Can Vitamins Help Hormonal Balance
The endocrine glands requires key micronutrients to create hormones and support them in carrying out their important work. If you have low thyroid, for example, then you may have deficiencies in iodine and selenium, two minerals required by the thyroid gland to make and use thyroid hormones.
Herbs and other natural compounds can also provide therapeutic support to correct hormonal imbalances. Ashwagandha, a traditional medicine and ingredient in our Herbal Equilibrium and Adaptisol formulas, is an adaptogenic herb prized for its ability to re-regulate high cortisol, an adrenal imbalance tied to chronic stress and anxiousness. If you are experiencing hormonal symptoms in perimenopause, a sign that estrogen and progesterone are not in the correct ratio, supplementing with herbs including wild yam, black cohosh and red clover extract can help restore balance to these two hormones and relieve perimenopause symptoms. These herbs are all found in our Herbal Equilibrium formula. To increase progesterone levels, you can use a bioidentical USP progesterone cream.
These are just a few examples. There are so many herbs, vitamins and minerals that can help with hormonal imbalances. Described in detail below, the best herb and vitamin supplements for natural hormonal balance include:
Can Hormone Imbalance Cause Anxiety
Yes, certain hormonal imbalances can cause anxiety, including:
- Hyperthyroidism: If you have hyperthyroidism, it means your body has too much thyroid hormone. Excess thyroid hormone speeds up your metabolism. This can cause anxiety, in addition to unusual nervousness, restlessness and irritability.
- Cushings syndrome: While its not as common of a symptom, Cushings syndrome can cause anxiety, as well as depression and irritability.
- Adult-onset growth hormone deficiency: Adults with growth hormone deficiency often report having anxiety and/or depression.
Several other conditions and factors can cause anxiety. Its important to talk to your healthcare provider if youre experiencing anxiety.
Vitamin B3 Aids Stress
The B-vitamins are an essential group of vitamins for hormone balance. You can take these vitamins to address stress and mood changes related to both PMS and menopause. This kind of stress can trigger tension, anxiety, irritability, and poor concentration.
While it relieves menopausal stress, vitamin B3 can also smooth the transition between estrogen production in the ovaries to estrogen production in the adrenal glands and fat cells instead.
These are both post-menopause estrogen production sites and B3 helps stabilize estrogen production there once your ovaries stop producing it.
Pro-Tip: Along with B3, consider supplementing with folic acid if youre of reproductive age. This vitamin can help prevent birth defects as well as boost a womans fertility.
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Puffy Swollen Or Rounded Face
Though this symptom of hormonal imbalance isnt talked about much, for those who experience it, it can be a major concern. And while this symptom is relatively painless, besides possible tenderness due to the swelling, it may be negatively impacting your quality of life. Sometimes referred to as moon face, this gradual rounding or swelling of the face is a common sign of high cortisol characterized by Cushings syndrome. If your adrenal glands release too much cortisol, theyre unable to properly regulate your blood pressure and inflammatory response. As a result, your body has a hard time keeping your blood vessels functioning appropriately, leading to swelling and a puffy appearance around your face or shoulders.
Number : Whats Normal For A Period On Birth Control
The UK National Health Service says that irregular bleeding, like bleeding between periods, is common when you first start to take hormonal contraception like birth control pills, the patch, or the shot (Depo-Proveraâ¢.
Here are some facts about bleeding irregularities when you take birth control pills:
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Overall, birth control pills should decrease how much you bleed.
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Irregular bleeding is a common side effect during the first 3 to 6 months of taking the pill. Itâs so common that 30-50% of women experience it.
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The good news is that irregular bleeding will lessen or go away with time, usually after 3 months, when only 10-30% of women experience unscheduled bleeding.
It may be helpful to describe what bothersome bleeding can look like when youâre on birth control:
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From Impersonal To Optimal
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Be Wary Of Dairy Products
Dairy is an important source of nutrients for many people. However, females concerned about levels of reproductive hormones may wish to use caution, especially before consuming cream or yogurt.
A 2017 study notes that eating dairy can reduce levels of some protective hormones.
In addition, the authors point to an association between eating cream and yogurt and missing ovulation. The link is unclear, and the researchers call for further studies.
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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. This is a topic I am very passionate about and spend an entire module teaching my students about in Hormone Harmony Academy. I teach my students to chart their cycles, and respond to energetic changes throughout the month. This means they can stop fighting the inevitable ebbs and flows and make turn their menstrual cycles into a source of power, rather than suffering.
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.
How Does Birth Control Regulate Your Hormones
Around 62% of women aged 20-29, 72% of women aged 30-39 and around 74% of women over 40 use birth control, but how does it affect our hormones? There are different types of birth control options that affect our hormones in different ways, so what are they and what do they do? Read our latest blog post to find out! Link in Bio!
Have you used birth control to regulate your hormones? Let us know in the comments!
Around 62% of women aged 20-29, 72% of women aged 30-39 and around 74% of women over 40 use birth control, but how does it regulate our hormones? There are different types of birth control options that affect our hormones in different ways, so what are they and what do they do? Read this blog post to find out!
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Nutrition Tips To Regulate Womens Hormones
Assuming you dont have a disease or disorder thats causing hypogonadism , you can still experience the effects of low testosterone or low estrogen if your diet and exercise regime isnt exactly where youd like it to be.
Womens hormones can be positively or adversely affected by their diet, which leads to a logical question: What should I be eating to maintain a healthy hormone balance?
There are several hormones in a womans body that can be affected by diet and exercise, not least of which are estrogen and testosterone.
Here are a few nutritional tips to balance your hormones when youre not experiencing clinically low estrogen or testosterone:
A womans body is a complex machine, and it needs certain elements in the form of vitamins and minerals to function properly.
A deficiency in one of these essential elements sometimes knocks a womans hormones out of balance.
At A Glance: The Combined Pill
- When taken correctly, the pill is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. This means that fewer than 1 in 100 who use the combined pill as contraception will get pregnant in 1 year.
- The standard way to take the pill is to take 1 every day for 21 days, then have a break for 7 days, and during this week you have a bleed like a period. You start taking the pill again after 7 days.
- You may be able to take some types of pill with no or shorter breaks , which may reduce some side effects. Speak to a doctor or nurse about your options.
- You need to take the pill at around the same time every day. You could get pregnant if you do not do this, or if you miss a pill, or vomit or have severe diarrhoea.
- Some medicines may make the pill less effective. Check with your doctor if youre taking any other tablets.
- If you have heavy periods or painful periods, PMS or endometriosis the combined pill may help.
- Minor side effects include mood swings, nausea, breast tenderness and headaches these usually settle down in a few months.
- There is no evidence that the pill will make you gain weight.
- Theres a very low risk of serious side effects, such as blood clots and cervical cancer.
- The combined pill is not suitable if you are over 35 and smoke, or if you have certain medical conditions.
- The pill does not protect against sexually transmitted infections , so use a condom as well.
- There may be a link between the pill and depression but evidence is mixed and further research is needed.
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Birth Control For Beginners: 5 Things To Know Before You Start The Pill
Posted by south ave& filed under Birth Control.
The birth control pill is one of the greatest innovations in womens health. By providing safe, effective, and convenient protection against unwanted or unplanned pregnancy, the pill has given women more control over their own sex lives and reproductive health. Knowing what to expect when you start using the birth control pill is the best way to determine if its right for you and ensure you use it the right way.
If youre considering using the pill for the first time or are about to get started with your first pack, here are a few things you should expect within the next few months.
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Hormone Balancing Tip #: Manage Stress
Stress wreaks havoc on our hormones, particularly our production of progesterone. Progesterone is produced from the same building blocks as our stress hormone cortisol . When we are stressed, our body ramps up its cortisol production and slows down on progesterone, contributing to a number of hormonal imbalances.
For many of us, we have little control over the stressors that are thrown on us on a day to day basis. The key then to managing stress is learning how to change your relationship with stress. Shifting your mindset around stress is the cornerstone to changing the way that it affects your body.
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How Do You Get More Probiotics
To boost your intake of probiotics, add probiotic-rich foods to your daily diet.Foods that are good sources for probiotics include yogurt, keifr, kimchi, fermented sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables, and kombucha.
Taking a probiotic supplement is another easy way to replenish your good gut flora on a daily basis. Look for a high quality probiotics supplement that includes multiple strains of probiotics to help diversity and strengthen your gut health.
How To Balance Your Hormones Naturally
Ultimately, consistency and commitment are key. How to balance your hormones, naturally, is all-encompassing. Here are the Cliffs Notes: Focus on an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense diet, remove endocrine disruptors, incorporate stress relief habits, and take the necessary steps to get your gut health on track. Finding a balance with exercise is important, too. If youre feeling overwhelmed, start small. Begin with daily meditation practice. Next week, take a stab at a 3-day hormone-balancing meal plan. One step at a time.
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How Menopause Disturbs Our Hormone Balance
Wondering how hormones send their messages to different parts of the body? Heres a rundown of the process!
The whole process begins when hormone production takes place in your glands. Your hormones travel via your blood to the different cells and organs in your body. When they reach their destination, they knock on your cellsgatekeepers, called receptors, where they will relay their message.
If your receptors feel like your cells need them, they allow entry to dock into your cells, and they will turn on a specific function. This is how your hormones keep the body balanced. But
During menopause, your hormone production changes big time. In the early stages, your ovaries start to falter, but they will still produce normal amounts of estrogen. On the other hand, progesterone production reduces. This causes an imbalance called estrogen dominance where estrogen is higher relative to progesterone. In the later parts of menopause, you experience declining hormone levels, which can make you deficient.
As the receiving end, your receptors will accept whats coming to them. Excessive estrogen in your body will hyperactivate your organs and the lack of progesterone may affect some body functions. Hormone deficiencies on the other hand slows down the majority of your body functions and you may experience symptoms such as:
- Changes in your monthly periods
Beware Of Medications And Birth Control
Are you aware of your medications side effects? Some can disrupt your hormone balance, leading to side effects like fatigue, appetite changes, altered sleeping patterns, low libido, sadness and even depression.
Some medications that can mess with your hormone balance include corticosteroids, stimulants, statins, dopamine agonists, rexinoids and glucocorticoids. Beware of your medications, talk to your doctor about the side effects and research natural alternatives whenever possible.
Birth control is another medication that alters hormone levels. The pill is a type of hormone therapy that raises estrogen levels to levels that can cause many complications.
Studies show that the health risks of taking them, especially long term, may include issues like:
- Breakthrough bleeding between cycles
- Increased risk of uterine bleeding, blood clotting, heart attack and stroke
- Breast tenderness
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How To Regulate Hormones Naturally
Hormones are the chemical messengers in our body that help different organ systems communicate. The network of hormones in the body is known as the endocrine system. Maintaining hormonal health is crucial for supporting overall health, since hormones are involved in the gut, nervous system, reproductive system, and more. If youre wondering how to regulate hormones naturally, then youve come to the right place.
Read on to find out how to improve hormone health and reduce symptoms of hormone imbalance.
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Vitamin E Supports Menopause
Both PMS and menopause are estrogen-related hormone imbalances that occur when women transition from one phase to another.
Vitamin E is a known vitamin for hormone imbalance. It can help soothe depression, mood swings, and stress related to the onset of menopause.
However, it doesnt just help the mental and emotional symptoms, but the physical ones as well studies show that vitamin E can help relieve the intensity and duration of hot flashes.
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Testing Your Hormone Levels
If you are concerned that your hormones may be unbalanced, speaking with a healthcare professional to get an appropriate lab test is a next step. The endocrine system is complicated, and most lab values are lab-specific and age-specific. Your healthcare professional will recommend a lab for you, receive the results along with laboratory standards and help you interpret your results.
Invigor Medical works with a network of partner labs. These labs have met high laboratory standards and are trusted by healthcare practitioners for providing accurate results. For more information:
Top 5 Supplements To Balance Hormones
Regardless of your specific condition, research shows that the following supplements may help reduce symptoms associated with an endocrine imbalance. In the clinic, we see that these supplements seem to work best when combined with lifestyle changes.
A healthy diet, stress reduction, and getting enough exercise and sleep all help set the proper foundations so that your body can naturally restore your hormone levels. Well get into some of those details later, but, for now, lets dive into the best supplements to balance hormones.
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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.