Growing up, I had no idea that I had hormonal imbalances. I had bad acne, my hair was thinning, excruciating periods, weight gain, moodiness, and more. As I have gotten older, I realized what was causing all of those symptoms. Many women I know have experienced many different types of hormonal imbalances, such as hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, cravings, weight gain, anxiety, depression, loss of sex drive, and more. Maybe you are one of them. What is a hormone and what can you do about these imbalances?
“Hormones are known as our body’s chemical messengers produced in the endocrine glands. These powerful chemical messengers tell tissues and organs what are their functions. They assist in controlling many of our body’s major processes including metabolism and reproduction. A hormonal imbalance denotes the condition of too much or too little of a certain hormone. As hormones are essential for our overall well being, having hormonal imbalances can affect our body system and create many health issues because hormones can affect everything from fertility to mood to metabolism.” (Dr. Naryan Roy Jan. 2020)
It’s basically a domino effect. When one hormone is out of balance, most definitely others will be as well.
These imbalances are becoming more and more common among women these days.
What causes these imbalances to occur in the first place?
The 4 most common hormone disruptions in women are:
- Estrogen dominance – when estrogen is too high relative to progesterone, i.e. the ratio of the two sex hormones is imbalanced.
- Low thyroid
- High cortisol and dysregulated adrenals – think belly fat!
- High insulin and insulin resistance
Hormonal imbalances occur any time your hormones are too high or too low, which can be one or many different hormones. There are many causes of hormonal imbalances that can occur with men and women and are due to many different types of hormones.
The main causes of hormonal imbalances in women are lifestyle choices and environment
Besides age and stage of life, things like the birth control pill, chronic stress, poor nutrition, disrupted sleep patterns, chronic inflammation such as autoimmune disease, leaky gut, blood sugar problems, and everyday toxins may also cause hormonal imbalances.
Some General Causes
Each hormone is going to create its own causes and side effects, so this is where you can look at what hormones are out of balance and what you are actually experiencing to make you think your symptoms are due to your hormones.
Some of the general causes of hormone imbalances include hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, Diabetes, PMS, vitamin deficiency, eating disorders, tumors, Cancer treatment, medications, stress, and injury. For women specifically, some of the more common causes include:
PCOS
Menopause
Menstrual cycles
Pregnancy
Birth control pills
Other hormone drugs
Breastfeeding
These are all going to be related to your reproductive system, whether or not you are pregnant, your age, and other factors.
As you can see, the causes vary widely, based on the type of hormone and how out of balance your hormones are. For example, women with disordered eating habits might notice that you have weight gain or weight loss, often linked to a vitamin deficiency as well. If you have a thyroid disease, that is naturally from your thyroid hormone being too high or too low. Due to so many factors, there is no single cause for hormones to be out of balance.
So what can you do to start balancing them out?
You can always go the medical route, but I believe that food is your medicine and by making small changes you can heal your body( without side effects). I did it naturally and I know you can too. Here are some things that you can do right now to start feeling better.
- Do regular exercise
- Follow a nutritious balanced diet
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Learn to manage stress
- Avoid foods with harmful chemicals
You have the control to start making changes. Why not start right now!
If you know someone who could benefit from this information, please pass it along.
If you need some support in getting started on your road to feeling better, I invite you to schedule a free 20 minute Feel Better NOW Discovery Call to see how I can help you on your health journey. You can schedule it HERE.
ABOUT AUDREY DWORAK
Audrey is an Integrative Nutritional Health Coach, Culinary Nutrition Expert, and Nutritional Therapist. Her area of focus is working with women 35+ who are struggling with their menopausal symptoms caused by hormonal imbalances. She helps them reduce or eliminate their symptoms through lifestyle, diet and behavior change.
You can find Audrey at www.yourwholeselfwellness.com
