Signs Your Hormones are Imbalanced
and practical steps you can take to feel more like yourself again
Women in their mid-thirties to fifties experience a wide range of hormonal changes. While the experience is different and personal for every woman, there are some common trends that we are seeing today. Since the development of birth control in various forms, studies are now showing a correlation between birth control and increased hormonal imbalances. For the last 30+ years, birth control was not only prescribed as a way to prevent pregnancy, but also to "fix” other problems such as weight gain, anxiety, acne, and mood swings. Ironically, birth control is now proven to cause many of those symptoms. (You can read more about birth control here.)
Birth control is not the only contributing factor to hormonal imbalances. Environmental toxins, PFAS (forever chemicals), and other endocrine disruptors, definitely need to be acknowledged here too. The fact of the matter is that hormones are truly fickle and an imbalance can occur for many reasons:
Not enough exercise
Not enough sunlight
High Blood Sugar and Insulin Resistance caused by the consumption of too many artificial sugars
Untreated stress
Not enough sleep or quality sleep
And what about those symptoms you can experience from the imbalance within your hormones? The following are an array of symptoms, not inclusive to, but linked with estrogen dominance, low estrogen, and imbalanced progesterone.
This article is not written with the intent to help you self-diagnose the symptoms you are experiencing. It’s crucial to check with your doctor, but might I ask you to consider opting for a Functional Medicine Practitioner instead? Most conventional gynecologists tend to subscribe to the medicate-first viewpoint. So the outcome is usually to take this pill or hormone replacement for a quick fix. When you work with a Functional Medicine Practioner, you are presented with a plethora of solutions and options before jumping to a medication to fix the symptom. And that’s the main issue here. Medication will only help treat the symptoms, but if you can address the root cause of the issue, then you can not only relieve your symptoms, but you can feel confident knowing you're making a lasting change for your health.
Definitely do a search near you to see where the nearest one is located, but if you are like me and live where very few if any practice, you might need to find someone who does telehealth. And since that is becoming so common nowadays, it does make it easier to find someone in-network too.
With that begin said, if you do choose to go to your Gynecologist, I highly recommend asking for a full blood panel test and then starting with the following advice before jumping to medication as the only solution. Sometimes you can reduce or eliminate your symptoms with lifestyle changes. Other times it’s a combo of those changes and supplements, and yes there can be a time and a place for certain medications.
Furthermore, I think it’s also important to acknowledge that the best advocate for your health is you! You know if something feels off or different. You are the one walking through these symptoms and changes. Don’t let one opinion silence you into a decision, especially if you are not certain about that decision.
Here’s my story of learning to advocate for myself. ⬇️
Hopefully, you know that the two main hormones that drive your reproductive cycle are estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is the main hormone guiding the first half, or the follicular phase, and progesterone is the dominant hormone of the second half, or the luteal phase.
There are a multitude of outcomes with imbalanced hormones, but the most predominate 3 outcomes are:
Estrogen Dominance
Low Estrogen
Low Progesterone
This post is intended to provide guidance for you in knowing what might be the underlying cause of your symptoms but is in no way intended as a treatment plan. I personally like to know the possible root cause and then address that.
Before I share the signs of each main hormone imbalance, it is important to note that just because you have one or a few of these symptoms, does not mean that you automatically have that exact diagnosis. The best way to know the root cause is to get a blood, urine, or saliva test. Adding that to a comprehensive diagnostic from ideally a functional health physician can give you a better scope of what is going on in your body and instead of treating the symptoms, you will find solutions, change, and healing. It’s truly magical.
Signs of Estrogen Dominance:
Rapid Weight Gain
Weight loss Resistance
Breast Tenderness
Fibroids
Mood Swings
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Anxiety
Depression
Migraine headaches
Insomnia
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Brain fog
For women who have estrogen dominance, it can often be an issue of the body being able to clear the excess estrogen within their system.
So what are some simple practices you can implement to not only clear excess estrogen but to find a better balance overall?
Focus on a whole foods diet. And when I say diet, I don’t mean eating 1200 calories to lose weight. Focusing on whole foods as the star of each meal will help to reduce the inflammation response in your body. Your gut and brain are connected (it’s called the gut-brain axis for a reason). So if your gut is inflamed due to excess sugars and artificial ingredients, it’s more difficult for your hormones to be produced and stored, which happens mainly in the gut. This small but POWERFUL change will create a pathway to clear excess estrogen.
Consider Intermittent Fasting. While this looks different for everyone, my go-to time frame is a 12-hour minimum, that’s just healthy digestion. However, you could work your way up to 16 hours. Start with 12 hours and see how you feel. Can you extend it another hour? Fasting is when your body does its BEST clean-up work.
Address stress. Living in a stressed state for longer periods of time will increase the cortisol response in your body. (Don’t worry, I have a whole post on this coming soon!) Basically, too much stress puts your body in a flight or fight response and when cortisol takes over, the rest of the hormones fall out of balance. Try adaptogenic herbs, like ashwagandha, to help cortisol respond to stress better which in turn will help balance hormones.
Increasing micronutrients like magnesium, selenium, & zinc through nature’s medicine cabinet. Brazil nuts, seafood like salmon, tuna, and prawns, and dark leafy greens to name a few. Sounds like a tasty salad to me!
Enjoy foods that inhibit aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that converts androgens into estrogen. So if you have too much estrogen in your body, you want to avoid excess production of estrogen. These foods will help. Mushrooms, Grapes, Celery, Cooked Spinach, and Carrots are all great sources of these micronutrients. Try making soup out of some of them. Food is medicine!
Reduce carbohydrates - specifically refined carbs lacking strong fiber ratios. In other words, whole food sources are your first choice. If you do enjoy pasta or crackers, for instance, DRESS them up! Pair them with a healthy fat and protein as this reduces the insulin spike.
Signs of Low Estrogen:
When your hormones are stuck in an elevated state due to ruminating stress, your nervous system becomes highly stressed out. When you are highly stressed out, hormone production and storage tend to take a backseat.
Vaginal dryness
Night sweats
Brain fog
Recurrent hot flashes
Fatigue or feeling lethargic
Recurrent bladder infections
What small steps and practices can you implement to begin change?
Start with nutrition - the same concept will apply to anything related to hormones. When you can lower inflammation levels it will help your body’s response to stress. This in turn will help to better balance your hormones.
Be fiber focused (see above)
Consider these supplements (again talk to a physician before adding any supplementation to your regular routine).
Maca - add it to smoothies or coffee. A 2-month study showed increased estradiol in someone transitioning into menopause. 1
VITEX
Boron
DHEA
Address your stress. Trying adding in yoga, meditation, going for a walk, and carving out time for yourself on a daily basis to reduce stress levels.
Black tea and green tea - these will increase the quality of your estrogen
Signs of imbalanced Progesterone:
I like to think of Progesterone as the best friend hormone. She is the one to comfort you and put you into more of a rest and digest state before your monthly bleed, hence why you might feel extra tired before your cycle. Common symptoms that your progesterone levels are off balance are:
PMS symptoms
Insomnia
Breakouts/poor complexion
Cyclical headaches near your menstrual cycle
Stubborn weight gain
Anxiety
Infertility
How do you begin to balance progesterone?
Decrease inflammation - are you seeing a trend here?
If changing your diet to a more whole foods approach is something that you struggle with, first of all, you are not alone. Our lives are busy and oftentimes, convenience beats out what our body needs the most! I offer a few options to help you feel supported during these changes. Don’t go this alone.
Eating for Happy Hormones Self-Guided Course (with the option to get bonus communication from me)
1:1 coaching - personalized nutrition, mindset shifts, and skill building customized just for your goals and needs.
Fiber focused
If you have low progesterone, this will lead to low estrogen, which leads to decreased serotonin. 90% of serotonin is stored in the gut. So again, focusing on a whole foods diet is the best place to begin.
Adaptogenic mushrooms (check out our favorite at Four Sigmatic)
Ginger or ginger tea
Green Tea
Wild Yam (used as a cream)
Cruciferous Vegetables
Supplementation (see above for best practices)
VITEX
Vitamin D, C, B6
Let’s be honest: hormonal imbalances can leave you feeling stressed! The symptoms alone can create a ripple effect of intensified symptoms, emotions, and even rage, leaving you feeling helpless. Addressing stress and adding intentional mindfulness practices to your daily routine.
Breathwork - try this box breathing technique
Address SHAME - if you ignore this will have a deep impact on hormone levels. Not to mention how it can affect your relationships and even make it more challenging to lose weight.
Practice self-compassion. We are judgmental of everything in our culture. It can feel like we are letting ourselves off the hook when we practice self-compassion, but in reality, all you are doing is recognizing that you are human. Humans have flaws and make mistakes. Acknowledging that you need help, support and some days need to ask for forgiveness, will help you to make progress on your journey.
With your thoughts and actions toward yourself, ask yourself if this is how you would talk to or treat someone you love dearly. If the answer is no, acknowledge it and change the way you talk to yourself.
Singing and humming all support the parasympathetic nervous system. Try it out!
So what’s the bottom line? You can't heal something you don’t like. If you need to spend time focusing on self-love first, do that! The rest of your hard work won’t be nearly as effective without it.
I would love to get the conversation started - what steps are you going to try first to find a better balance with your hormones and feel better? Remember it’s not a race! Start small and only add in practices when you feel comfortable with a new practice.
The research from this article was primarily taken from the podcast: The Art of Being Well with Dr. Will Cole. Check out this episode: Female Hormonal Imbalances + Your Mood+ Self Compassion