Hormone Health
This one is for the ladies! Well, it is for everyone who knows a woman (wouldn’t it be nice if our male loved-ones were aware of how our ever-changing landscape of hormones affects all aspects of our sleep, energy, mood, appetite, and physical functions?)
Did you know that women have a more difficult time regulating our body temperature because we have less blood volume and our blood vessels are closer to our skin? We are more susceptible than men to hormonal changes, environmental toxins, alcohol intake and other lifestyle influences. Also, did you know that our daily and yearly hormone fluctuations really do affect all our brain and body functions in a dramatic way?
75% of perimenopausal women suffer from significant PMS symptoms, but we are often offered a one size fits all solution. Western medicine does not often consider where we are in our cycle during medical procedures or testing even though hormone fluctuations can have a huge impact on our systems. Today’s society seems to expect symptoms of hormonal changes as “just part of being a woman.” Instead, in community, we can share our frustrations as well as solutions looking at natural lifestyle changes as well as hormone therapy. I am not an expert in this field, but here is an opportunity to lift each other up and encourage each other with simple solutions to improve our health and our lives.
Women’s bodies balance testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone throughout the month (unlike men who are driven primarily by testosterone). Melatonin, FSH, adrenaline, insulin, cortisol, serotonin are some of our other circulating hormones which all have their own role interacting with the sex hormones. An imbalance of this system can lead to annoying or even debilitating symptoms including: heavy periods, cramps, mood changes, vaginal dryness, pain, insomnia, hot flashes, poor sleep, brain fog, and GI dysfunction. Starting as early as our late 30’s, hormone levels start to decline. This can affect every bodily system from head to toes. But there ARE simple changes you can make to improve your hormone function:
- Meal timing- Try different types of meal timing during different times of your cycle. Carbohydrate and calorie cycling throughout the month may improve your balance. (see resources below for specifics)
- Healthy foods- Getting enough calories during workouts and getting enough protein are paramount to avoid muscle loss and increased cortisol. Taking in fiber, avoiding sugar spikes, eating fermented foods and avoiding highly processed food and drinks (junk food) goes a long way to repair your microbiome.
- Microbiome health- Years of birth control, antibiotics, stress, alcohol, and other toxins can severely damage your gut. It may be worth testing to really assess your gut health.
- Detox- Notice all the possible environmental toxins in your daily products (plastics, beauty products, and food additives.)
- Rushing woman’s syndrome- Women aged between 30-50 are often called the ‘sandwich generation’- caring for both children and aging parents, often holding a full-time job as well as managing the household. Maintaining boundaries, letting go of perfectionism, and practicing stress management techniques are crucial for daily function.
**If you’ve read this far, you are probably interested in making changes so please pause here, take a full breath and let it out slowly. Do this again. And repeat as necessary.
- Exercise and strength training- To help manage cortisol, improve insulin resistance, sleep better and generally feel happier, place a priority on exercise. Resistance training will also help with muscle loss and bone health.
- Consider hormone therapy- While there are valid concerns about the risk for breast cancer, if handled on an individual basis, there are numerous different types and delivery methods that might be worth a try. There are also many supplements that may improve specific symptoms. Please talk to your doctor about options.
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Resources- Podcasts, books, and Ted Talks
Dr. Mindy Pelz
Dr. Stacy Simms
Dr. Elizabth Boham
Wishing you well,
-Trish