17,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Ratgeber
- Sprache: Englisch
Achieve balance and improve your health, mood, vitality and energy from within
Hormones are your body's chemical “messengers,” the regulators of essential functions like metabolism, reproduction, mood, and growth. But, in our 24/7, hyper-connected modern world, many of us increasingly find ourselves in situations of chronic stress that can imbalance or disrupt our bodies' natural hormonal balance.
In Hormone Balance For Dummies, renowned hormone health coach Isabella Mainwaring delivers an accessible and exciting new take on hormonal imbalance. You'll discover why hormone balance is so important for you and contributes to everything from the maintenance of a healthy weight to fertility, mental wellness, and overall health. The author goes beyond diet and lifestyle to offer practical nervous system regulation tips and dive deep on available treatment options for hormonal imbalance.
In the book:
- Find out why stress, poor gut health, medications, toxins and unprocessed emotions and trauma can negatively impact your hormonal balance
- Be proactive in managing your hormone health to ensure robust health and wellbeing throughout life
- Explore traditional and alternative therapies for hormonal imbalances, including somatic work and EMDR
Perfect for men and women of reproductive age, and anyone else interested in their own health and wellness, Hormone Balance For Dummies is a must-read roadmap to improved wellbeing, mood, energy, and a brand-new lust for life!
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 620
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
Ähnliche
Hormone Balance For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Hormone Balance For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond This Book
Where To Go From Here
Part 1: Understanding Hormone Balance and Why It’s Important
Chapter 1: Hormone Balance for Life
Defining
Hormone Balance
Knowing When Your Hormones Are Off Balance
Maintaining Hormone Balance
Why Hormone Health Matters More Than Ever
Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Endocrine System
Understanding the Major Hormones and Their Jobs
Getting to Know the Different Types of Hormones
Reviewing the Function of Your Endocrine Glands and Organs
Keeping Time with Your Hormonal “Clocks”
Chapter 3: Meeting the Hormone Hierarchy
Understanding the Cooperative Nature of Hormones
Supporting Hormone Metabolism and Excretion
Chapter 4: Understanding Sex Hormone Transformation
Reviewing the Stages of Female Hormonal Transformation
Understanding Male Hormonal Transitions
Chapter 5: Linking Hormone Health to Overall Health
Nervous System
Digestive System
Immune System
Lymphatic System
Reproductive System
Skeletal System
Cardiovascular System
Integumentary System (Skin)
Respiratory System
Urinary System
Your Senses
The Power of Exercise
Part 2: Investigating the Rising Rates of Hormonal Issues
Chapter 6: Examining Escalating Rates of Global Reproductive Challenges
Rising Reproductive Health Issues for Women
Rising Reproductive Health Issues for Men
Chapter 7: Unpacking Global Crises in Health
Understanding the Global Metabolic Health Crisis
Assessing Adrenal Dysfunction
Declining Mental Health
Chapter 8: Understanding Your Unique Hormonal Profile
Investigating Influences before Birth
Considering Early Life Influences
Understanding Genetic Contributions
Chapter 9: Overloading the Nervous System
Meeting Your Nervous System
Defining Stress
Exploring the Influence of Unresolved Trauma
Revealing the Influence of Unprocessed Emotions
Exploring the Relationship between Anger and Disease
Examining Treatment Options
Chapter 10: Endangering the Gut and Its Microbiome
Getting to Know The Gut-Brain-Endocrine Axis
Understanding What Influences Gut Health
Restoring Gut Health
Chapter 11: Unpacking Modern Life’s Impact on Our Ancient Hormones
Lifestyle Changes
Lack of Purpose and Fulfilment
Speculating about the Increase in Hormone Imbalances
Part 3: Interpreting Your Symptoms
Chapter 12: Understanding Your Reproductive Hormones
Examining the Male Hormone Cycle
Examining the Female Hormone Cycle
Empowering Women to Cycle Sync
Understanding the Impact of Birth Control on Your Hormones
Understanding Perimenopause and Menopause
Chapter 13: Preventing the Long-term Risks of Imbalance
Detecting Whether Your Hormones Need Attention
Determining When to Seek Professional Help
Chapter 14: Empowering Yourself with or without a Diagnosis
Harnessing Self-Testing
Using Other Key Tests
Part 4: Create Your Hormone Balancing Action Plan
Chapter 15: Turning Intention into Action
Knowing You’re Not Broken
Creating Your Action Plan
Customizing Your Action Plan
Chapter 16: Taking a Root-Cause Approach
Setting the “Domino Effect” in Motion
Chapter 17: Hacking Your Hormone Hierarchy
Getting Your Blood Sugar under Control
Regulating Your Stress Hormones
Boosting Happy Hormones
Supporting Your Detox Organs
Chapter 18: Fostering Hormone Balance in Teenagers
Appreciating the Importance of Hormone Health in Adolescence
Educating to Empower
Protecting Mental and Emotional Well-being
Chapter 19: Maintaining Hormone Balance in Older Age
Understanding Hormone Replacement Therapy
Powering Up with Diet and Lifestyle Interventions
Protecting Mental and Emotional Well-being
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 20: Ten Essential Habits for Hormone Health
Setting Up Your Hormonal Clock
Eating Adequate Protein
Getting Off Blood Sugar Rollercoasters
Reducing Your Toxic Load
Supporting Your Lymphatic System
Meeting Your Inner Voice
Doing More of What You Love
Working With the Nervous System
Harnessing the Power of 30 for Gut Health
Detoxing from Dopamine
Chapter 21: Ten Myths about Hormone Health Debunked
Genetics Determine Your Destiny
Stress Doesn’t Impact Your Hormones
You Can’t Fix Your Hormone Levels Naturally
You Can’t Fix Your Metabolism Naturally
Birth Control Fixes Hormone Imbalances
You Can’t Fix Infertility
Hormone Imbalances Are a Natural Part of Aging and Can’t Be Treated
You Can Fix Cortisol Levels with Supplements
Only Women Need to Worry About Estrogen Levels
You Need a Diagnosis in Order to Act
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 15
TABLE 14-1 Example Symptom Tracking Log
TABLE 14-2 Example Habit Tracker
Chapter 19
TABLE 19-1 Potential Age-Related Consequences
List of Illustrations
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: The circadian rhythm.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: The hormone hierarchy.
FIGURE 3-2: The HPA axis feedback mechanism.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Anovulatory cycle.
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: Insulin resistance.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: States of arousal according to the polyvagal theory.
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: The gut-brain axis.
FIGURE 10-2: GI tract.
FIGURE 10-3: The mechanics of leaky gut syndrome.
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12–1: Male versus female hormone cycle.
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15-1: The journey to success isn’t a straight line.
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16-1:
How insulin works.
FIGURE 16-2: The glucose family tree
FIGURE 16-3:
The blood sugar roller coaster.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
Pages
iii
iv
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
367
368
369
370
Hormone Balance For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies.
Media and software compilation copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies.
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit https://hub.wiley.com/community/support/dummies.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number is available from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-394-30374-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-30376-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-394-30375-5 (ebk)
Introduction
It’s been incredible to watch hormone health emerge from the shadows and take center stage over the past 15 years. At 13, I found myself grappling with debilitating metabolic, reproductive, and mental health issues, only to be told by specialists that my test results were “normal,” my symptoms were “just part of being a woman,” or that I’d eventually “grow out of it.” (Spoiler: I didn’t.) Patients like me, who refused to settle for these dismissive explanations and pushed relentlessly for answers, have helped drive this conversation forward. At the same time, emerging research began highlighting the vital role hormones play in our overall health and longevity. Advances in testing have allowed us to measure and monitor hormone levels with greater accuracy and autonomy than ever before. This collective effort has sparked a much-needed wake-up call, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of hormone health.
My search for answers has revealed that our hormonal apparatus evolved to suit a world far different from the one we live in today. While our ancestors faced physical exertion, intermittent food availability, and natural stressors, modern life presents an entirely new set of challenges: processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, a loneliness epidemic, chronic stress, and environmental toxins. Our hormones are simply ill equipped to handle this new state of affairs.
The consequences of the mismatch between our biology and modern environment are staggering. Chronic hormone-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are now leading causes of death globally, with rates of infertility and reproductive conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis skyrocketing. According to the World Health Organization, heart disease alone claims the lives of around 18 million people each year, while type 2 diabetes affects over 537 million adults worldwide and is responsible for nearly 2 million deaths annually. Both conditions often stem from metabolic dysfunction caused by modern dietary habits and lifestyles. I’ve come to learn that our hormones are alarm bells, warning us through uncomfortable symptoms that our current way of living is incompatible with our biology.
So, whether you’re dealing with specific symptoms, a hormone-related condition, or disease, or you’re simply looking to optimize your health and longevity, Hormone Balance For Dummies is your comprehensive guide to understanding these alarm bells. This book goes far beyond the mainstream, cookie-cutter advice to dive into the often overlooked and intricate web of biological, psychological, and social root-cause factors such as negative self-talk, generational trauma, unprocessed emotions, poor gut health, processed foods, exposure to toxins that mimic our hormones, and so much more.
Taking the first step toward cultivating a hormone-supportive lifestyle may feel daunting, but once you begin, you’ll find it’s easier than you think. The physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of supporting your hormones are incredibly rewarding. In fact, these positive habits can become quite addictive because you’ll soon find yourself with more energy, capacity, confidence, and clarity than ever.
However, there’s no need to overhaul everything in your life all at once. In fact, I recommend starting slow and gradually introducing new, healthy habits at a pace that feels comfortable for you. This isn’t a diet or short-term fix; it’s a new way of life that you can adapt to gradually. You’ll find plenty of guidance in this book on how to create sustainable habits and release those that no longer serve you. For example, one week you may start by swapping out conventional cleaning products for natural alternatives. Then the following week, you could add a short walk after meals to reduce blood sugar spikes.
The key to success with hormone balance is consistency, not perfection. Every small change will add up over time. Modern life hasn’t been designed with our optimal health in mind, and it’s easy to get swept up in busy schedules. However, illness, a diagnosis, or disruptive symptoms can serve as the wake-up call you need to start prioritizing yourself. Let this book inspire you to gift yourself the opportunity for better health now and in the future.
One of the best things about the For Dummies series is that its format is incredibly straightforward and easy to navigate. Whether you’re skimming for a quick answer or diving deep into a chapter, you’ll find clearly defined sections and plenty of real-world examples that make understanding the complex world of hormones easier than ever.
Foolish Assumptions
When writing this book, I made the following assumptions about you:
You may have heard of hormone health but likely don’t know much beyond what was covered in high school health class. Don’t worry — I break down new concepts and terms as they come up.
You’re likely dealing with symptoms of hormone imbalance and are open to seeking solutions. This book offers practical guidance — everything from where to seek professional help to diet and lifestyle changes you can realistically implement in your daily life.
Even if you don’t have noticeable symptoms right now, you’re interested in using the latest science to optimize your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. You’re keen to prevent future health issues and maximize your vitality and longevity.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book you'll see the following icons to draw your attention to certain paragraphs.
This icon highlights key points or essential pieces of information that help you gain a better understanding of hormone balance.
When you see this icon, it flags practical advice or crucial information for putting hormone balance tips and tricks into practice.
This icon gives you technical information or terminology that may be helpful to level-up your knowledge but isn’t necessary to your understanding of the topic.
This icon warns against potential problems (for example, common misconceptions that might lead you down the wrong path).
Beyond This Book
This book will always be here for you to refer to, offering guidance and reassurance as you navigate each stage of your hormone journey, so you can adapt your approach as your needs evolve. For more information, you can check out the accompanying Cheat Sheet, which contains important information that you may want to save somewhere, print out and refer to on a regular basis. Go to www.dummies.com and search for Hormone Balance For Dummies Cheat Sheet.
Don’t forget to explore the online appendix, which you can find at www.dummies.com/go/hormonebalancefd. It’s full of resources that will help you select healthy foods and safe, natural products for personal care and household cleaning. It outlines key endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and processed ingredients to avoid as well as practical steps for minimizing their impact on your body. Each list is designed to empower you to make healthier choices that fit within your lifestyle and budget, prioritizing options that support hormone balance and overall wellness.
Where To Go From Here
This book has been intentionally structured to build a strong foundation of knowledge, helping you understand the intricate, interconnected nature of hormones before diving into specific symptoms and solutions. By guiding you step-by-step through the basics, complex topics, and practical advice, the chapters are designed to equip you with a comprehensive understanding so you can create an effective, personalized hormone balancing action plan. Whether you’re starting from scratch, seeking deeper insights on specific issues, or looking for actionable strategies, I encourage you to follow the flow of the book while skipping past sections irrelevant to you. I cross-reference chapters frequently throughout the book, guiding you to other places where you can find additional insights or related information.
Keeping a positive attitude and finding some humor in hormone imbalances will help you a great deal, which is why the Dummies series continues to present complex topics in a lighthearted, accessible way. At times, you may feel like doing anything but laughing. I know; I’ve been stuck in the Valley of Despair, too. But scientific research is clear about the benefits of a positive attitude, not only for hormone health but also for achieving successful outcomes and long-term goals. Studies show that people learn and retain information more effectively when humor is part of the process, making the journey to hormone health feel lighter and more enjoyable. In a nutshell, those who laugh are the ones who last!
Part 1
Understanding Hormone Balance and Why It’s Important
IN THIS PART …
Discover what hormone balance for men and women really means and why it’s so critical for long-term health.
Get to know your endocrine (hormone) system and the powerful hormones that regulate everything from stress and sleep to reproduction and metabolism.
Explore the hormone hierarchy and how imbalances in one or two key hormones can trigger a domino effect in your body.
Navigate the stages of hormonal transformation from puberty to menopause or andropause (yes, men’s hormones change too!) and learn how these transitions impact your mental and physical health.
Understand the profound link between hormone health and overall health and how imbalances can drive symptoms and diseases you may not have connected to your hormones before.
Chapter 1
Hormone Balance for Life
IN THIS CHAPTER
Finding out what hormone balance means
Understanding how to detect when your hormones need attention
Appreciating why maintaining healthy hormones is important
Clarifying the unique risks of imbalance for men and women across life stages
For thousands of years, Homo sapiens (that’s us!) thrived through movement, deep social connections, and striking a delicate balance between short-term survival needs and long-term rewards. Our bodies evolved under conditions of high physical activity, close-knit communities, and a natural rhythm that ebbed and flowed between periods of work and rest. In this environment, our hormones were perfectly tuned to keep us functioning at our best.
Today, our lifestyle looks drastically different, even though our hormonal machinery remains unchanged. Instead of working with the land and moving under the sun, we order groceries online, sit for hours glued to screens, and have traded active, community-centered lives for a world driven by instant gratification and digital connectivity. While these conveniences have certainly made life easier, they’ve also disrupted the natural rhythms our hormones depend on, leading to imbalances that show up in our energy, mood, fertility, metabolism, and so much more.
This chapter dives into the essentials of hormone balance and why it’s vital at every stage of life. You find out how these chemical messengers influence your mind and body, identify signs of imbalance, and discover why investing in your hormonal health is one of the most rewarding choices you can make — helping you feel, look, and live at your absolute best.
Defining Hormone Balance
Hormone balance is a dynamic concept that intertwines both the body’s natural functions and social or cultural expectations. Physiologically, it refers to a state where hormones covered in this book, such as insulin, cortisol, testosterone, dopamine, and estrogen interact smoothly, supporting mental clarity, energy, stable mood, fertility, metabolic health, and many other processes.
However, because of the public’s growing awareness of the power of hormones and the pressure that modern life is putting them under, the concept of “hormone balance” has been shaped over the past decade or so by societal ideals of wellness.
Real hormone balance is less about achieving the fantasy of a flawless biological state and more about building mind and body resilience. Real balance is a flexible, evolving foundation that supports you through life’s demands, pressures, and natural hormonal shifts as you age. Each person’s hormonal profile is as unique as a snowflake, with no two exactly alike. This means that what balance looks and feels like for you may be entirely different from someone else because it’s shaped by your lifestyle, genetics, personal rhythms, and preferences.
Honoring all experiences
This book specifically focuses on hormone health for cisgender male and female bodies. Hormone health is deeply individual, and the experiences of transgender and nonbinary individuals are unique and complex, each deserving thoughtful, dedicated exploration. While covering all identities in detail is beyond the scope of this book — which already ambitiously spans the full range of two genders across their lifetimes — my hope is that you’ll still find valuable insights and guidance here to support you on your health journey.
Therefore, when I refer to male bodies, I mean AMAB (assigned male at birth), and I mean AFAB (assigned female at birth) when referring to female bodies. These terms help us consider biological aspects while honoring all gender identities. This book has been written with the hope that everyone feels welcome and empowered to explore their unique relationship with their body and its health. For example, some transwomen engage in practices covered in the following chapters, such as “cycle syncing,” to connect with feminine energy and honor their gender identity — an inspiring illustration of how public conversations about gender are becoming more sophisticated and inclusive.
Introducing your hormones
Everyone has a miraculous, self-governing endocrine (hormone) system that is focused 24 hours a day and 365 days a year with helping your body function properly. The endocrine system (which Chapter 2 describes in more depth) produces and releases over 50 different hormones — the body’s chemical messengers.
Each hormone has a unique role and works to keep you feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically balanced. From insulin managing your blood sugar levels, to cortisol helping the body respond to stress (physical or psychological), hormones are at the heart of how we experience our health, energy, and resilience daily. They even impact your senses!
While measuring and tracking hormones has been historically challenging due to their fluctuating and often subtle nature, innovations covered in Chapter 14 are now emerging that could transform the way we test and monitor them, offering relief to millions struggling with symptoms and hard-to-diagnose conditions. With these advancements, our understanding of these powerful substances continues to grow, shedding light on their complex roles and methods of communication.
Clarifying the components of balance
In our younger years, a balanced hormone profile supports growth, development, and healthy reproductive capabilities. As we age, our hormonal needs evolve, and balance means preserving energy, muscle mass, bone health and overall wellness to keep us feeling healthy and happy. Key indicators of this balance include stable energy, a positive and adaptable mood, restful sleep, clear skin, and a sense of calm and fulfilment.
Hormone health at any stage is the result of a complex interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors — a dynamic bio-psycho-social system. Therefore, true hormone balance requires a holistic approach that recognizes the intricate connections between your biology, mindset, and social environment.
Biological factors
Hormone health is driven by a complex network of biological processes, including genetics, which can set the stage for specific hormonal patterns or conditions. However, genes alone don’t tell the whole story. Lifestyle and environmental factors can alter gene expression through epigenetics, a dynamic process explored throughout this book.
Our hormones also follow natural biological rhythms, which are easily disrupted by poor sleep, excessive screen time, shift work, or chronic stress. These disruptions can lead to metabolic issues, inflammation, and reproductive challenges. For a deeper dive, check out Chapter 2 on hormonal “clocks,” Chapter 8 on genetic influences, and Chapter 14 on testing options. Additionally, the body needs to efficiently process and eliminate hormones once they've done their job. Chapter 3 covers this detox process and offers practical ways to support your body’s natural cleansing systems.
Psychological factors
Chronic stress, unprocessed emotions, and unresolved trauma can lead to long-term issues such as fatigue, irregular or painful periods, mood disorders, and even hormone-driven diseases. Our sense of purpose and self-worth also play crucial roles in modulating hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin — the “happy hormones” that contribute to our resilience and sense of fulfilment.
Additionally, the addictive pull of short-term rewards from social media, gaming, endless news cycles, or pornography creates dopamine-driven feedback loops that amplify stress and disrupt hormone regulation, particularly in young adults. Chapter 9 explores the critical link between the nervous system and hormone regulation, and Chapter 17 offers practical strategies for managing stress and building long-term resilience.
Social (and environmental) factors
Strong social connections can buffer stress and boost oxytocin release, fostering a sense of safety and belonging. However, the modern epidemic of loneliness is driving up levels of cortisol, undermining our immune function, depleting energy, and eroding overall resilience. At the same time, our environment presents new challenges to hormonal balance; toxic diet and comparison culture, sedentary lifestyles, and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals all contribute to a disrupted hormonal landscape. For instance, urban living often limits access to green spaces and nature, which are essential for supporting mood-regulating hormones and promoting a sense of well-being.
My point here is that biology, mental health, and environment are deeply interconnected; they form a dynamic system where each part influences the others. Chapters 6, 7, and 11 explore the rising rates of hormone imbalances and delve into how these bio-psycho-social shifts are impacting our hormonal health in profound ways.
A root-cause revolution
Western medicine, as valuable and miraculous as it is, is focused on treating symptoms and disease rather than preventing them. It’s mostly curative in focus, rather than preventative, and therefore, often fails to recognize this intricate bio-psycho-social interplay, address the root causes of hormonal imbalances, and view the body as a holistic, integrated entity. Therefore, it’s important to engage confidently with healthcare professionals to benefit from sophisticated, evidence-based therapies, while also taking proactive individual steps toward hormone balance.
Your head might be spinning at this point, but I promise that hormone balance doesn’t need to be super complicated. In fact, it can be approached in a straightforward, accessible way by focusing on root causes. The root-cause approach involves identifying and addressing the fundamental factors that impact multiple hormones simultaneously, creating balance more naturally and sustainably.
Part 4 focuses on these core aspects so you can create the conditions for your hormones to regulate themselves, minimizing the need for ongoing intervention.
Knowing When Your Hormones Are Off Balance
Hormone imbalance symptoms are surprisingly common in otherwise healthy individuals. They often serve as the body’s early warning signals that something is off. Whether they manifest as fatigue, mood swings, low libido, afternoon energy crashes, irregular periods, or changes in weight, these signals are your body’s way of communicating that something may not be right with your delicate endocrine system. Tracking your symptoms regularly (using the guidelines provided in Chapter 15) and familiarizing yourself with what they may mean (covered in various chapters such as 6 and 13) are the most crucial tools in understanding and managing your hormone health.
Body awareness and symptom tracking are the missing links that connect the data from tests (covered in Chapter 14) with how your body actually feels, helping you fine-tune your treatment, management, or prevention plans. No test will ever be able to offer the full picture without the context of how you feel on a day-to-day basis. So, by keeping a log of your symptoms (you find out how in Chapter 15), you begin to build a map of your body’s natural rhythms and responses to your diet, lifestyle, time of the month, or stress. It also helps you identify patterns that might be missed in a one-off doctor’s visit or a single lab test.
Stuck with symptoms
No matter the current state of your hormone health, there are so many effective strategies you can put in place to actively manage and, in many cases, reverse your symptoms. If you experience regular discomfort, the first step is to identify and document them. Noting these details, especially when speaking with a medical professional, can help determine whether the symptoms indicate a hormone imbalance or align with the pattern of a more serious, hormone-driven condition or disease.
This distinction is crucial. Imbalances, conditions, and diseases each require different levels of support. Hormone imbalances can often be addressed with lifestyle changes to diet, sleep, exercise, and stress management that support your body’s natural ability to rebalance itself. Hormone-driven conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), may require a more targeted approach that combines lifestyle shifts with specific interventions to prevent further progression. Then, hormone-driven diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or thyroid disorders, often require medical intervention, medications, or specialized treatment in addition to lifestyle changes to restore and maintain health.
Hormonally driven conditions
When left unaddressed, hormone imbalances can evolve from pesky symptoms into more persistent conditions such insulin resistance. They happen when hormone levels are consistently too high, too low, or erratic, creating stress within the body’s internal systems. Unlike temporary symptoms that may fluctuate (say perhaps, in line with your menstrual cycle), conditions involve chronic patterns that interfere with normal bodily functions and are a sign your body’s regulatory mechanisms are struggling to keep up.
For many people, these conditions can initially seem manageable but may gradually impact quality of life as symptoms become more pronounced. For example, high estrogen levels in women might stimulate the growth of fibroids, which are noncancerous tumors in the uterus. Addressing these conditions typically requires a combination of lifestyle changes and, in some cases, targeted medical interventions to support the body’s efforts in restoring balance.
Hormonally driven disease
When imbalances and conditions progress further, they can lead to hormonally driven diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, and certain hormone-related cancers. They represent much more serious disruptions in the body’s systems that require comprehensive, and often medical, support.
For example, untreated insulin resistance can progress into type 2 diabetes, while prolonged thyroid dysfunction such as Hashimoto’s or other thyroid diseases can significantly impact your long-term well-being and require regular monitoring and an ongoing commitment to lifestyle changes to manage symptoms and improve outcomes. While medical support is often essential, lifestyle choices will always play a crucial role in managing these diseases. This combined approach gives the body the resources and stability it needs.
Finding hope and success amid a diagnosis
Receiving a diagnosis isn’t the end of your journey. It’s the beginning of a path toward transformation and healing. It offers clarity and direction, empowering you to take control of your health. With the right knowledge, support, and lifestyle changes, many symptoms can be managed or even reversed, giving you the tools to improve your physical and mental health.
Maintaining Hormone Balance
While conventional approaches — such as medication for thyroid issues — are undeniably valuable in managing and alleviating symptoms (particularly in acute or severe cases), over recent decades, both the general public and medical professionals have lost sight of the personal power people hold to prevent hormonal imbalances and address root causes simply through daily choices.
In previous generations, people had the luxury of living in relatively nontoxic environments, free from today’s barrage of processed foods, toxic 24/7 news cycles and hormone-disrupting chemicals. We need to accept that the landscape has changed. We can no longer afford to be passive about our health, assuming that Western medicine alone will patch things up. Chapters 6, 7, and 11 explore how our fast-paced, convenience-driven lifestyles have led to a reliance on quick fixes — something that offers immediate relief — but the inescapable truth is that the pressures of modern life place significant strain on our bodies. Now, more than ever, taking proactive, informed action is essential for maintaining balance.
Finding motivation
Finding your “why” for this journey is essential, whether it’s the desire for more energy, improved mood, better sleep, boosting fertility, losing weight, or setting yourself up for great health in later life. Your why serves as your North Star — the guiding motivation that keeps you focused and resilient through the inevitable ups and downs of this lifelong journey.
What many of my clients find reassuring to learn is that the human body possesses a remarkable ability to regenerate itself. For example, I shocked my general practitioner by reversing my post-pill PCOS and healing the multiple cysts on my ovaries by staying dedicated to this work. Your body wants to heal and self-repair, you just need to give it the right support. Of course, while not all diseases or more serious conditions can be entirely reversed, some can, and these interventions will certainly help alleviate symptoms and optimize your health.
Taking radical responsibility
What I hope I have been making clear is that your body is not betraying you; it’s merely responding to the environment and circumstances in which it has been placed. Yes, modern life has put incredible strain on your hormones. Yes, the available information is often confusing. And yes, it’s easy to feel lost in a medical system that often treats your body as a series of isolated parts rather than an interconnected system. However, you have endless opportunities to use the knowledge you’ll gain throughout these chapters, listen to your body, identify root causes, and begin making necessary changes.
Taking radical responsibility for your health isn’t about blaming yourself when things go wrong. (You want to reduce stress levels, and blaming yourself won’t do that!) It’s about owning your power in every situation and seeing obstacles as opportunities to rise rather than as reasons to give up or as evidence that it won’t work out for you.
Short- versus long-term measures
Achieving lasting hormone health requires a blend of both short- and long-term strategies. By addressing immediate needs while also investing in sustainable habits, you can create a strong foundation for lifelong well-being:
Short-term measures
, such as using birth control for painful periods, taking targeted supplements, or practicing stress-relief techniques, offer quick relief and help manage acute symptoms. While these solutions can make the journey smoother, they’re only part of the equation and aren’t sufficient for lasting balance on their own.
Long-term measures
, such as prioritizing balanced, nutrient-dense meals, committing to quality sleep, resolving past trauma, processing stored emotions, and building muscle mass (all covered in
Part 4
) are the true pillars of sustainable hormone health. It’s this consistent dedication to hormone-supportive lifestyle changes that ultimately fosters resilience and sets the stage for lifelong balance.
Why Hormone Health Matters More Than Ever
Unfortunately, existing passively in the modern world is almost a guaranteed recipe for imbalance and disease. We’re surrounded by factors that chip away at our hormonal resilience, making issues such as PCOS, thyroid disorders, infertility, low sperm counts, and metabolic diseases more common than ever before. Achieving hormone balance is no longer just a wellness trend or “nice to have.” It’s a critical necessity and form of self-protection that builds a foundation for long-term vitality and disease prevention both for you and future generations.
Taking control of your hormones means stepping back into the driver’s seat of your health, unlocking your full power, confidence, and potential. You deserve nothing less than to be at your best — feeling energized, resilient, and unstoppable.
Long-term risks of imbalances
Hormonal imbalances have a cascading effect that can compromise long-term health and resilience across a wide range of bodily systems. For instance, autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus are closely tied to hormone fluctuations — particularly cortisol, which can intensify autoimmune activity and inflammation.
Metabolic disruptions, especially those involving insulin and leptin, can pave the way for serious conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), leading to progressive liver inflammation. Cardiovascular health is equally dependent on hormonal equilibrium; imbalances in cortisol and insulin can drive high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (unhealthy cholesterol profiles), which ultimately increase the risk of heart disease.
Chapter 13 explores these issues in greater detail, covering signs and symptoms of chronic inflammation, imbalances, conditions and diseases, guidance on when to seek professional help, and practical advice on choosing the right support for your journey.
Gender-specific risks
For men, imbalances in testosterone and cortisol have a profound impact on overall health. Low testosterone levels may result in a loss of muscle mass, reduced energy, diminished libido, and lower sperm quality, all of which impact vitality and fertility. Chronic elevation of cortisol also raises the risk of cardiovascular problems and metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
In women, fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol present unique challenges. A decline in estrogen, particularly during and after menopause, increases the risk of osteoporosis due to its effect on bone density. Excess estrogen, exacerbated by xenoestrogens (environmental chemicals that mimic estrogen) and poor gut health, can raise the risk of estrogen-dominant cancers and conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis. Low progesterone contributes to menstrual irregularities, mood disturbances, and fertility issues. Chronic cortisol imbalances can lead to weight gain, osteoporosis, and reproductive health disorders such as PCOS.
Balance: A gift that keeps on giving
Maintaining healthy hormone levels requires consistent care and attention. Life changes — such as aging, starting a new diet, landing a promotion, or divorce — can disrupt your hormonal harmony. The key is learning how to tend to your hormones throughout all stages of life, ensuring they remain resilient and adaptable to whatever comes your way to reduce the risk of developing more severe diseases and conditions in the future.
When your hormones are balanced, you feel energized, clear-minded, and confident — ready to fully embrace life and share your unique gifts with the world. The symptoms you may currently face will become valuable guides as you make your way through this book, pointing you toward toward areas of growth and transformation.
Chapter 2
Getting to Know the Endocrine System
IN THIS CHAPTER
Meeting the major hormones and their jobs around the body
Exploring how hormones are made and travel to their destination
Understanding the functions of your endocrine glands and organs
Getting to know your hormonal “clocks”
Everyone has a miraculous, self-governing hormone system known as the endocrine system that is focused on helping your body function properly. Its network of hormones, organs, and glands works 24/7, all year round. In fact, there are more than 50 different hormones that play a vital role in various processes in your body. Yeah, once you dive into the world of hormones it can get overwhelming and confusing pretty fast. But, luckily for us, hormones operate in a hierarchical structure, which means that focusing on a key group of hormones is not only more manageable but often enough to make a significant impact on your overall health. By targeting these core hormones, you can address many foundational aspects of hormone balance, which in turn helps regulate other hormones and bodily processes. Think of it like a positive domino effect, where adjusting these core hormones sets off a chain reaction, helping other hormones naturally fall into balance. It’s a targeted approach that simplifies hormone health, empowering you to make meaningful changes without the overwhelm of micromanaging each hormone.
In this chapter, I introduce you to the major hormones in your endocrine system and explain the roles that they play in helping your body maintain homeostasis (balance). You’ll get to know what your hormones are made from, the various endocrine glands and organs that build and secrete them, as well as the different biological clocks that turn hormones on or off and up or down to keep everything running smoothly and regulating processes such as sleep, energy, reproduction, and metabolism.
Understanding the Major Hormones and Their Jobs
Hormones are signaling molecules created by endocrine (hormone-producing) glands that travel via the blood and other bodily fluids to arrive at their destinations and affect nearly every process in your body. As chemical messengers, their role is to coordinate and regulate processes by sending signals from the endocrine system to various organs and tissues to ensure that the body functions properly and responds to internal and external signals, such as the sunrise or eating a meal. Most hormones work by telling different organs and systems when to start or stop certain activities. Some hormones even interact with each other.
So, in this section, I introduce you to the body’s major hormones and break down our current understanding of their different roles across the body.
Stress hormones: Cortisol and adrenaline
Two of the most well-known hormones are cortisol and adrenaline, which play important roles in your fight/flight/freeze/fawn response. You’re probably familiar with feeling your heartbeat increasing before a big sporting event, as you prepare to talk in front of a crowd, or when you experience sexual attraction. These are just some of the reactions in your body driven by these two powerful stress hormones.
Although it’s often seen in a negative light, stress isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, in moderate amounts, it can be incredibly beneficial, helping to sharpen your focus and boost energy.
Cortisol
Cortisol is often referred to as the “primary stress hormone” because of its extremely influential effect on your body. In a nutshell, its job is to keep you alive, healthy, and safe from threats, whether they’re real, imagined, or perceived (meaning they may not be objectively dangerous but are interpreted as threats based on past experiences or trauma; read more in Chapter 9). As I explain in Chapter 3, cortisol is a tier 1 hormone, meaning it’s a pretty big deal in the hormone hierarchy! It can be helpful to think of it like a team leader who helps coordinate the other hormones and sets long-term strategies to ensure everything runs smoothly over time. Given cortisol’s central role in maintaining hormonal balance, I dedicate significant attention to explaining the different ways it impacts your hormonal health in Chapter 16 and offer practical solutions in Chapter 17. For now, here are some of its key functions:
Regulating production of other hormones:
Cortisol helps your body quickly and effectively respond to internal or external changes, threats, or dangers by regulating the production of other hormones, such as melatonin, testosterone, hormones, estrogen, and progesterone. Read
Chapter 3
to find out more about how this works.
Regulating metabolism:
To ensure that you have enough energy to handle prolonged stress or react quickly to danger, cortisol helps regulate how your body uses fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and influences your blood sugar and insulin levels. Read
Chapters 16
and
17
for more details.
Impacting inflammation:
During stress, cortisol reduces inflammation by suppressing the immune response, helping to prevent overreactions that could be harmful. However, when you’re exposed to prolonged stress and high levels of cortisol, your tissues become less sensitive to cortisol, and inflammation increases.
Controlling the sleep-wake cycle:
The secretion of cortisol by the adrenal glands follows a daily rhythm when healthy and balanced, peaking in the early morning to wake you up and gradually decreasing throughout the day to prepare you for sleep.
Managing stress: Cortisol levels increase during stress, providing a burst of energy by increasing blood sugar levels and enhancing your brain’s use of glucose. It also suppresses nonessential functions, such as digestion and reproduction, to prioritize your body’s immediate survival.
Adrenaline (epinephrine)
Whereas cortisol is a team leader, adrenaline is part of the emergency response team. When an immediate threat arises, adrenaline rushes to the scene, acting quickly to address the crisis and mobilize resources. It takes cues from cortisol, ensuring that emergency actions align with the broader needs of the body and together, they ensure that you’re ready to handle whatever challenges you may face.
Adrenaline’s roles include the following:
Increasing heart rate:
Adrenaline ensures that more blood — and therefore more oxygen and nutrients — reaches your muscles and vital organs.
Expanding air passages:
It relaxes the muscles around your airways, allowing more air to enter your lungs and increasing oxygen supply to your body.
Enlarging pupils:
Adrenaline dilates your pupils, improving your vision and allowing you to better assess the situation.
Redistributing blood to muscles:
To prepare you for quick physical action, adrenaline redirects blood from nonessential areas (like your skin and digestive system) to your muscles.
Mobilizing energy stores:
It helps your body get quick energy by breaking down stored sugar (glycogen) into glucose in the liver and muscles. It also releases fat from fat cells, giving your body even more fuel to handle stress.
Blood sugar hormone: Insulin
Insulin is another team leader (read about tier 1 hormones in Chapter 3), but it’s widely misunderstood and often demonized in discussions about insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As a powerful and essential hormone for maintaining overall hormonal harmony, insulin deserves closer examination, which is why I delve deeply into its role and regulation in Chapters 16 and 17. For now, the key point to embrace is that when insulin balance is disrupted, your body provides key insights through symptoms, signaling what it may need to restore equilibrium. Let’s explore its role in more detail:
Regulating blood sugar levels:
When you eat, your food breaks down into glucose, increasing your blood sugar levels. Insulin is released by the pancreas to help transport glucose from the bloodstream into your cells, providing them with energy and lowering blood sugar levels back to a safe range. However, if your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or if your cells become resistant to its effects (a condition known as insulin resistance), blood sugar levels can remain elevated in an unhealthy range. This can lead to metabolic complications, such as prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Storing and using energy:
Think of insulin as a master planner for energy storage and use. It signals cells to take in glucose to be used for immediate energy or stored for the future. When your body has enough energy, insulin helps store excess glucose in the liver and muscles as glycogen. It also promotes the storage of fat for long-term energy reserves.
Regulating metabolism:
Insulin plays a central role in regulating metabolism, but it doesn’t work alone. It interacts closely with other hormones, such as cortisol, to control the body’s use of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, ensuring efficient and balanced energy production (refer to
Chapter 16
for further explanation). This interaction with cortisol is crucial because cortisol can raise blood sugar levels during stress, while insulin helps to counterbalance this effect by enabling cells to absorb glucose.
Promoting cellular growth and repair:
Insulin encourages the absorption of amino acids into cells, which are the building blocks for proteins and are essential for repairing tissues and promoting growth.
Influencing other hormones:
Insulin not only helps control blood sugar but also influences other hormones. It works with glucagon, which raises blood sugar, by telling the liver to release stored glucose. This teamwork keeps your blood sugar levels steady all day.
Clues about the body’s needs: Imbalances in insulin levels can signal what your body needs — more muscle, more movement, better sleep, or less stress. I talk about how to read your body’s signals in Chapters 15 and 16.
Precursor hormones: Pregnenolone and DHEA
A “precursor” is something that leads to the creation of something else. Think of it like the dough for a pizza: Before you can have a delicious pizza, you need the dough as the base.
Similarly, precursor hormones are the basic ingredients or the raw materials that your body uses to produce the final, active hormones that perform various functions in the body. By understanding and managing the precursor hormones, you can influence the production and balance of the other active hormones.
Pregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are the two of the most influential precursor hormones that form the foundation for much of the body’s hormone production.
Pregnenolone
Known as the “grandmother of all hormones,” pregnenolone serves as the starting point for the synthesis (creation) of many other hormones, including DHEA, progesterone, and cortisol. Pregnenolone’s other roles include
Improving brain function:
Pregnenolone is important for thinking and memory. It protects neurons, which are the cells in your brain that send messages and helps create new connections between them. This keeps your mind clear and sharp.
Balancing mood:
By contributing to the production of progesterone and other hormones, pregnenolone helps to stabilize mood and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
Boosting energy and stamina:
By aiding in the production of other important hormones, pregnenolone contributes to better overall energy levels, increases stamina, and reduces fatigue, making it easier to stay active and alert throughout the day.
Dehydroepiandrosterone
DHEA, which is often called the “mother of all hormones” because it’s the daughter of pregnenolone, is the powerful precursor to sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Its other roles include the following:
Supporting immune function:
DHEA stimulates the production and activity of immune cells, such as T-cells, which are essential for fighting off infections and diseases.
Enhancing mood and energy levels:
By influencing the production of sex hormones, DHEA plays a role in maintaining mood stability and energy levels. Adequate levels of DHEA can enhance the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are often called “happy hormones” and are covered later in this chapter. Additionally, DHEA helps combat fatigue by supporting adrenal function and promoting better stress resilience, contributing to an overall sense of vitality and mental clarity.
Promoting muscle and bone health:
DHEA is essential for preventing conditions such as osteoporosis and maintaining muscle mass and bone density as you age. It promotes muscle growth by reducing the breakdown of muscle proteins.
Now, you might be thinking that taking a DHEA supplement could be a quick way to support your hormones. However, supplementing with DHEA isn’t generally recommended because it can disrupt your body’s natural hormone balance and lead to unwanted side effects. Exceptions exist in specific therapeutic contexts, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms, where DHEA can sometimes be safely applied under medical supervision. For most people, though, it’s much more effective to focus on lifestyle strategies that naturally support healthy DHEA levels — such as stress management, adequate sleep, and regular exercise — as outlined in Part 4 of this book.
Reproductive hormones: Estrogen, progesterone, androgens, and testosterone
Most people are first introduced to hormones in school during sex education, where they learn about sex hormones as they enter puberty. But what many aren’t taught is that these hormones are responsible for so much more than your reproductive health and awkward teenage changes. They influence everything from mood to muscle mass and even how bodies respond to stress! What’s fascinating is that these hormones aren’t static; they change as you grow and age, adapting to your body’s evolving needs. (I go into much more detail in Chapter 4.)
In the following overview of the reproductive hormones, for simplicity, I will only be focusing on cisgender male and female bodies. I acknowledge that the experiences of transgender and nonbinary individuals are complex and deserve their own dedicated exploration, which is beyond the scope of this chapter. When referring to male bodies, I mean AMAB (assigned male at birth); I mean AFAB (assigned female at birth) when referring to female bodies. These terms recognize the biological aspects of sex assigned at birth while being inclusive of all gender identities.
Estrogen
Although it’s often seen as the “female” hormone, estrogen plays important roles in both male and female bodies. To keep things straightforward, I discuss estrogen as a single hormone, even though it actually refers to a group of hormones, including estradiol, estrone, and estriol, each of which has unique functions and varying significance at different life stages.
Estrogen in female bodies does the following:
Regulates the menstrual cycle and reproduction: Estrogen is crucial for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and menstrual cycle. It helps prepare the body for pregnancy and ensures that the entire process runs smoothly. Additionally, estrogen can boost libido in women, contributing to sexual desire and overall sexual health.
Protects bone health:
Estrogen acts like a structural engineer, ensuring your body’s framework (bone density) remains strong and resilient. It helps prevent the breakdown of bone tissue, which is why female bodies experience an increased risk of osteoporosis during menopause, when estrogen levels drop significantly.
Improves skin and hair:
It stimulates the production of collagen, a protein that maintains skin elasticity and firmness, keeping your skin looking youthful and radiant. It also helps with the hydration and thickness of your hair, giving it that healthy shine and reducing hair loss.
Aids brain function:
Estrogen plays a significant role in cognitive functions, including memory and mood regulation. It supports neuron health (the cells in your brain that send messages) and contributes to mental sharpness and emotional stability. Balanced estrogen levels are linked to better cognitive health and a reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This is also why many women experience memory issues and “brain fog” during menopause; the decline in estrogen levels can affect brain function and cognitive clarity.
Regulates fat distribution: Estrogen helps manage body fat distribution in women, reducing the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area and promoting a more balanced distribution of body fat. This contributes to a healthier body composition and reduces the risk of metabolic disorders.
Estrogen in male bodies works alongside testosterone to help maintain healthy libido and sexual function. It also supports bone health, aids brain function, and regulates fat distribution. Low levels of estrogen can lead to reduced sexual desire and erectile dysfunction.
Progesterone
Progesterone is the calming, reliable, behind-the-scenes force that ensures everything runs smoothly. It’s diligent and stabilizing, and its presence is crucial for maintaining both mental and physical balance in the body, as well as supporting a healthy pregnancy.
Progesterone in female bodies
Regulates the menstrual cycle and pregnancy:
Progesterone helps regulate the menstrual cycle and is essential for maintaining pregnancy. It helps ensure there is a stable and supportive environment for the embryo, reducing the risk of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy.
Balances mood:
Progesterone is like nature’s little chill pill. It has a profound calming effect on the brain by interacting with GABA receptors (a neurotransmitter that acts as your brain’s “calm-down” signal, reducing excitability and promoting relaxation). Progesterone reduces anxiety, and improves sleep quality, helping to keep you relaxed and balanced, especially during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle for women when its levels peak. This can help mitigate premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, such as mood swings.
Supporting thyroid function:
It plays a crucial role in supporting thyroid function, which is essential for regulating your energy balance and metabolism. Its role is to help convert inactive thyroid hormones (T4) into their active form (T3), preventing symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, weight gain, and depression.
Breast health: Estrogen encourages breast tissue to grow while progesterone helps keep this growth in check, ensuring that breast tissue grows and maintains itself properly. This balance reduces the risk of developing noncancerous breast conditions and may also lower the risk of breast cancer.
In male bodies, progesterone:
Supports sexual health:
