The Complete Guide To Balancing Your Hormones Naturally
How many times have you heard that your symptoms are “just part of being a woman”?
That it’s normal to suffer through crippling cramps, blinding headaches and skin breakouts when you get your period?
That it’s normal for the week before your period to be filled with unpredictable mood swings, tender breasts, bloating and digestion changes?
That trying to express yourself can be dismissed as simply “being hormonal”?
I want to let you in on a secret:
None of the above scenarios are normal. And none of them are simply ‘part of being a woman’.
They are a sign that you are suffering from a hormonal imbalance.
It is your birthright to expect drama-free periods, stable moods, clear skin and vibrant energy.
And it is possible to achieve this naturally.
I’m going to walk you through exactly what a hormonal imbalance looks like, what causes it, and the natural solutions to finding balance again. Ready to reclaim your life and be free of period symptoms? Let’s dive in!
Signs and Symptoms That You May Have a Hormone Imbalance
hair loss/thinning on the head
hair growth on the face, back and chest
period bleed lasts longer than 7 days or less than 2 days
difficulty falling pregnant
irregular period
heavy period
feeling cold all the time
hot flashes and waking drenched in sweat in the night
lots of clots in your period
changes to your period colour
mood swings
feeling stressed easily
low libido
missing period (common after stopping birth control)
weight gain/inability to lose weight
anxiety
insomnia
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
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 don’t 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.
By first learning to decode what your hormones are trying to tell you, we can then pinpoint the hormones which are likely out of balance for you and address these naturally.
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Step #1 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’. Let’s run through some normal cycle parameters so that you can determine where you fall:
The length of your period refers 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 (or 32). This is a huge misconception: that if your period isn’t 28 days, you aren’t 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 (which only 14% of the population actually have - think about that for a minute), 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 (like being under the pump at work), but may be physical (e.g. under-eating, over-exercising, not sleeping enough or being low in certain nutrients).
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?
Read on for how to address the impact of stress on your cycle.
Step #1 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’. Let’s run through some normal cycle parameters so that you can determine where you fall:
The length of your period refers 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 (or 32). This is a huge misconception: that if your period isn’t 28 days, you aren’t 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 (which only 14% of the population actually have - think about that for a minute), 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 (like being under the pump at work), but may be physical (e.g. under-eating, over-exercising, not sleeping enough or being low in certain nutrients).
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?
Read on for how to address the impact of stress on your cycle.
Step #2 To Decoding Your Period: What Does a Healthy Period Look Like?
Head on over to this blog post, to learn exactly what a healthy period blood colour should be, and how to observe your menstrual blood for signs that your hormones are out of whack.
Step #3: 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 (FSH) as several of your follicles (which contain eggs) begin their final race to ovulation. These growing follicles release the hormone estrogen in higher and higher amounts. Luteinising hormone (LH) 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.
As you can see, the delicate balance of hormones throughout the different phases of the menstrual cycle work in concert to orchestrate the process of ovulation and menstruation. This delicate balance can easily become disrupted, leading to hormonal imbalances. Let’s break down the key female hormones further and then explore what happens if they are out of balance.
Keen to get started balancing your hormones? Start balancing your hormones in a week with my 7 Day Hormone Reset mini-course.
The Key Female Hormones
Key Hormone #1: Estrogen
The first hormone is estradiol – this is the form of estrogen produced in the greatest amounts by women of childbearing age. Estrogen is considered the happy hormone, because it boosts neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which gives us a sense of pleasure and motivation. It is also great for:
strong bones
healthy heart
muscle development
feminine characteristics
Click here to learn how to reverse estrogen dominance naturally.
Key Hormone #2: Progesterone
The second key hormone is progesterone (which comes from the word “pro” - “gestation”) - the key role of this hormone is to sustain pregnancy; therefore, it is involved in sustaining a healthy uterine lining which is shed in the form of your period if your egg is not fertilised. Some of the benefits of progesterone include:
boosts body temperature and metabolic rate
reduces inflammation
builds muscles
promotes sleep
protects against heart disease
helps us deal with stress and anxiety
Key Hormone #3: Testosterone
The third key hormone is testosterone. Although testosterone is usually associated with men, women need it too. In healthy levels, testosterone supports:
Libido
Motivation
Mood
Energy
Muscle building
The final key hormone for your menstrual cycle is insulin. The role of insulin is to stabilise blood sugar levels, support energy production and distribution, and support your metabolism. When blood sugar levels are not stabilised (think chronic indulgence on high starch and sugar foods), insulin becomes less responsive in the body and can cause the following:
Poor blood sugar control
Mood swings
PMS
Poor concentration
Sugar cravings
Feeling sleepy after eating
Abdominal fat
Increased testosterone from ovaries
Irregular cycles
What happens when these hormones become imbalanced?
When there is an excess of estrogen in your system, this can lead to heavy and painful periods, sore breasts, PMS, and weight retention around thighs and hips. The causes of estrogen excess include higher production from ovaries and poor metabolism and detoxification.
Low estrogen can also have negative effects on your health, which include low libido, missing periods, or very long cycles. The causes for low estrogen include under-eating, over-exercising, stress, and smoking.
The consequences of low progesterone include PMS, spotting before period begins, anxiety, and prolonged bleeding. The causes of low progesterone include stress and not ovulating.
Having high testosterone can cause acne, male pattern hair growth, hair loss, and irregular cycles. It is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is associated with irregular cycles and excess androgens (male hormones).
Think you might have a hormone imbalance? Take my FREE 3-minute quiz to find out which one is causing your annoying symptoms (plus receive your personalised guide to healing your imbalance INSTANTLY)
Free 3-minute quiz
which hormone imbalance do you have?
Step #4: Learn How To Balance Your Unique Hormonal Imbalance Naturally
Balancing your hormones is a complicated process and takes time. It will often take up to 3 menstrual cycles to fully experience the benefits of bringing your hormones back in to balance. Unfortunately, there isn’t one quick fix or magic solution which will fix all of your period problems. Addressing diet, lifestyle, stress, exercise, mindset and emotional and spiritual health are the cornerstones to improving your hormone health.
To get you started, I’m sharing my top 6 tips to begin balancing your hormones naturally. These are a great place to start if you are new to hormonal imbalances, and will give you a taste of addressing your symptoms naturally.
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Hormone Balancing Tip #1:
Get off the sugar roller coaster
Eating large amounts of processed sugar and refined carbohydrates (like cakes, pastries, lollies/candy and soft drink/soda) 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.
reduce your intake of processed sugars like:
Soft drinks
Lollies
Chocolate
Pastries
Cakes
Added sugar and syrups (e.g. in your coffee and tea, on pancakes/fruit)
Alcohol, particularly mixed drinks
Hormone Balancing Tip #1:
Get off the sugar roller coaster
Eating large amounts of processed sugar and refined carbohydrates (like cakes, pastries, lollies/candy and soft drink/soda) 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.
reduce your intake of processed sugars like:
Soft drinks
Lollies
Chocolate
Pastries
Cakes
Added sugar and syrups (e.g. in your coffee and tea, on pancakes/fruit)
Alcohol, particularly mixed drinks
Hormone Balancing Tip #2:
Balance Blood Sugar
Having balanced blood sugar means that your body produces a normal insulin response when you consume food. A balanced meal includes good quality fat, protein, and fibre. A balanced plate might look something like this:
1⁄2 of your plate greens and vegetables
1⁄4 of your plate good quality protein
1⁄4 of your plate complex carbs (whole-grains and vegetable starches)
1-2 tablespoons of healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds)
Here at Nourished, we wanted women to have an easy way to get started on their blood sugar balancing journey. We created a 100% natural vitamin for you to get started on your journey. Click the button below to see more info and add our Blood Sugar Balance vitamin to your cart.
Hormone Balancing Tip #3:
Support hormone detoxification
Our liver and gut are the two major organs responsible for breaking down and clearing hormones once they have been used in the body. It's so important that these systems are working properly to prevent build-up of hormones which contributes to hormonal imbalances. Here’s a brief overview of how to support these two systems of detoxification.
LIVER SUPPORT:
Plenty of cruciferous vegetables: kale, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel's sprouts
Start the day with one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water to stimulate liver detoxification
Enjoy bitter foods like dandelion greens, rocket, green tea
Reduce the load on the liver: quit smoking, reduce/eliminate alcohol
DIGESTION SUPPORT:
Easy to digest, nourishing foods: soups, stews, bone broth, casseroles
Enjoy fermented foods like cultured, unsweetened yoghurt, kombucha, and sauerkraut
Reduce refined and added sugar intake
Try collagen powder to support the gut lining
Slippery elm bark powder – soothes an irritated gut: 1 tsp in glass of cold water, followed by lots of water
You can also consider supplementing with our Hormone Detox and Digestion vitamin. It’s 100% made in the USA, GMP certified, FDA approved and 100% natural!
Did I mention there’s free shipping worldwide?
Hormone Balancing Tip #4:
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 (our stress hormone). 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.
Try some of the strategies to help you manage stress:
Learn to say no
Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises
Protein with every meal to stabilise blood sugar and moods (important in reducing cortisol surges)
Regular exercise that you enjoy and is not too strenuous
Time outdoors: barefoot on the ground (this is great for helping ground yourself after an intense day)
When it comes to supplementation, ashwagandha is an incredible natural solution. Here at Nourished we have created the purest ashwagandga supplement on the market, our Calm + De-stress vitamin. It is made in the USA, FDA certified and 100% natural.
Hormone Balancing Tip #5:
Consider supplementing
The above suggestions will go a long way to improving your body's production and elimination of hormones. Consider these initial steps as the 'ground work' for hormone balance. If you have implemented all of these tips, your next step is to consider adding 1 or 2 high quality supplements in to your regime (Important note: please check with your health care provider before starting any new supplement regime)
Magnesium: wonderful in helping the body cope with chronic, ongoing stress as magnesium is used in the stress response. Magnesium bisglycinate form is best for most people as it causes the least disturbance to digestive symptoms. 300mg per day is an effective dose for most people.
Zinc: Great for acne and digestive issues. 30mg per day in citrate or picolinate form after food (taking on an empty stomach can cause nausea).
Iron: great for heavy periods, low iron stores and fatigue. Please have your iron levels checked through a simple blood test which can be requested through your health care provider. Bisglycinate form is best as it causes the least digestive issues. 24mg every second day away from caffeine is a good dose for most people.
Here at Nourished, we have created a high quality all round vitamin to support your hormonal health. Our Period Repair + Regulate vitamin is designed to support your period throughout your cycle.
All of our vitamins are 100% natural and FDA approved. We offer free global shipping on any order size, so give it a try.
Hormone Balancing Tip #6:
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 (around ovulation: mid cycle) and slower, more introspective times (around menstruation). 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 (mid cycle). 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.
Keen to dig your teeth into even more period loving content?
Take my free Hormone Imbalance Quiz to find out which imbalance is most likely for you
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TLDR:
What are the symptoms of hormonal imbalance?
What should I eat to balance my hormones?
How can I lower my estrogen levels naturally?
How Do You Balance Estrogen Levels?
How Do You Check Your Hormone Levels?
How Do You Fix Hormonal Imbalance?
Tamika Woods | Nutritionist
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For a decade, Tamika battled chronic acne, irregular cycles, mood swings, hair loss, painful periods, severe digestive issues and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). You name it - she's been there!
Tam was finally able to clear her skin, regulate her cycle, be free of period pain and fall pregnant naturally with her daughter in 2020. It took Tam 10 years and tens of thousands of dollars in tertiary education to get the answers she needed to get better. She didn’t want other women to suffer as long as she did which is why she has dedicated her life to helping women in the same position as she was.
Tam helps women interpret what their bodies are trying to communicate through frustrating symptoms, and then develop a step-by-step roadmap to find balance again. She's here to help you get on track!
Tamika Woods holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree (Nutritional Medicine) as well as a Bachelor of Education, graduating with Honours in both. She is a certified Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) Educator and a certified member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA).