By Megan Perez, dietitian at Nourishing Minds Nutrition

Note from Megan:

Hormones are one of my favorite topics to nerd out on! I’m incredibly passionate about using intuitive eating, along with lab analysis, targeted supplementation, gentle nutrition, and stress management to help balance hormones. I’m so passionate that this blog post just became too long, and I had to break it up into 2 parts. Part 1 will focus on the hormones that most commonly affect the women we serve at Nourishing Minds Nutrition. Part 2 will explain how intuitive eating can help with hormonal imbalances! Stay tuned next month when Part 2 is released.

Hormones

Hormones are chemical messengers in our body, which means they travel through your body to different tissues and organs with signals to initiate a process or function. Hormones are responsible for regulation of growth and development and help to maintain homeostasis or “balance.” For example, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a hormone that signals to the thyroid to make T4 and T3 when they are needed. Our body is FULL of hormones. There are different hormones for different systems such as reproductive or endocrine. Hormones have become a pretty well-known word in the health and wellness space over the last several years. It is very common for clients to tell me that they feel their hormones need balancing or their hormones are “out of whack.”

There are a few ways to tell if your hormones are, in fact, out of whack. While blood tests or a hormone test such as the Dutch test are the most accurate ways, there are also some questions I like to ask to get an idea of what could be going on with hormones. A few examples of these questions include:

-Are you getting a consistent period?

-What is your period like?

-What is a typical day of eating like for you?

-How long do you go between eating?

-How do you feel throughout the day?

The clients we serve at Nourishing Minds Nutrition typically come to us with hormonal issues related to eating disorders, chronic dieting, and under-eating and can show up as imbalances in blood sugar regulation, sex hormones, and stress hormones. Symptoms may include fertility issues, hair loss, weight fluctuations, fatigue, low sex drive, excessive sweating, feeling cold, and problems with sleep just to name a few. These are the groups of hormones I will focus in Part 1 of this series.

Blood sugar regulation: Insulin

In the past, insulin seemed to only be a concern for those with diabetes, however I now have many clients worried about their insulin levels. I also see several clients with PCOS who experience insulin resistance. Once our blood glucose increases (after a meal), insulin is released by the pancreas. The main job of insulin is to allow glucose from the carbohydrates we eat to enter our cells to be used as energy. We use this energy for everything we do, including breathing! This process will lower the glucose in our bloodstream. In cases of insulin resistance, the body is not responding to insulin and cells are not able to take in glucose. This leaves the cells starved and glucose hanging around longer in the bloodstream (AKA high blood sugar).

Eating disorders and chronic dieting have major effects on blood glucose and insulin. It makes sense that under-eating or a low carb diet could cause low blood sugar, right? What you may not know is that this can be harmful in both the short and long term. Low blood sugar will often lead to increased carbohydrate cravings, preoccupation around food, symptoms such as light headedness, and potentially binging and restricting. Long term under-eating, anorexia, and following the ketogenic diet all have the potential to induce insulin resistance. This is due to the body going into a state of chronic stress and relying on cortisol for energy. There is a process in place where your body will actually make glucose in emergency situations. In cases of long term ketogenic diets or very low carb diets, the body will end up with chronically high glucose (or sugar) in the blood, even without eating carbs. Lastly, there is also research that yo-yo dieting, binging and restricting, and weight cycling can increase insulin resistance.

Sex hormones: Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone

If you have hypothalamic amenorrhea or PCOS, it is likely you have imbalances in these sex hormones, as well at Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). If you have PMS symptoms or irregular periods, you may also find abnormal lab values. It is common that your sex hormones fluctuate throughout your life, and it is normal that they change throughout your cycle. It is recommended to have most of these hormones drawn on a particular day of your cycle.

Estrogen plays a large role in growth and reproductive development. It has many, many functions and affects your heart, bones, breasts, skin, hair, and even your brain. When estrogen levels are high, you can experience fatigue, tender breasts, sleeping difficulty, painful or heavy periods, and increased mood swings. Low estrogen can cause light or missing periods, feeling cold, night sweats, headaches, and vaginal dryness. Common causes of low estrogen include under-eating, chronic stress, over-exercising, and smoking.

Progesterone has a nickname of the calming hormone, and rightfully so. This hormone acts as a natural antidepressant and can enhance mood! Progesterone, like estrogen, affects many different organs and systems in our body and has the important jobs of regulating ovulation and supporting pregnancy. Elevated progesterone is not common and could be a sign of certain disorders. Symptoms of low progesterone include long or irregular cycles, a short luteal phase of your cycle, spotting before your period, anxiety, and possibly infertility or increased risk of miscarriage. Causes of low progesterone include chronic stress and annovulation.

Testosterone is considered a “male sex hormone” or androgen, however women need it, too! It is produced in the ovaries and adrenals and plays a role in muscle strength, libido, bone mass, mood, and even cardiovascular health. Elevated testosterone is common with PCOS and can result in hair loss, acne, irregular cycles, and facial hair. One reason for high testosterone is unbalanced blood sugars. Increases in insulin can signal the ovaries to produce more testosterone. Low testosterone symptoms may include low energy, decreased sex drive, and fatigue. Causes of low testosterone in women may include long term use of birth control, ovarian failure (possibly a result of eating disorders), and certain medications.

Adrenal hormones: Cortisol

Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, is released by the adrenal glands when your body is under stress. This can be mental or physical stress caused by many, many different reasons, but some examples include mental stress from fear of food or physical stress from actual restriction of food - both result in increased cortisol! Cortisol isn’t a bad hormone by any means. Some of its jobs include reducing inflammation, regulating sleep cycles, increasing blood sugar, and controlling blood pressure. While this hormone is incredibly helpful in acute situations, long term chronic stress can have major consequences leading to more inflammation and other chronic illnesses. Common symptoms of elevated cortisol include fatigue, thinning hair, getting sick often, weight gain, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Low cortisol can occur with certain conditions such as Addison’s disease or adrenal insufficiency and may result in fatigue, dizziness, weakness, and mood changes.

Up next: Part 2: How Intuitive Eating Can Help Balance Hormones… stay tuned!