Are my hormones imbalanced? (Video)

How do we know if our hormones are in balance? Are pre-menstrual symptoms part of being a menstruating woman? What should a normal menstrual cycle be like? Hi, I’m Linda Vezzoli, a NT and Health coach specialising in women’s health and today we’re going to be talking about all things hormones! Stay tuned!

What are hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers which regulate different bodily functions such as metabolism, hunger, blood sugar, moods, sleep, growth and development and reproductive health. Hormones are made and released by different glands, tissues and tissues in the body – these make up what is called the Endocrine System. There are around 50 identified hormones in the body. The hormones involved in the menstrual cycle are referred to as steroid hormones, or sex hormones and are: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, LH, FSH. Cortisol – our stress hormone – is also involved as it can impact the production of our sex hormones.

A woman’s menstrual cycle is a barometer of overall health. Most of us think of menstruation in terms of fertility and pregnancy, but being fertile is not just about making babies – when our menstrual cycle is out of whack, it’s a sign that our body does not feel safe enough to reproduce, and it’s a message we want to take note of! Our menstrual cycle has been referred to as the 5th vital sign and it is a great indicator of overall health.

So what happens during the menstrual cycle? In very broad terms, a woman’s menstrual cycle is divided into two phases: the follicular phase, from the first day of bleeding until ovulation and the luteal phase: after we ovulate up until we start bleeding again. Different hormones are involved in different phases of this cycle, and if there is a disruption during this delicate dance, we will most likely start to see some symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

Let’s take a look at 5 common signs of hormonal imbalance:

1. Changes in the menstrual cycle
   One of the most obvious things you may experience if your hormones are out of balance is a change in your menstrual cycle. A healthy period should be pain-free, and just show up on the day it’s due with no forewarning (i.e. PMS symptoms). It should have a good flow with no clotting. If things are out of balance you may notice your periods becoming more irregular, shorter or longer, you may skip or stop getting your period altogether in extreme cases. Your periods may be painful, with cramping and pain, clotting and heavy bleeding. Or you may notice your flow becoming much lighter and scanty.
   
2. PMS
   PMS – i.e. pre-menstrual symptoms – are symptoms that you experience a week or two before your period. Many women suffer from symptoms such as tender breasts, mood swings, irritability, low mood, cravings, hot flashes or night sweats, headaches and migraines experienced at the same time every month, changes in bowel movements before our periods. If you are experiencing these symptoms at certain times in your cycle, it is most likely caused by a hormonal imbalance.

3. Fertility issues
   If you are struggling to get pregnant or stay pregnant, chances are that hormones are at play here. We need the right quantity of estrogen to produce a healthy egg and to ovulate, and we need enough progesterone – our pro-gestation hormone – to maintain a pregnancy. If you have been on a fertility journey for a while with no success, or have suffered with chemical pregnancies or miscarriages, it is vital to work with an experienced practitioner to address any potential hormonal imbalances and optimise your fertility and chances of getting pregnant.
   
4. Low libido
   Whilst it’s normal for libido to be slightly higher before ovulation and wane a little in the second half of your cycle, if your libido is consistently low then it’s a tell-tale sign that your hormones need some love. Think about it, if your body does not feel safe enough to reproduce, it will downregulate your reproductive health, and libido is one of the functions which will be affected, as there is no point feeling frisky if your body feels that it is a dangerous time to have a baby. Just as an aside, having an insatiable libido could also be a sign of hormonal imbalance.
   
5. Hormonally related health conditions
   Certain conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and even uterine polyps, fibroids or cysts are associated with an imbalance in our sex hormones. Addressing the root cause of these imbalances is key in ensuring we can bring the body back to health.

Whilst many of these symptoms are common they should by no means be considered normal. They are usually our body sending us a message that something is out of balance and needs addressing. The problem is that we just accept them as part of being a woman. Well I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to put up with these issues.

So, what can we do if we are experiencing some of these symptoms of hormonal imbalance? Here are my top 5 tips!

1. Nourish yourself – we need plenty of nutrients for our body to function optimally, and if we are undernourished our body will prioritize our systems of survival before reproduction (which is not essential for survival). Stop dieting! Ensure you are eating enough daily, especially if you are very active, and that you are including antioxidant and mineral rich fruits and vegetables as well as including healthy fats. We need fats to make our sex hormones, so if you are on low fat diet you may be lacking a key macronutrient for hormone production. When thinking about nutrition, it is essential to balance blood sugar – blood sugar balance and hormonal balance go hand in hand. If we are on a blood sugar rollercoaster every day, we will be constantly activating our stress mechanisms, which will have a negative impact on our progesterone and estrogen balance. We can balance blood sugar by ensuring we are not skipping meals, cabs and protein and fat at every meal.
   
2. Reduce stress. The stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline have an impact on the production of our sex hormones so if you have been experiencing hormonal symptoms you should address your sorce of stress. This can be anything from personal stress, work stress, overexercising, undereating, disrupted sleep, exposure to toxins in our food and environment and even lots of blue light exposure.
   Love your liver – our liver is one of the most hardworking organs in our body – When it comes to hormonal function, optimising liver function is key. It is where our excess estrogen gets detoxified before being excreted through the bowels, and it is also where our inactive thyroid hormone gets converted to the active form. Love your liver by ensuring you are eating enough protein and carbohydrates, good quality fats and magnesium rich foods. But don’t forget to also avoid taxing the liver with regular alcohol consumption or chemicals in household and personal products.If the liver is busy detoxifying alcohol or chemicals, it won’t have time to do many of its other functions, including hormone detoxification.
   
3. Aim for Daily bowel movements. As we have just seen, our liver is responsible for detoxifying and inactivating any excess hormones (especially estrogen) in our bodies, but once it has inactivated them, it puts them in a nice package with a bow on it and sends them over to the colon to be excreted forever. If, however, we are not having a daily bowel movement, the package sits in our colon, where an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, essentially takes the bow off the package and sends that estrogen back into circulation. This can lead to higher levels of estrogen in the system. Constipation not only makes us feel sluggish and congested, but can also impact our skin health (hello acne!) but also manifest in hormonal issues such as headaches, PMS, irregular periods and even hot flashes. So if we want to get that estrogen out, we need to poop every day.
   
4. Reduce endocrine disruptor exposure. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with our hormonal production. Some of them can even act as hormones in the body, creating an endocrine imbalance. Where can we find endocrine disruptors? These are plastics such as BPA, cling film, plastic food wrapping and tupperware containers, chemicals in conventional personal products in home cleaning products and factory farmed animals or pesticide laden produce. . Evaluate the chemicals in your environment and consider switching to more natural and organic products.

You may want to get tested to find out exactly what is the cause of your symptoms. Functional tests such as the DUTCH test (which stands for the dried urine test , salivary hormonal panels and cycle mapping etc. can assess exactly what is going on with your sex hormones. You can work with a naturopathic practitioner to explore these options further.

Let us know if you have any questions or feedback in the comments below. We will be delving into the subject of hormones in more detail in future episodes, so don’t forget to subscribe to our channel to stay up to date with our future episodes. Until the next episode!

If you are struggling with fertility or hormonal issues and would like some extra support, I’d love to chat with you!  Why not click here to book a free discovery call and see how some bespoke diet and lifestyle changes can help your hormones flourish!