Women can often tell when they have a hormonal imbalance—it feels like something is just off. Hormone fluctuations affect almost every aspect of a woman’s life, from physical to mental health. It’s widespread too. Statistics show that 80% of women suffer from hormonal imbalance.
Despite it being an unwritten part of the female experience, a hormonal imbalance goes undiagnosed most of the time. But when it starts to cause health issues, you can’t ignore it anymore.
Luckily, balancing your hormones is easier than you think. With the right foods, vitamins, and female hormone balance supplements (like our birth control detox), you can get your health back on track. So read on, and we’ll tell you the steps you can take to fix a hormonal imbalance. Plus, we’ve rounded up the best foods and the best hormone support supplements to help you regain the balance.
What is hormonal imbalance?
Too much or too little hormone in your bloodstream creates a hormonal imbalance.
Hormones have an essential role: They’re the messengers within the body that tell your organs and tissues how to function. Humans house 50 types of hormones, but we’re going to focus on estrogen and progesterone. When a hormonal imbalance occurs, this means the endocrine glands aren’t working, shifting estrogen and progesterone levels. (Endocrine glands are cells that produce, store, and release hormones into the bloodstream.) Therefore, if you have an imbalance, your organs and tissues can’t compute the message of how they’re supposed to work. This causes side effects throughout the body. Just like when you and your partner don’t communicate your problems, hormonal imbalance sends the whole dynamic out of whack.
What causes hormonal imbalance?
Since a hormonal imbalance in women is so common, there are many possible causes for it. Some include:
- Eating disorders
- Poor diet
- Being overweight
- Stress
- Injury/trauma
- Exposure to toxins, pollutants, or chemicals (pesticides and herbicides)
Some medical conditions that cause it:
- PCOS
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Hypothyroidism/Hyperthyroidism
- Other endocrine disorders
How to know if you have hormonal imbalance
Women experience the effects of hormonal imbalance from their teenage years to their 40s. Oftentimes, they aren’t even aware of it. Here are some signs of hormonal imbalance to look out for:
Hormonal imbalance symptoms
- Irregular menstrual cycles (a menstrual cycle is anywhere between 21 and 35 days. If yours is any shorter or longer than that, your hormones are likely unbalanced)
- Heavy periods
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- PMS
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Acne
- Hair loss
- Low libido
- Infertility (read this for ways to increase fertility)
Hormone balance tests
The safest way to check if you have a hormonal imbalance is by booking an appointment with your doctor. Depending on your symptoms, they might send you for a blood test, ultrasound, or pap smear.
You can also take matters into your own hands by ordering an at-home hormone test. Thyroid tests, female hormone level tests, and cortisol tests are available for sale. Consider the following brands: Modern Fertility, Let’s Get Checked, myLAB Box, and Everlywell.
Foods that balance hormones in females
- Cruciferous Vegetables
People with excess estrogen should eat cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, and radishes. All these vegetables contain a chemical called Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which breaks down estrogen and promotes liver function to detox extra estrogen.
2. Flaxseed
As a phytoestrogen, flax seeds regulate hormones by aiding in digestion. They make sure that excess estrogen goes down the toilet — literally. Flax seeds can also help regulate menstrual cycles.
3. Turmeric
Turmeric and hormone balance go hand in hand. The plant powder has incredible anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and liver detoxification properties to help with painful periods and fertility. It also blocks endocrine disruptors (harmful pollutants from our environment) from impacting our health.
4. Spearmint Tea
If you’re looking to decrease testosterone, try drinking spearmint tea. It’s commonly prescribed to people with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) as it increases the hormones to help women ovulate.
5. Avocado
Stressed out? Eat avocado. High in beta-sitosterol, avocados can control cortisol (the stress hormone). It also contains healthy fats and plant sterols, which stop estrogen from absorbing and kickstart progesterone production.
6. Red Wine
We know you’ll like this one: Red wine can actually help with hormonal imbalance. Resveratrol, a compound found in red grapes, can even out androgen levels. Happy hour = happy hormones! Remember to consume in moderation.
Best supplements for hormone balance
While eating hormone balancing foods certainly promotes hormone balance, you still might not be getting all the nutrients you need. The only way to ensure you’re consistently balancing hormones is by taking female hormone balance supplements. Supplements are also an easy way to control symptoms of hormonal imbalance, like relieving PMS, painful periods, acne, and more.
But before starting to use any of these supplements, it’s important to consider your personal hormonal imbalances, symptoms, and needs. Also, be sure to ask your doctor before adding new supplements, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or have another condition. So what supplements are good for balancing hormones? Here are the 10 best hormone balance supplements you should take.
Magnesium
Taking magnesium for hormone balance regulates cortisol (the stress hormone) and estrogen while producing testosterone and increasing DHEA and serotonin. The recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 320mgs per day.
Vitamin D
According to a study in the journal Nutrition Research, 41% of Americans are vitamin D deficient. This is especially true in the wintertime as we primarily get vitamin D from the sun. As a hormone in itself, vitamin D can aid in estrogen imbalance. So if your body isn’t producing enough estrogen (causing depression, hot flashes, mood swings), you need to try taking vitamin D.
Diindolymethyl (DIM)
If you don’t want to eat broccoli or cauliflower to help your hormonal imbalance, you should take Diindolymethyl (DIM) supplements. Made of cruciferous vegetables, DIM hormone balance supplements are often used to help women with elevated estrogen levels.
DHEA
Although the body produces DHEA hormone naturally, you need to make sure you have a lot in your system. DHEA is the most prevalent hormone in your body and affects all your other hormones. If you have low levels of DHEA, your body will struggle to make enough of your other hormones. Therefore, you’ll need to take a DHEA supplement to fix and prevent a hormonal imbalance.
Probiotics
Gut bacteria break down hormones and remove them from your blood. There’s a microbiome in the gut called estrobolome, which regulates estrogen. If it becomes unbalanced, it can cause Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Studies have shown that probiotics improve the estrogen cycle in the gut microbiome in rats with this condition.
The gut is also responsible for ensuring we’re absorbing nutrients and supplements properly. Since nutrient deficiencies are often the underlying cause of hormonal imbalance, we need to take probiotic supplements to replenish bacteria.
Maca
Maca root is an excellent herbal remedy for hormonal imbalance. Taking maca root for hormone balance helps regulate menstrual cycles and is proven to relieve symptoms of menopause. Maca, a sweet root from Peru, also has the following hormonal benefits:
- Clearer mind/better memory
- Balances mood
- Improves PMS
- Helps with fertility
- Gives you more energy
Be careful though: maca can make some women feel sick. Make sure the maca supplement contains pure maca and that you take it on a full stomach.
Chaste Tree
This traditional herbal supplement is a great choice for women with high estrogen/low progesterone. Chaste tree supplements target the pituitary gland to increase the luteinizing hormone (LH) and progesterone and stimulate ovulation. It also works to alleviate symptoms of PMS.
Licorice root
Licorice root is one of the best herbs for hormone balance because it lowers testosterone. It makes it a great supplement for those with PCOS, PMS, and menopause.
Licorice root also curbs sugar cravings. As you read above, sugar can further irritate those with hormonal imbalance. So it’s a great way to keep symptoms at bay.
Indium
Indium has been called a “miracle element” because it balances out 23 of the 24 hormonal systems in the body. Unfortunately, our bodies don’t produce indium past the age of 25, so it’s important to take a supplement to balance hormones.
Premama Balance
If you’re looking to balance your hormones and don’t know where to start, try Premama Balance. Our drink mix is designed and clinically proven to help regulate hormones by naturally eliminating unnecessary hormones. It’s also a great first supplement to take after going off birth control.
New balance
Hormonal imbalance is a common condition that makes women feel like their minds and bodies are out of whack. Curing it is not beyond your control, and you don’t necessarily need medication or therapy. Adding any of the 10 best supplements for hormone balance should drastically improve your lifestyle by decreasing symptoms. Most importantly, they’ll make you feel balanced and better than before.
Before taking matters into your own hands, talk to a physician or naturopath to determine what supplements are right for you.