Changing hormones is a reality that every individual need to face. That’s the thing, you’re going to experience changing hormones at every milestone. And they don’t always happen in an orderly way. Doctors refer to changing hormones as a symphony of music. However, they don’t always happen in harmony.
This is because we all have different glands in the endocrine system that produce distinct hormones with different effects. Just like different instruments, with unique sounds in an orchestra. And what happens when the orchestra doesn’t play harmoniously? You will get really loud or soft, fast or slow, uncoordinated sounds.
The body’s hormonal system works much the same. Whether or not you’re focused on your hormones, everybody starting from their early twenties must know how to handle changing hormones. Guess what? Hormones control who you are. They affect the body’s crucial functions such as mood, health, and behavior. Therefore they are humans’ most sensitive chemical messengers. In fact, you will experience changing hormones throughout your life, so be sure you know how to handle them.
Changing Hormones And How To Tackle Them
Don’t fall victim to the misconception that changing hormones only occur during puberty or when you hit menopause or your fifties. They can change at any given time. Experts state that women’s cycles and hormones affect their moods and behavior. This is because the female body is an ecosystem and hormones nourish and inform the system as a whole.
Sure, it is going to take you some time to learn how your changing hormones function and how to handle them. But once you start trying to understand them, soon you’ll get the hang of it. Doctors suggest keeping a very close eye on the cycles and rhythms of your body. This is the quickest way to tap into your personal biological intelligence. Trust us when we say that it’s easy to ignore your changing hormones because of the stress of life. Luckily, as far as women go, most of us are quite closely connected to our hormones and bodies.
Awareness Is Key
However, there’s still more for you to learn. It may be beneficial for you to seek a doctor who can help increase your awareness of changing hormones. We live in a heated, microwave environment where everything happens instantly. Filled with distractions, extreme stress, harmful chemicals, radiation, and unhealthy Western diets. That’s why both men and women need to be on top of their changing hormone game! It is very important that you do this by examining your fertility health, especially during your 20s when you’re setting the stage for your overall wellness.
When you’re young, you forget about how important it is to nurture your ability to reproduce. This is primarily because you are at a point in your life where you truly only care about you. That’s okay. You should be selfish during your twenties because it’s where you build a solid foundation for your future. However, don’t forget to share some love with your own body.
Family physicians explain that reproductive health is your health, and maintaining it isn’t any different than exercising or eating a healthy diet. This doesn’t mean that you need to be interested in having children now or anytime soon. But you do need to ensure your hormones are healthy. You see when you’re in your 20s, your body is still trying to function as if it’s capable of producing healthy offspring. That’s what the body does.
The body lives to create more life, so it makes perfect sense.
Understanding Your Body’s Changing Hormones
There are a few hormonal changes that most women are expected to encounter throughout life. That’s why we have listed what experts say to be must-know information and tips for a lifestyle that promotes optimal hormonal processes.
A good place to start is by getting familiar with the most vital hormones. Experts state in Vogue that the below hormones are key to a healthy and happy existence.
Estrogen
This is the primary female sex hormone produced in the ovaries. Estrogen plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy menstrual cycle and bone density. Better yet, it also helps regulate a woman’s mood.
Progesterone
Just like estrogen, progesterone is produced in the ovaries and is also vital to happy changing hormones.
Testosterone
Both men and women have testosterone in their bodies because it is crucial for developing lean muscle mass, burning fat, and boosting libido. Just in case you thought it was only present in men’s testes, note that it’s also produced by the ovaries in women. This hormone then gets released into the bloodstream in small quantities.
Cortisol
What’s stress? This is where stress starts and ends.
We all need to have small amounts of cortisol in the body as it helps to regulate blood sugar and the immune system. However, a rapid increase in cortisol can be very damaging because high cortisol levels can cause you a lot of unnecessary health issues. Experts generally associate raised cortisol levels with everything from experiencing feelings of fear, panic, depression, impaired memory, and a low immune system.
Thyroid Hormone
These are changing hormones found in the thyroid glands. This hormone is what keeps the body in balance by regulating functions like breathing, heart rate, metabolism, and body temperature.
DHEA
If you’ve never heard of this one, don’t worry because many people do not know about it. DHEA is relatively unknown and is also called dehydroepiandrosterone and is a hormone precursor. This means that it helps to set off the reaction that will produce other hormones, including testosterone and estrogen. Therefore, DHEA is especially important when the body is about to go through puberty.
However, it also serves a protective role against stress and helps to maintain the immune system throughout your life.
Pay Close Attention To Your Moods And Cycles
As I said, you will experience changing hormones for your whole life. The advantage here is that the body generally acts in patterns and you can identify what it’s doing if you pay close attention. When your hormones rise and fall during the menstrual cycle, you will likely experience a chain of events. These are all influenced by the fluctuations of key hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. As well as hormones produced in the brain, like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
These changing hormones all help regulate the function of the ovaries and help trigger ovulation when it’s time. Doctors start that the first few days during your cycle, you tend to feel the happiest and most energized. This is because there’s a gradual increase in estrogen and serotonin.
In fact, during the very brief ovulatory phase of our cycle, the release of estrogen can result in a noticeable increase in libido for some women. However, the last days of the menstrual cycle show a decrease in estrogen and a rise in progesterone. Your mood automatically shifts to feelings of increased anxiety, irritability, and stress.
Identify What Makes You Feel A Certain Way
Every woman has certain triggers. Identifying specific menstrual cycle phases can be helpful for predicting hormonal responses, however, hormones are very sensitive. Changing hormones are not always predictable either. That’s why many women experience irregular cycles that can trigger a disruptive feedback loop that can be challenging to reverse.
Experts explain that women may experience fluctuations in mood, anxiety or depression, irregular or painful periods, headaches, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues, as well as an increase in hair growth on the face and chest. These are all signs of a hormonal imbalance.
This is your body’s way of trying to tell you that its chemical signals are not working well. There are generally external triggers causing this to happen. Things like high stress, hormonal birth control pills, disorders impacting the endocrine glands, poor diet, and environmental hazards like phthalates and BPA.
Have Regular Check-Ups
Every woman and man should go to the doctor for a hormonal check-up. Both sexes experience changing hormones and we often don’t know what’s going on inside. Remember, you can’t change what you don’t know. But testing your changing hormones will give you a better idea and will allow you to see whether you’re producing the right hormones at the right time.
Identify Deficiencies To Create Change
You’ll also be able to highlight possible deficiencies that may need to be addressed. Doctors test your changing hormones through blood, saliva, or urine – as simple as that! However, these tests will have a great long-term impact on important personal issues, like fertility. And you might even be able to prevent an array of problems after just one test.
The longer a woman has consistent hormonal imbalances, the more difficult it can be to correct certain issues. That’s why it’s imperative to go and get examined regularly. Just don’t get obsessive. Doctors advise against this because it might further disconnect a woman from her own experience.
The point is that every woman must investigate why she is experiencing certain changing hormones. Especially if it’s for fertility reasons. Knowledge is power and will help you to identify certain patterns. Usually, it’s a collection of triggers and not just one.
Stress Triggers Changing Hormones
If you’re extremely stressed out then you need to get a grip on it now. It’s no joke. Reducing stress is vital since higher levels of cortisol are linked to memory loss and brain shrinkage before the age of 50.
Experts state that exercise is best for lowering high levels of cortisol, establishing daily restorative practices like meditation, and cutting down on excessive use of smartphones.
Diet And Supplementation Is Everything
Try not to overlook this step, even if you’ve heard it one hundred times. Changing hormones and balancing them can help stabilize what’s going on in your body. Focus on what you eat daily, how you stay hydrated, and the quality of your sleep. If any of these are sub-par they will have a drastic impact on changing hormones.
Doctors recommend a gut-friendly, anti-inflammatory diet that’s free of highly processed foods and rich in healthy fats. These are the building blocks of all hormones. You also need to eat lots of lean protein and take probiotics daily.
Your best bet for balancing changing hormones is eating copious amounts of cruciferous vegetables. These include broccoli, cauliflower, and fermented foods like kimchi. Experts also recommend supplements including B vitamins and magnesium, which is a key nutrient in protecting and supporting the thyroid. You should also focus on eating adaptogens, including calming ashwagandha and PMS-alleviating chaste tree berries.
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