Hormones: Where To Start
What causes hormone imbalance?
There are three main possible causes for hormone imbalance and these imbalances can improve!
Root causes of hormone imbalance:
Stress
Poor blood sugar regulation (dysglycemia)
Inflammation (throughout the body)
If our body needs to work harder (due to stress, up and down blood sugar and inflammation in the body), then it cannot concentrate on the regular (normal) processes that should be happening.
When we are stressed out for example, our body takes the cholesterol needed to make our sex hormones and uses to make cortisol, our stress hormone. This is actually something that happens. Physiologically, it may not be as simple as explained but did you ever wonder why when people are stressed out they have a harder time getting pregnant? It is because our body recognizes stress as a problem and that we are not safe and don’t have enough resources to make the hormones to develop a baby.
What are symptoms of hormone imbalances?
Here are some examples of symptoms when estrogen and progesterone are out of balance:
Estrogen dominance in females/AFAB:
Heavy periods
Fibroid growth
Breast tenderness (throughout cycle)
Fibrocystic changes
Anxiety/depression
Endometriosis
Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)
Cervical dysplasia (abnormal Pap smear)
Fat distribution around hips/thighs
Lack of Progesterone in females/AFAB:
Spotting between periods
Anxiety
Infrequent ovulation
Peri-menopause symptoms
Estrogen dominance in males/AMAB: Yes men also have estrogen and can have too much sometimes!
Breast enlargement
Low libido
Fatigue
Erectile dysfunction (ED)
Hair loss (male pattern baldness)
Loss of muscle
Prostate enlargement
Increased risk of prostate cancer
These symptoms can of course vary person to person and if you exhibit one - it does not necessarily mean you have a problem. However, if you notice that some of these describe how you feel regularly, then it may be time to check in with your doctor.
What about Birth Control?
I was on birth control for just under 10 years. Almost 2 years ago I took myself off of it.
Let me start by explaining why I went on it in the first place: Yes the main reason was to not get pregnant but the other reason was to improve my acne that I was experiencing as a stressed out freshman in college.
I would get significant outbreaks in my skin the week before my period like clockwork. Did hormonal birth control improve that? Yes, but it certainly did not answer the question: why was I getting acne in the first place?
Fast forward to my late 20s I couldn’t help but notice that I had mild anxiety (at certain parts of my month), a low libido and mood swings. I felt less and less like myself.
It started to feel like it was controlling me and how I felt. I knew I needed to get off hormonal birth control.
Let me tell you- I never felt more like a woman when my first real, natural period came. It was so empowering to know that my hormones were doing their job after years of hormonal suppression from the pill. My anxiety and mood swings decreased and libido improved. I felt like myself again.
Keep in mind that this is MY story and MY experience. Everyone will have their own.
It is important to know that there are many unfortunate side effects of hormonal birth control that your doctor does not tell you about. Choosing to be on it is completely your choice. There are many ways to nutritionally support yourself on and off birth control to improve symptoms that you may be experiencing.
However, bottom line, birth control only suppresses the symptoms you may be feeling. For me my cyclical acne went away but why was it there in the first place? It did not solve my problem, it only temporarily took it away using synthetic hormones and tricking my body.
What else can hormonal birth control do?
There are a few things that your doctor doesn’t/didn’t tell you about the birth control pill:
Since it is something that you are putting into your body on a daily basis- your body has to detox (process) all the ingredients. Therefore it uses extra resources to do so.
The nutrients that the pill can deplete are:
B vitamins (B2, B6, B12)
Folic Acid
Vitamin C
Zinc
Magnesium
All of these are necessary for hormonal detox and we also need them to make serotonin (a neurotransmitter that you probably have heard of) which helps us feel happy.
You can imagine how you might feel if these nutrients are not replenished in your diet.
If you decided to go off your birth control pill or hormonal IUD it can take about 3-6 months for your body to heal and for things to normalize.
What can I do to help my hormones?
There are many ways to answer this question and everyone is an individual with individual needs. Therefore what might work for you, may not work for the next person.
To help with hormone imbalance a good place to start is with these three foods:
Cruciferous vegetables: examples include broccoli, cabbage, arugula, bok choy and more. These veggies have indole-3-carbinol and helps the liver detox estrogen. Aim for 3+ cups per day.
Water: staying hydrated is crucial for having normal bowel movements everyday. The longer your stool stays in you, your body will then reabsorb the estrogen in it which can contribute to excess estrogen in your body. Aim for half your body weight in ounces.
Healthy fats: we need fat in order to make hormones. The backbone to every hormones is cholesterol which is made up of fats. If you’re not eating fat then you can’t make hormones. Include cold pressed olive oil, coconut oil, butter/ghee and avocado oil into your diet. Oils that can disrupt your hormones (aka cause inflammation) are canola oil, peanut oil, corn oil and trans fats. Check the ingredients of your food as these tend to slip in those lists often.
If you or someone you know is struggling with hormonal imbalances apply to work with me. All women deserve to feel good and not dread their period every month.
Keep in mind, I am a doctor of physical therapy but I am NOT your doctor. If you feel as though you exhibit some of these symptoms check in with your doctor to see if they can help.
