What could be causing your hormone imbalance?

Are you feeling "off" in regards to your overall energy, stamina, appetite regulation and inflammation? Do you wake up feeling puffy, low-energy and can't go to the bathroom regularly? Women- Do you have irregular menstrual cycles, spotting or are you on birth control? Men- Do you notice less energy, notice decreased resilience and feel "powerless" at the gym?

Our hormones are very important and we have around fifty distinct hormones involved in every-day processes in our body. We typically only talk about women's hormones that are involved in reproduction, however, these are just a few of the hormones going to work in our body.

Hormones have a very delicate balance and all work together with other sub-hormones to maintain our health and happiness. However, we can see these hormones get out of whack when our body doesn't have the building blocks to maintain these hormones.

What are some situations that we see hormones out of balance?

• PCOS- This can be caused by an imbalance in certain hormones like androgens or prolactin and can cause irregular cycles and insulin resistance for women.

• Infertility- This can be caused by hormonal imbalances in estrogen or progesterone, as well as others such as prolactin or androgens. This can also be caused by other issues in the body and is not limited to just hormone imbalance.

• Estrogen Dominance- This is an imbalance that can cause infertility, weight gain or per-menopausal symptoms resulting from an imbalance in estrogen and progesterone

• Insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia- This can come from intake of excess sugars causing insulin to respond hyperactively, then over time result in improper insulin signaling or response

• Low Testosterone- This can result in low energy, low libido, lack of muscle gain and can be caused by issues with the liver, thyroid or vitamin deficiency.

• Peri-menopause or Menopause- This is a time where hormones fluctuate and without proper diet changes, exercise/lifestyle changes or vitamin repletion, can result in further issues over time.

• PMS or PMDD- This can happen early on in teenage years and can be exacerbated with significant hormone imbalance.

• Hypo or Hyperthyroidism (Grave's Disease, Hashimoto's)- These all involve the thyroid hormones which are involved in energy, metabolism, digestion and other specific processes.

These are just a few of the situations that I see in my practice that people come to me with symptoms that show a possible hormone imbalance at the root cause. Some of these can be confirmed by lab draw, but some may only be confirmed by symptoms and a review of health history and full assessment.

The ultimate question is- how do we fix our hormone imbalance?

Fixing your hormones can be a tricky and intricate process. Hormones develop at all times and are sensitive to nutrition deficiencies, stress, toxins and more. The steps I recommend to balancing hormones are:

1. Check for red flags in your daily habits and lifestyle. Is there something that you are doing to your body daily that might be impacting your hormones? Main things to consider are: Exercise/Movement (or lack of); Sunlight (or lack of); Sleep (quality, duration, interruptions); Medications (many can affect hormones in a non-specific way); Supplements (these can be helpful, but also can be harmful); food intake (what you are eating, when you are eating, and even lack of eating); Stress (health anxiety, relationship stress, event planning, severe dieting, etc)

2. Try removing supplements or medications that aren't necessary in order to get a baseline for how your body is functioning. Included in this would be birth control, as this can affect your hormones natural ebb and flow, which can hinder its delicate balance.

3. Set a schedule- Try helping your hormones by working on setting more routines in your daily schedule. Eat mostly at the same times of the day, wake and sleep at similar times, and decrease chaos in your overall routine where you can (this includes setting boundaries around working hours too). If you have a set schedule and your hormones are "out of whack," you may need to consider a new schedule. You may need to adjust your morning high-intensity workout, as it may not be supporting your hormones right now. Or, you might need to consider resetting your bedtime to earlier, as your typical six hours of sleep may not be enough right now to help you reset and recharge. Consider what help you might need to ask for to improve your schedule, such as getting a nanny, seeking afterschool help or using time-saving options such as grocery delivery.

4. Track or log your daily intake and habits. This is helpful to do for a short period to see just what macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) as well as micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) you are getting in so that you can see where you might be deficient. It can help shed light on your typical food choices and where you need to adjust. Also, keeping track of things like sleep and exercise can also help you see patterns as well. Consider getting a FitBit, Aura Ring, Apple Watch or even a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) to help you obtain the data.

5. Consider your emotional, spiritual and mental health. In periods of high stress, disordered eating/exercise, age-related changes (puberty/menopause) or even after certain medication usage, it becomes important to stay on top of the other components of health. Take a hard look at yourself and think about how your mental health may have changed or how your diligence to spiritual devotion/prayer has been affected by your changes in life circumstances overall.

These are just a few ways your can work on hormone balance on your own. It is helpful to seek more direction from a health professional such as a doctor, dietitian, mental health professional, and even all of the above, to help create a comprehensive plan for you.