Are my hormones out of balance?

 

Up to 80% of women have a hormone imbalance… Many women live with a hormone imbalance and do not realise! This list of symptoms may explain why… these are little signs from our body to signal that something isn’t quite right, and yet we are conditioned to think that these are ‘normal’. They may be common, but they are certainly not normal.

 

Signs and symptoms of hormone imbalances include:

 

• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• IBS symptoms
• Low mood, anxiety and depression
• Irregular or missed periods
• Heavy, painful periods
• Acne and frequent breakouts
• Hair loss or thinning hair
• Unwanted hair growth
• Reduced sex drive
• Headaches and migraines
• Night sweats
• Fertility problems

 

 

Hormonal issues occur when the ratio of hormones becomes unbalanced, even small changes in hormone levels can have a major effect on the body. I like to think of hormones as conducting an intricate dance at all times – if one dancer speeds up or slows down, the rest of the troop will also be impacted!

 

The most common hormonal imbalances I work with in clinic are oestrogen dominance, thyroid imbalance, testosterone dominance, cortisol imbalance and insulin imbalance. The good news is, you can go a long way to address these subtle imbalances if you can uncover the root causes (it is never just the one reason!).

 

 

Dietary and lifestyle causes of hormone imbalance include:

 

 

Poor diet. Food affects the production and secretion of hormones and how hormones circulate in the body. Insufficient nutrient intake and eating too many inflammatory foods (sugar, refined grains, white flour products, processed and packaged foods, junk food, damaged oils (margarine, vegetable/rapeseed oil) and fried foods can increase inflammation and trigger hormone imbalance. Equally good quality fats and proteins are required for hormone production, and I find women often don’t eat enough of these!

 

An imbalance of gut bacteria and poor gut function. There is a link between the gut microbiome (the microorganisms that live in the gut) and hormones so when your gut bacteria are out of balance, it can affect hormone regulation, especially oestrogen, progesterone and your thyroid hormones.

 

Poor liver function and detoxification capability. One of the liver’s jobs is to excrete toxins and hormones out of the body to prevent them from building up and recirculating the body. If the liver is compromised in any way, this process is not happening efficiently and the body cannot metabolise oestrogen properly. This results in oestrogen being reabsorbed in the body which can lead to hormone imbalance.

 

Stress plays havoc with your hormones and needs to addressed if you suffer with any hormonal issues such as PMS, irregular menstrual cycles or infertility. When you become stressed, your body’s priority is to make the stress hormone cortisol to help you deal with the stressor. In doing so, it can reduce production of other hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone. Prolonged stress (and cortisol production) results in hormone dysregulation.

 

Lack of exercise or over exercising can also impact hormones. Exercise is crucial for health and vitality as it helps reduce stress, improves metabolic and cardiovascular function, boost mood and regulate hormones including insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormones and the sex hormones. Light to moderate exercise helps keep hormones in check, but high-intensity workouts and excessive exercising can have the opposite effect and negatively affect your hormones. Exercise naturally increases cortisol production so, when you exercise, the body prioritises cortisol the same way it does when you are stressed. This slows down reproductive hormone production (especially progesterone) which is why some women find they have PMS, their periods may cease or become irregular when they exercise too much.

 

Hormone disruptors (known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals – EDCs) and xenoestrogens (chemicals that mimic oestrogen) can affect your hormone levels by changing how they are produced, metabolised and stored in the body. Examples of household and personal care products that contain EDCs and xenoestrogens include air fresheners, sunscreen, cleaning products, laundry detergent, shampoo, moisturiser, perfume and nail polish.

 

Caffeine (coffee, black tea, energy drinks) surges adrenaline and cortisol levels in the body – these are the same hormones responsible for the stress response. As already mentioned, increased cortisol negatively affects other hormones in the body. Caffeine also impacts sleep, energy levels, blood sugar balance and digestion.

 

Lack of sleep affects the body in the same way that stress does. It dysregulates your circadian rhythm (your sleep/wake cycle) causing reduced production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) and increased exposure to cortisol.

 

There are normally multiple factors responsible for imbalances hormones. Our lives, diets and lifestyles create the environment for our health and hormones to either thrive, or go haywire. Are you experiencing any of these symptoms? Feel free to drop me an email georgina@sorrelhealth.com and we can arrange a time to chat about making a plan to help you.