutely - and some of my clients too - I wrote a post about my whole journey and what worked for me with menstrual issues.