Add Magnesium To Your Diet During The Luteal Phase
This phase can last 11 to 17 days, depending on your cycle, and comes just before you’re in the menstruation phase. At this point, progesterone levels are rising, which can leave you feeling irritable and prone to mood swings. The hormonal fluctuations during this period can leave you feeling a little sluggish and low. A quick fix? Add magnesium-rich foods into your diet. Magnesium is a natural mood booster and muscle relaxant. It reduces feelings of irritability and anxiety, says Valikarimwala. Green leafy vegetables, hemp seeds and raw cacao powder are great add-ons, and can even ease cramps or headaches.
Hormone Balancing Tip #: Get Off The Sugar Roller Coaster
Eating large amounts of processed sugar and refined carbohydrates can lead to insulin resistance. This is where your body gets tired of receiving the signal that your blood sugar is high, and becomes less responsive to it. Excess insulin production causes inflammation in the body and increased production of testosterone from the ovaries. This can lead to irregular cycles, acne and hair growth on the face.
Fertility Or Menstrual Problems
Estrogen grows the lining of your uterus to prepare it for conception . But progesterone also has an important role to ensure that the lining remains there for roughly 14 days after ovulation in case you become pregnant. If you conceive, progesterone rises. If not, progesterone levels drop again causing the shedding of the uterine lining which we know as menstruation.
However, when progesterone is chronically low, this process malfunctions and the progesterone peak may not occur. Then you may have irregular or very heavy periods or trouble conceiving. You may also experience pre-menstrual migraines and more intense symptoms of PMS.
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Symptoms Of Disrupted Hormones
Fatigue, increased sensitivity to cold and hot, changes in bowel movements, dry skin, a puffy face, weight changes, urinary incontinence, brain fog and even memory loss can be symptoms of imbalanced hormones.
Dysregulated cortisol or insulin may be implicated if you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping through the night, if you struggle to get out of bed even after seven to nine hours of sleep and you need caffeine just to get going in the morning.
Excessive energy crashes and ‘hanger’ can also suggest imbalance.
When Hormones Are Out Of Balance
Hormones can affect nearly all aspects of our health and wellbeing. But we may notice an imbalance most when our sex hormones are out of kilter.
In women, this is most evident at times of change during the reproductive years puberty, around menstruation, during and after pregnancy, and throughout perimenopause .
You may experience:
- lack of or excess exercise
- a poor diet or reliance on stimulants and depressants like caffeine, sugar and alcohol
You can see from this list how easy it is for your hormones to tip out of balance. If youre stressed, for example, you may sleep badly and rely on alcohol. Or if you have a poor diet and dont exercise you can become overweight.
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Consider Supplements And Alternative Medicines
There is some evidence that alternative therapies or supplements may address some hormonal issues.
For instance, a found that a Chinese herbal therapy routine resulted in doubled pregnancy rates among female participants with infertility when compared to Western, drug-based treatment.
A reports that Nigella sativa, known as black seeds or fennel flower seeds, helped raise estrogen levels in an animal model.
If studies in humans confirm these findings, the supplement may be beneficial for people going through menopause.
The following tip may benefit males:
Eat Protein With Every Meal
To optimize hormone health, experts recommend consuming a minimum of 2030 grams of protein per meal.
Not only can this this can help you feel satisfied and decrease levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which will help you manage your blood sugar level and avoid weight fluctuations – but also the body needs amino acids in proteins to make hormones.
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What Can I Take To Balance My Hormones
If you are experiencing the signs and symptoms of deficient hormone levels, vitamins can help and support hormone balance.
Regulate Your Hormones And Prevent Uncomfortable Symptoms
Premenstrual Syndrome is the is term used to describe the emotional and physical symptoms that can occur one to two weeks before a womans period.
Up to 80% of women report having some PMS symptoms prior to menstruation. These symptoms vary from woman to woman and usually ease when their period starts however, for some women, symptoms can be prolonged. Learn what causes PMS, the common symptoms and how to manage PMS naturally through diet and lifestyle. Regulate your hormones to prevent uncomfortable monthly symptoms.
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Dr Northrups Experience With Hormone Replacement Therapy
Ari Whitten: And this has been sort of your bread and butter for a long time. I think you, I know you graduated from medical school, what, back in the early 80s or something or somewhere around there, late 70s?
Dr. Christiane Northrup: In the 70s, in the 70s. Yeah. Yeah. So, Ive been at this for a while and, you know, back when the only hormone that was given was Premarin. Premarin stands for pregnant mares urine. So, its horse urine basically. And the reason why that was the gold standard was it was just sort of the first to the table was the main thing on that. And so, as I went along, I noticed there were other alternatives to that, but they werent as well known. And then I got into, in the early 90s, I met the people who were doing work with natural progesterone, bio-identical progesterone. And I found that this was working so much better than medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is a synthetic progestin. All birth control pills, by the way, are not native to the female body and they have side effects.
But if you take something in a lab and you make it different from something found in nature, its going to have totally different effects. Now, to this day, my colleagues do not seem to understand this difference. I just, its like its mind-blowing to me that my own profession cannot see the difference between the three
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Causes Of Hormonal Imbalance
Many factors can throw hormone balance off, including weight loss or gain, stress, injury, medications, chemical exposures and tumors.
Medical conditions such as diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome , thyroid problems, as well as Addison’s disease and Cushing syndrome are linked to hormone imbalance.
But in most people its more likely to be stress, thyroid issues, some nutritional deficiencies, poor eating habits, being under or overweight, eating disorders, hormonal birth control, drug abuse, infections, allergies, autoimmune disorders and exposure to toxins, pollutants and pesticides.
In other words, many things that we have some control over.
The good news is that hormone levels can be checked by your doctor with a simple blood draw and there are some lifestyle changes you can adopt .
Significant fluctuations in body weight
Both extreme or rapid weight loss and weight gain can cause menstrual cycle irregularities and even delay or prevent ovulation.
Losing a lot of body fat can lead to a reduction in the estrogen and LH, whereas gaining weight can lead to lead to a state known as ‘estrogen dominance’ where the body produces and stores high amounts of estrogen.
Both high estrogen AND low estogen cause problems in our bodies.
Signs of estrogen dominance in women can include:
-
Changes in sex drive
High levels of estrogen can ALSO lead to weight gain particularly around the hips and waist.
Still, women of all ages could develop low estrogen, and experience symptoms like:
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How Do I Know If My Hormones Are Imbalanced
Your hormones are the chemical messengers of your body. Too many or too little and they can send your body into a tailspin of symptoms. So, the first way to detect whether your hormones are imbalanced is to listen to your body! If your PMS is out of control, youre experiencing weight gain, mood swings, fatigue or gas and bloating, these are some of at least 11 warning signs that your hormones are imbalanced.
Learn How Your Hormones Work Together
The first half of the menstrual cycle is called the follicular phase and is where you experience a rise in follicle stimulating hormone as several of your follicles begin their final race to ovulation. These growing follicles release the hormone estrogen in higher and higher amounts. Luteinising hormone then triggers ovulation the bursting open of a dominant follicle.
Following ovulation, there is a steep decline in estrogen. The sack which contained the egg begins to secrete another hormone: progesterone which increases and becomes our dominant hormone in the second half of the menstrual cycle which is known as the luteal phase.
Each of these two phases last roughly two weeks in a typical cycle. If your cycle is longer than 28 days, the first half of the cycle will be longer, with the second half usually remaining around two weeks. After this second two-week phase, if your egg is not fertilised, the lining which has grown to support a potential pregnancy will be shed in the form of your period. The is accompanied by a sharp drop in all hormone levels as you return to baseline. This bleed becomes day 1 of your new cycle, and the process begins again.
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Feed Your Gut Microbiome
For hormone production and balance we need to ensure our gut bacteria are flourishing so eating fermented foods daily , prebiotic foods and probiotic yoghurts etc as well as eating as many different foods as possible in a week will help maintain the diversity you need.
If you feel that you could benefit from additional support, they you can learn more by reading my page about hormone imbalance or dont hesitate to contact me using the form below.
Ease Pms And Menopause With Hormone Balancing
PMS and menopause can wreak havoc in our lives and in our bodies. If you suffer from negative effects of PMS or menopause, your solution may be a simple one hormone balancing. BeBalanced offers a natural, non-medical approach to hormone balancing that remedies a myriad of physiological, emotional and psychological ailments that plague todays modern women.
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Hormone Balancing Tip #: Tune In To The Subtle Energies Throughout Your Cycle
Our patriarchal work culture has been built around the masculine energy of high productivity every day of the month. Unfortunately, women are not designed to operate like this. Our menstrual cycles mean that we naturally go through phases of high energy and slower, more introspective times . Learning to identify and respond to these subtle energetic changes can revolutionise your productivity and output throughout your cycle.
When first becoming aware of your changing energy throughout your cycle, start by taking time to truly rest at menstruation. Even if this means for just one hour asking someone to watch your kids, going to bed early, taking a bath or reading a book instead of tidying the house. I guarantee if you can take some time for some self-care at menstruation, you will be rewarded with overflowing energy, productivity and creativity at your next ovulation time.
Your highest energy levels will be during ovulation . This is when your productivity and focus will be at their highest. You will feel like connecting with others and being social. This is the time to schedule big meetings, important life decisions, parties and social gatherings. Use this energetic burst to achieve things on your to-do list that then allow you to slow down and rest during your menstruation.
To Decoding Your Hormones: How Long Should Your Period Be
Since we only have our own period to compare to, it can be hard to know whether what we experience is normal. Lets run through some normal cycle parameters so that you can determine where you fall:
The length of your periodrefers to the number of days from the first day of your bleed to the last day before your next bleed. A healthy range for your cycle length is anywhere between 21 and 35 days, with the average being around 29 days.
Many of my clients tell me their period is always late because it comes on day 30 . This is a huge misconception: that if your period isnt 28 days, you arent normal. If your period consistently arrives around the same day of your cycle, and it falls within the healthy range of 21 to 35 days, this is your normal, healthy cycle length.
Whether or not you fit this textbook 28 day cycle , the most important factor to consider is whether your normal has changed or not.
Our menstrual cycles are very responsive to stress in our lives and demonstrate this most clearly in the length of our cycles. Stress is not always psychological , but may be physical .
When we are more stressed, our body does not deem our environment to be a safe place to bring a baby in to the world, and can shut down ovulation all together, or delay it until it deems we are safe. The end result of this change in ovulation is a missing period altogether, or longer cycles than your normal. Think this might explain your menstrual cycle problems?
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The Problem With Hormonal Birth Control And Hormone Replacement Therapy
Its common for women to have the idea that getting on birth control can treat PMS, but this isnt really the case at all.
Many patients come to me with a similar story:
They went in to see their conventional doctor about their symptoms all of which point to a hormone imbalance and were sent home with a prescription for hormonal birth control.
The pill, you were told, would clear your acne, regulate your period, reduce pain and cramping , and totally fix any of your hormone-related symptoms.
This might have even been your own experience, at least in the short term.
But heres the problem with this, along with most medications or magic pill solutions:
For starters, birth control doesnt fix your period. It doesnt heal your hormone imbalance the thing thats causing all your issues in the first place and it often aggravates the problem.
Hormonal contraceptives contain manufactured estrogen and progestin that block your bodys natural hormones and shut off ovulation.
The disruption in normal hormone production, along with a flood of synthetic estrogen in the body, can lead to elevated estrogen levels and imbalanced hormones.
THIS is why most women end up with the same issues, or often times worse, when finally coming off hormonal birth control a term I call post hormonal birth control syndrome.
Its called withdrawal bleeding which occurs during a break from birth control like you have during a week of placebo pills.
They include:
How To Balance Hormones Naturally Faq
The truth is, your body is always trying to communicate with you. When you experience hormonal symptoms like mood changes, tender breasts, irregular periods or acne, your body is sending you a clear sign that something is out of balance.
It can be tempting to take a pill or another quick-fix solution to mask these symptoms. These band-aid solutions can work short term, but ultimately dont address the root cause of the imbalance. By exploring the triggers for your symptoms and identifying hormonal imbalances, you can get rid of your period symptoms for good and experience blissful, drama-free cycles.
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Avoid Hormone Havoc White Carbs And Sugar
Sugars and refined carbs cause havoc to your hormones — they mess with your insulin and in turn that messes with your levels of reproductive hormones.
Remember, theyre all connected like a big string of dominoes.
Some people also advocate avoiding soy, because it contains phytoestrogens that mimic estrogen in your body.
Generally, experts say its ok in moderation, but maybe skip the soy if youre experiencing symptoms of high estrogen or you think you might be entering perimenopause.
Supplement To Fill Nutritional Voids
While a healthy diet is key for all aspects of health, its sometimes necessary to supplement in order to fill nutritional voids that can be leading to a hormone imbalance.
Here are the top supplements to focus on in order to balance hormones:
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening primrose oil contains omega-6 fatty acids, such as GLA, that support overall hormonal function. Supplementing with evening primrose oil can help relieve premenstrual and PCOS symptoms. It also helps to create a healthy environment for conception.
Vitamin D
What is the best vitamins to take for hormonal imbalance? Vitamin D is definitely one of them, since it almost acts like a hormone inside the body and has important implications for keeping inflammation levels low.
This is why people who live in dark areas often suffer from seasonal depression and other health problems unless they supplement with vitamin D. Sunshine is really the best way to optimize vitamin D levels because your bare skin actually makes vitamin D on its own when exposed to even small amounts of direct sunlight.
Most people should supplement with around 2,0005,000 international units daily of vitamin D3 if they live in dark areas, during the winter and on days when theyre not in the sun.
Bone Broth
Probiotics
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that can actually improve your production and regulation of key hormones like insulin, ghrelin and leptin. They can also aid in repairing your gut lining, which in turn can balance your hormones.
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