If you are a walking, breathing female, you have probably been told that your hormones were out of balance more than once. Or, if you have consulted Dr. Wiki or Dr. Google, you probably also thought that your tiredness/irritability/any emotion but a positive one/ was due to the fact that your hormones weren’t doing what they were supposed to.
Hormones. Get in LINE.
Endocrinologist (aka hormone expert) Dr. Rosie Worsley explains how the term “hormone imbalance” is frankly, misused: "There is no medical diagnosis for 'hormonal imbalance'," she says. "[It] is very imprecise. What hormone are you talking about? What sort of imbalance?” (1)
Touché, Dr. Worsley. Touché.
In other words, although the vast majority of us like to grossly oversimplify science, some parts of the human body are not exactly simple. In fact, there are 50 different hormones that help to govern human health, although when many are speaking about a hormone imbalance they are often speaking about the female-specific hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. Many of the Internet-searched fear-based hormonal claims are also related to a product. (Grrr…marketing!) Scared readers are much more likely to buy the cream or powder or supplement that is touted as a cure all.
One way to know if your hormones are in balance is if you are menstruating (obviously if this is the age bracket that you pertain to). Estrogen, testosterone and progesterone rise and fall at different points of every woman’s cycle. They can be low or high at specific points of the month and that ends up being what can be called “normal.” (2)
Although hormone balancing diets are all the range, it turns out there are none that exist that are scientifically backed. Eating well is good for you, but even if you eat all the seeds and pulses in the world, it doesn’t mean that you will change the level that your estrogen is meant to be at that particular time of month. Registered Holistic Nutritionist Jessica Dixon says her nutrition path supports “hormone health,” which perhaps more succinctly can be just “health.” She says: “As women we have this wonderful window in to our health through our menstrual cycle, I want to increase understanding and appreciation of our bodies and restore feminine vitality, not pushing for perfection, but aiming for balance in our everyday.” (4)
Robyn Stein Deluca wrote The Hormone Myth: How Junk Science, Gender Politics and Lies About PMS Keep Women Down. (For those that like soundbites rather than full length novels, the title is a doozy.) She concludes, “By embracing and promoting the truth, that reproductive hormones are not related to women’s mental health in any significant way, we can hail the reality that is clear to see: in all ways, most of us function at very high levels throughout our lives. This is the powerful truth about women.” (3)
I don’t know if people say mic drop anymore, but c’mon: Mic. Drop.
Well, you may be wondering, what is the best way to target your hormonal health? It’s an individual plan with a single answer: manage your stress levels. (2) Stress can affect the brain and disrupt the pathway between the pituitary gland and the ovaries, which can in turn, affect cycles.
Deep breaths and tracked periods – the key to any women’s health.
(For those outside of the menstrual window, there are also fluctuations in hormones that may be normal. Only a GP with experience in women’s health can help you to know the difference.)