What is hormonal balance?? It’s a buzzword used a lot for women’s health these days. But what exactly? is hormone balance and how do you achieve it? Is it even real? How do you know if your hormones are out of balance? And what can you do if it is?
It’s time to talk about what hormone balance it is, what causes it and how it can make you feel.
Most importantly, I’ll give you my best tips for improving what you can change when your hormones start to get out of balance — including diet changes, supplements, and even exercises you can do to start feeling like yourself again yourself .
What is hormone balance?
In your body, there are many pairs of hormones that “balance” each other.
For example:
- Estrogen and progesterone
- Progesterone and testosterone
- Cortisol and oxytocin
- Insulin and glucagon
When the presence of one of the hormones in these pairs outweighs the other, we call it “hormonal imbalance.” It’s not actually a traditional medical term, but more of a common way of referring to the condition at hand. And while the medical community is slowly starting to use these words to describe what happens when the levels of certain hormones drop, some doctors will insist that “hormone imbalance isn’t real.”
This kind of rhetoric hurts women, especially menopausal women, who experience the lingering effects hormonal imbalances every day.
I say, let’s use the words that resonate with patients… and “hormone imbalance” certainly seems to do that.
Why is hormonal balance important?
Why is hormonal balance important?? Just ask any woman over the age of 35 who has experienced breakouts, headaches, nausea, heavy periods, weight gain, breast pain, high blood pressure, hot flashes or night sweats.
Nouns, hormonal balance it is important because when you hormones are out of balanceit can seriously affect your quality of life.
You deserve to live a life full of joy and vibrant health. You deserve to experience all that life has to offer, even after your childbearing years are over. And keeping your hormones in balance can help you find that happiness.
Why does hormonal imbalance occur?
There are several reasons hormonal imbalance it happens in the first place. The most common reason: perimenopause and menopause!
Estrogen and progesterone imbalance
Here’s what usually happens when your progesterone and estrogen are out of balance:
- Your body stops producing enough progesterone because you no longer ovulate regularly. You need to ovulate to get progesterone. And you need progesterone to help balance the estrogen.
- While your estrogen levels may be decreasing, your progesterone levels are decreasing at a faster rate, leaving you with what is known as “estrogen dominance.”
- You start experiencing all kinds of unpleasant symptoms, from anxiety and irritability to weight gain and hot flashes. Your doctor will probably tell you that this is all just “normal”.
My passion for an estrogen and progesterone imbalance is my balancing cream. Contains bioidentical progesterone to support your body in balancing this out of control estrogen.
Cortisol and oxytocin imbalance
Here is another scenario that often happens when you cortisol and oxytocin imbalances occur:
- Your adrenal glands, which are the foundation of your hormonal health, are taxed by years of stress from working full-time, raising children, and taking care of the home.
- Your adrenal glands start pumping out cortisol, the stress hormone, Instead of DHEA — which your body can use to turn into a backup source of progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. This causes your hormones to become even more out of balance.
- You start gaining weight, you feel tired all the time and yet you can’t sleep at night.
Need help balancing your cortisol and oxytocin? My Mighty Maca® Plus formula is meant to be your new best friend. Loaded with superfoods and the adaptogen maca, it helps give your adrenal glands the support they need to focus on hormone production. This leaves you feeling energized, lighter and ready to take your life back.
How to control hormonal imbalance
So how do you know if your hormones are out of balance? Your doctor may be able to use a blood test to see if your body has elevated levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) or follicle-stimulating hormone (LH). This usually indicates that your body has to work a little harder than usual to get your ovaries to ovulate…and is a sign of a budding hormonal imbalance.
But honestly, the most common hormone imbalance test it’s acknowledging that you don’t feel 100% like yourself.
> Maybe you’re more tired than usual and you’re not sure why.
> You may feel more detached from your loved ones.
> Maybe you’re bloated, angry, or annoyed about almost everything.
These are the kinds of signs that something is wrong and that your hormones may be out of balance.
What does hormonal imbalance look like?
Hormonal imbalance it can feel subtle or serious. Many women remove the initial symptoms of it hormonal imbalance because we are prepared to put ourselves last and overcome pain.
But, it’s easier to get your hormones back on track initial phases of perimenopause.
I would encourage you to start researching hormonal imbalances the moment you start noticing them symptoms of hormonal imbalance:
- Acne
- Fatigue
- Worry
- Motion sickness
- Brain fog
- Chest pain
- Hot flashes
- Depression
- Night sweats
- Itching of the vulva
- Heavy periods
- Missing periods
- Dryness of the vagina
- Heavy cramps
- Insulin resistance
- Intrusive thoughts
- Difficulty sleeping
- Your mood is “flat”
- High blood pressure
- Your motivation is gone
- Headaches around ovulation or your period
- You’re gaining weight and you don’t know why
- Your cycle is changing (may be shorter or longer)
Which helps balance hormones naturally — My top Women’s Health Tips
Okay, we’ve covered a lot of that symptoms of hormonal imbalance which begin to appear during menopause and menopause.
Now, it’s time to discuss manners support of hormonal balance. Here are my top 5 tips for keeping your hormones as balanced as possible:
1. Move your body
Exercise is like a magic pill for your health and hormones. There’s no better way to start balancing your hormones than by moving your body — even if it’s just for 20 minutes a day. It doesn’t matter if you meet your trainer a few times a week or just go for a jog. Just get your heart rate up, give your muscles something to resist, and watch your symptoms improve.
2. Keep your diet under control
Like it or not, your diet plays a big role in how your body processes your hormones. Focus on adding plenty of alkalizing green vegetables to your diet and limit refined carbohydrates for best results. I call this the Keto-Green® diet and it’s my signature method of putting an end to menopause. Click here to learn more about how to eat the Keto-Green® way.
3. Try Adaptogenic Herbs
Adaptogens are a class of herbs that have been used for centuries to help your body “adapt” to stress. My favorite in this category is maca root hands down. Maca is a powerful adrenal-loving herb that supports your hormone balance in the best possible way. It’s the superstar ingredient in mine Mighty Maca® Plus formula for good reason!
4. Sleep is non-negotiable
Doctor’s orders: it’s time to make sure you’re getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Getting enough rest can help balance all kinds of hormones and even help you lose weight. Turn off these devices at night, go to bed early and make sure you sleep in a completely dark room. If you need a little extra help in the sleep department, go for it see my Night ZZZ hats here.
5. Reduce stress wherever you can
Stress is bad for your hormones – because it really targets your fragile adrenal glands. And your adrenal glands are the cornerstone of your hormonal health. Plus, stress is bad for your heart health, too. I know it might be easier said than done to just “reduce stress,” but try incorporating a few minutes of journaling or meditation into your day to get started. And remember, most of the things you worry about now you won’t even remember in a year. Just relax and learn to let go.
What is hormonal balance? Final thoughts
I know many women think they can just wait for theirs hormones for balance after menopause. But while things will eventually smooth out once your body gets used to its new normal, perimenopause can start as early as age 35!
With the average age of menopause reaching 51 and some women continuing to experience it hormonal imbalance symptoms for years after their period ends… that’s a long time to live a life at risk hormonal imbalance. You deserve so much more than this.
You were designed to live a life of abundant joy and radiant health — don’t be afraid to claim it.
