When you hear the word female what do you think of? I don’t know about you but I think of hormones.

We as females often forget how much hormones affect our lives. From our mood, how we handle stress, how we sleep, how we break down our food, our monthly cycle, the list goes on. When our hormones are in balance, our body thrives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Imbalances can occur anytime regardless of our age or health. So we speak of hormones but what makes hormones so powerful in the delicate female body?

The human body secretes and circulates over 50 different hormones, and the two female sex hormones related to a women’s wellbeing is estrogen and progesterone. The production of estrogen begins at puberty in coordination with each monthly cycle. At mid-cycle it spikes, ovulation occurs, and the levels immediately fall. As the level of estrogen falls the level of progesterone rises. The rise in progesterone is actually our bodies preparation of the uterus for pregnancy. When our body realizes we are not pregnant, our progesterone levels drop causing our period along with PMS. During the rest of the month, the levels climb and fall gradually as it pleases. There is no such thing as a normal estrogen level, every woman is different and varies on their personal body. Therefore, an actual measured level can not predict emotional disturbances. So how much is too much and how much is not enough? Turns out this answer is just as ambiguous as our moods are.

Not only can we see hormone imbalances through our mood, there are endless amounts of other symptoms as well. The same topics mentioned above in terms of how they affect our lives… well those same things are affected with hormonal imbalances causing symptoms.

Symptoms:

• Irregular periods
  • If your period doesn’t arrive around the same time every month there usually is an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone.

• Sleep Problems
  • Progesterone plays a role in getting our zzzz’s. When levels are lower than usual it can be hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.
  • Low estrogen levels can trigger hot flashes and night sweats which can make it tough to get our rest.

• Cystic Acne
  • A few breakouts before and during our period are normal but when this acne becomes chronic and deep cystic it may be a sign of hormonal imbalance. Hormones play a role in the oil production of our skin. There are two major hormones that cause cystic acne: testosterone and DHEA-S. Levels of these hormones are usually fairly low but when they are elevated they increase oil production in our skin. Reasons for elevated levels can be pinpointed from stress and low estrogen levels (because estrogen and progesterone balance eachother out in ratios).

• Foggy Brain
  • Researchers don’t know exactly how hormones impact our brain but they do know changes in estrogen and progesterone levels can make your head feel “foggy” and make it harder to remember things.

• Stomach Problems
  • Your gut is lined with receptors that respond to estrogen and progesterone. When the levels of these hormones are higher or lower than usual you may notice changes in your digestion. This explains why before and during your period you experience stomach pain, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea.

• Continuous Fatigue
  • Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalance. Excess progesterone can make us sleepy.

• Mood Swings and Depression
  • Big drops and fast changes in our hormones can cause moodiness and those Monday blues. Estrogen affects the key chemicals in our brain involved in emotions and how we feel.

• Hair Thinning or Hair Loss
  • Excess estrogen may trigger hair loss, if you are experiencing estrogen dominance your progesterone levels are low and progesterone helps protect hair follicles from the hair-thinning effects of testosterone, DHT, and estrogen.

So I am experiencing symptoms, what can I do? Luckily, a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle behaviors can often help improve our hormonal health. Here are a few natural tips that can help you feel your best.

1. Eat adequate protein along with healthy fats and fiber.
2. Exercise regularly
3. Avoid sugar and refined carbs
4. Learn to manage stress
5. Avoid overeating and undereating
6. Try your best to get consistent high quality sleep
7. There are also multiple herbs that have been shown to benefit hormone balance as well:
   1. Chaste Tree
   2. Maca Root
   3. Ashwagandha

The bottom line is that hormones play a role in almost every aspect of our health. To function optimally they need to be in amounts specific to your body. If not, that’s when we experience symptoms that do not allow us to be our healthiest version of us.

References:

1. https://www.hormone.org/hormones-and-health/hormones
2. http://www.ikonet.com/en/visualdictionary/static/us/hormones
3. https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/estrogen-and-womens-emotions#1
4. https://www.self.com/story/hormonal-acne
5. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/balance-hormones
6. https://raydianherbs.com/10-best-herbs-balancing-hormones-women/