Women’s Hormone Imbalance: How to Support Your Hormones Naturally

What Causes Hormone Imbalance in Women?

Hormone imbalance happens when key hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol are either too high, too low, or out of sync with each other. This is different than the hormone fluctuations we expect to see throughout a woman's menstrual cycle.

In my practice I meet with women all the time who have been dealing with symptoms of hormone imbalance for months or even years before they seek help. Too often they think "it's just hormones" or after talking with friends they think it's normal to have bloating, fatigue, brain fog, or painful periods. These are all symptoms of a deeper issue within the body.

Common root causes include:

• Chronic stress and elevated cortisol

• Under-eating or blood sugar imbalances

• Gut health issues

• Toxin exposure from everyday products

Most of the women I work with are in demanding roles as caregivers, in their career, and used to pushing through when stress gets high. Maybe we can make it through this in our early 20s, but by 30 we're usually hitting overwhelmed and burned out.

Common Signs of Hormone Imbalance

• Fatigue

• Mood swings

• Bloating

• Weight gain

• Irregular cycles

Many of these symptoms are tied to estrogen imbalance—read more in my article Estrogen Imbalance Symptoms + How to Balance Estrogen Naturally

Will An IUD Affect Hormone Balance?

Hormones are important for many functions in the body, including:

• Energy

• Metabolism

• Mood + nervous system

• Long-term health

When a woman has an IUD or taking birth control, she is stunting the communication between the brain and ovaries to produce certain hormones. Depending on other factors in the body such as inflammation, gut health, stress, and toxin load - this can lead to a wide variety of symptoms.

👉 Read more about how IUD can impact women's health and hormones in my article here.

How to Support Hormone Balance Naturally

1. Eat Enough + Balance Blood Sugar

• Protein, carbs, fats. Balance between all of these is important for hormone balance. If you restrict a macro like carbs, it can quickly impact progesterone levels + mood.
  

• Avoid under-eating. Skipping meals or under-eating is one of the most common mistakes I see women make. Helping my clients to find a meal routine that fits with their life and busy schedule is one of the first things we work on together.

While there's more to eating for hormone health, especially as we age, a good place to start is cleaning up your diet from highly processed foods, added sugars, and ingredients you don't recognize. Include a variety of plants in your diet: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes. You can find plant-based, anti-inflammatory recipes by searching the Mediterranean Diet.

2. Reduce Chronic Stress + Support Your Nervous System

• Cortisol connection. Chronic stress directly impacts cortisol levels which can then impact on hormones like insulin, progesterone, estrogen, and melatonin.
  

• Overwhelm in busy moms. I'm right there with you and have struggled myself with cortisol dysregulation. If you feel this is a barrier for you, I recommend starting with my 4-week Nervous System Reset. A mini-course helping women regulate their nervous system and simplify routines.

There's a good chance you already know stress is a problem for you, but if cortisol dysregulation is at play - you likely won't see improvements with more "self care" time. You will need to support your nervous system first. You can learn more about how the nervous system and cortisol impact hormones here.

3. Prioritize Gut Health

• Estrogen connection. Your gut plays a key role in hormone metabolism—especially estrogen. There are certain microbes that can affect our body's elimination of estrogen.

  
  

• Bloating. Poor balance of gut bacteria (dysbiosis) can release damaging molecules into our bloodstream causing inflammation and affect hormones. These bacteria can also creep up our GI tract and contribute to chronic bloating and upset.

Most of the women I work with are able to see significant improvements in their digestion, bloating, and BM regularity within the first 4 weeks of working together. However, in some cases if dysbiosis or other gut conditions are present we may run gut health testing in order to identify and address deeper issues.

4. Support Detox Pathways + Reduce Toxin Exposure

• Liver support. The liver is amazing and resilient, but we still need to prioritize liver support. Eating clean, staying hydrated, avoiding toxins - all things mentioned above help to do this. In more severe cases we need to add specific supporting herbs, teas, or a clinically tested detox protocol.
  

• Environment + Everyday products (skincare, food, beverages, cleaning supplies, materials) can disrupt our hormones. They're called endocrine disruptors and many can mimic estrogen in our body.

If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve put together my favorite clean, non-toxic products I personally use in my home—browse them here

When to Get Hormone Testing Support

When symptoms persist. If you’ve tried “everything” and still feel off, it’s time to stop guessing. Without the right information and guidance, trying a new supplement or diet trend is like throwing a cup of water on a raging fire.

Why guessing doesn’t work. The majority of symptoms we tie with hormones overlap in what may be underlying. For example: low libido could be from low testosterone or it could be from cortisol dysregulation. (It can also be from low estrogen) - you see what I mean?

Hormone balance isn’t about doing more—it’s about addressing the right root causes. With the right support, your body can come back into balance.

If you’re ready for a personalized approach, learn more about my Hormone Testing + Nutrition Program

Have questions? Reach out to me at info@lizriesen.com

Liz Riesen, RD, CD

Registered dietitian and hormone health coach helping women to address hormone imbalances, increase energy, and lose weight naturally. As a busy mom, I know that you need a clear and realistic approach you can fit into a busy lifestyle. I developed my Foundations of Hormone Balance Method to do just this! Helping women feel confident and comfortable in their body and with food is my passion.

Follow me @LizRiesen