Hormones are a popular topic in the world of health and wellness at the moment, and rightly so! Recently we surveyed nearly 3,500 women and found 86% of them experience hormone health concerns.
Off the back of this, I've just launched my latest nationwide tour 'The Hormone Secret' to support you in understanding why hormones are so important and how you can keep them healthy. This is information I feel every woman should know and I truly hope to see you all there.
I've talked about what hormones are and how they can become unbalanced before. Here are several hormonal imbalances we frequently see at the BePure Clinics, along with what their key drivers are and how you can support your body back to balance.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Premenstrual Syndrome, commonly known as PMS, describes a group of symptoms that occur at the end of the female menstrual cycle before menstruation. PMS affects 90% of women to some degree - it’s a big issue! I’ve heard the phrase “It’s just my PMS” too many times to count.
"PMS affects 90% of women to some degree."
While the severity of symptoms will vary, PMS affects around 20-40% of women with symptoms severe enough to interrupt daily life. Some examples include irritability, mood swings, sleep disturbances, breast tenderness and bloating.
"At the BePure Clinics, we commonly see PMS symptoms associated with either increased oestrogen and decreased progesterone, or both!"
The cause of PMS has been disputed in the research over the years, and like most health concerns, it appears to be multifactorial. As we learnt in my previous blog post about hormone health, your hormone levels fluctuate over the month and in most cases, are the cause of these PMS symptoms. At the BePure Clinics, we commonly see PMS symptoms associated with either increased oestrogen and decreased progesterone, or both!
"Increased oestrogen is becoming a much more prevalent issue – primarily as a result of our modern, toxic environment."
So, how do we get an excess of the oestrogen hormone?
It's primarily as a result of our modern, toxic environment and it's rapidly becoming a much more prevalent issue. Today, we are surrounded by chemicals which interrupt our hormone balance. These chemicals are called xenoestrogens and are found in man made materials. Some common examples are BPA in plastic water bottles and parabens and phylates in skincare products.
If you want to know more these chemicals and how to reduce them, take a look at 10 tips to low-tox your life. I also talk more about excess oestrogen in my blog post on oestrogen dominance.
What causes low progesterone?
"If you’re running away from a hungry lion, the last thing your body is worried about is reproduction!"
The main reason for low progesterone can be traced back to chronic stress. Our sex and stress hormones share the same precursors. When under stress, the female body will prioritise making stress hormones to prepare you for flight or fight. If you’re running away from a hungry lion, the last thing your body is worried about is reproduction! As a direct result, your body produces less progesterone – our all important calming hormone. We call this the 'pregnenolone steal.'
Heavy Menses and Endometriosis
Heavy menses (also referred to as a period) and endometriosis are also fairly common health concerns in the BePure Clinic. You can think of endometriosis as a more severe progression of a heavy period and both are a step up on PMS.
We tend to group heavy periods and endometriosis together as they are generally caused by similar hormone imbalances. The main symptom of endometriosis is severely painful and heavy periods and it is likely to be followed by spotting and bleeding between cycles. This pain and discomfort are often caused by the growth of menstrual tissue outside the uterus.
"The pain and discomfort associated with heavy menses and endometriosis are often caused by the growth of menstrual tissue outside the uterus."
It’s hard to estimate the number of people endometriosis affects as many women are undiagnosed. This is due to many reasons but for many women the progression of symptoms is slow. However, it’s believed that more than 40% of females who have very painful periods also have endometriosis.
What causes endometriosis and heavy menses?
In the BePure Clinic, we see endometriosis and heavy periods associated with excess oestrogen. We’re seeing a bit of trend here! I spoke above about where we get those excess oestrogens from. In the body we only need to use oestrogen once, then it is processed by the liver and expelled. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of xenoestrogens we are exposed to, our liver cannot keep up. It fails to detoxify these excess hormones and they circulate through the body. The natural function of oestrogen is cell growth, so if we have excess oestrogen in the body it can contribute to unnatural growth.
"In the BePure Clinic we see endometriosis and heavy periods associated with excess oestrogen."
Endometriosis is also thought to be linked to the immune system. It's the responsibility of the immune system to make sure that tissue from specific organs grows in the right place. In endometriosis, there is tissue growing where it shouldn’t be and it may be a sign of some dysfunction in your immune system.
The natural strategies for endometriosis are all about clearing your excess oestrogen. We need to give the liver the nutrients and support it needs to keep up with the demand and clear out those hormones.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a syndrome that describes a group of symptoms and affects between 5 - 10% of females. PCOS is usually defined by increased levels of androgens, lack of ovulation and potentially the presence of cysts. An early sign in adolescents may be menstrual cycle irregularity and the research shows there is also a high correlation between PCOS and being overweight.
"Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a syndrome that describes a group of symptoms and affects between 5 - 10% of women."
What causes PCOS?
The main cause of PCOS is actually unstable blood sugar levels which over a long period of time cause insulin resistance. If our body can no longer respond to daily fluctuations in blood sugar levels it often leads to long term weight gain.
It’s these unstable blood sugars that have been shown to increase the level of androgens, which are a group of hormones including testosterone and DHEA.
"The main cause of PCOS is actually unstable blood sugar levels which over a long period of time cause insulin resistance."
PCOS is commonly associated with dysfunctional adrenal glands. Testosterone (one of our androgens) is made in the adrenal gland. If we can sort our adrenal function out, it should help to balance our hormones overall.
What can we do to improve our hormone balance?
We know from our work in the BePure Clinic that symptoms of hormone imbalance syndromes can be improved with lifestyle and dietary measures. Here are some of the things we suggest to our clients:
- Start by cutting out the biggest liver loaders; caffeine and alcohol. We want our liver to expend its energy detoxifying estrogen, not caffeine and alcohol. I have seen this make a significant impact on many women’s PMS symptoms.
- Stabilise blood sugars! You can do this by eating for your macronutrient type. Eating the right mix of protein, fats and carbohydrates for your metabolism and genetics is the best way to maintain stable blood sugars and stable blood sugars mean balanced hormones.
- Avoid processed foods (especially refined sugar). Instead, aim to include whole foods and whole grains which give our body more nutrients and keep us feeling full for longer.
- Supplement with magnesium. Research has shown that magnesium supplementation can improve the symptoms of PMS. BePure One has 250mg of Mg in it as well as plenty of b-vitamins.
- Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables are the most nutrient dense food and contain particularly high levels of b-vitamins, helping to improve the symptoms of PMS. I like people to be having these with every meal!
- Supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega-3s will decrease inflammation in the body, improving hormone imbalance symptoms. BePure Three is a molecularly distilled high strength fish oil.
- Enjoy daily exercise that is right for you. This is especially great for improving the mood aspect of PMS. Exercise is important for healthy body systems. It activates the lymphatic system to help the body’s detox pathways, it’s critical for mood and can help increase insulin sensitivity.
- Look after your gut health. 70% of our serotonin, our happy hormone, is made in the gut. This means identifying food sensitivities and including probiotic foods and bone broths.
Disclaimer: These suggestions are not intended to treat or cure, they're intended to help alleviate or support your symptoms. If you suspect you have a hormonal imbalance or are currently struggling with any of these symptoms please seek assistance. You can contact your GP, health care provider, or the BePure team at info@bepure.co.nz.
