5 reasons why most women fail at balancing hormones
The imbalance of hormones can lead to a variety of bodily issues. Therefore, it is important to recognise its symptoms. Check out the five reasons why most women fail at balancing hormones.
Hormones are substances that communicate with your organs, skin, muscles, and other tissues through your blood to coordinate various bodily functions. These messages instruct your body on what to do and when. Hormones are necessary for both life and wellness. When one or more of your hormones are either overproduced or underproduced, you have a hormonal imbalance. It's a general phrase that can refer to a wide range of hormonal disorders. Statistics show that 80 per cent of women suffer from hormonal imbalances. Some women live with these imbalances without even realising it; in fact, 70 per cent are unaware of conditions like PCOS that may have manifested due to hormonal irregularities. When hormones are out of balance they can lead to a variety of bodily issues such as breakouts, irregular periods, mood swings, insomnia and fatigue. (Also read: Top lifestyle mistakes that lead to hormonal imbalance)
Katie Stewart, Registered Nutritionist, shared five reasons why most women fail at balancing hormones on her Instagram page.
1. They skip healing the gut
• Healthy gut microbiome helps manufacture & control hormones.
• The gut regulates estrogen levels in your body thanks to the estrobolome.
• Estrobolome is a collection of bacteria that metabolize & moderate circulating estrogen.
• Too much bad bacteria can increase beta-glucuronidase which leads to estrogen dominance, acne, PMS, PCOS & endometriosis.
2. Closed detox pathways
• Liver has over 500 functions in the body including detoxification & filtration of hormones.
• Congested liver blocks detoxification which contributes to excess estrogens and testosterone and leads to skin issues like acne.
• Colon detoxifies via stool but if constipated, toxins/hormones reabsorb back into the body that was supposed to be eliminated.
3. Not fixing the right imbalances
• You need to know which of your hormones are out of balance and which way.
• Too much or too little estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, etc. each require a different approach.
• Blood sugar/insulin also needs to be regulated to support healthy androgen levels.
4. Blindly taking supplements
• Supplements are very individualized and need to be tailored to the person and their specific issue.
• Taking the wrong thing can do nothing (waste of money) or make an issue worse. Ex: taking a hormonal supplement created for estrogen dominance but your issue is testosterone.
5. They don't clean up their products
• Many skincare, beauty and cosmetic products contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic hormones in the body and contribute to/cause imbalances.
• Also found in pesticides, food or drink storage containers and cleaning products.