5 major causes of female hormonal imbalance.

Female hormonal imbalance is a hot topic. Most of the clients I treat in my practice are suffering with some form of hormonal imbalance and each of them has a different story as to how this imbalance might have begun. Their symptoms can range from unexplained weight gain, hair loss/gain, skin breakouts, irregular periods, irritability and feeling over emotional, fatigue, PMS, low mood and much more.

So, if your hormones seem like they have gone awry then it is useful to know what factors might have caused this to happen. Below are just five major causes of female hormonal imbalance.

1) Diet – eating the wrong kind of food such as refined carbohydrates and sugar, drinking tea/coffee and using other stimulants like tobacco can lead to an increase in cortisol, a stress hormone produced by your adrenal glands. Too much cortisol in your system means your body has to use vital nutrients to break it down and remove the toxic residue leading to a hormonal imbalance.

2) Stress – stress also produces excess cortisol. Excess cortisol in your system leads to an increase in the hormone oestrogen, which can lead to oestrogen dominance. Oestrogen dominance has been linked to weight gain, food cravings, mood swings, fatigue, low libido, PMS, dry skin and more.

3) Shock – shock, whether it is physical or emotional can have a very similar effect on the endocrine system as stress by producing excess cortisol again, leading to oestrogen dominance. Sometimes grief, a relationship breakdown, losing your job or other emotional stressors could affect your hormone balance leading to periods stopping completely or irregularities in your menstrual cycle.

4) Synthetic oestrogen and progesterone – taking synthetic hormones like the contraceptive pill or using the Mirena coil interrupts your natural hormone balance which in turn can lead to symptoms like migraines, mood swings, unexplained weight gain, loss of libido and even depression.

5) Lack of ovulation – if you’re not on any form of hormonal contraception, or in the throws of the menopause, then it’s important to check if you are actually ovulating. Without ovulation there is no progesterone to oppose oestrogen. Ovulation normally occurs around days 12-14 of your cycle and these are the signs to watch out for:

• Change in cervical mucous – your vaginal discharge will become more watery, fluid and a bit like egg white. It’s becomes alkaline making it acceptable to sperm.
• Cervix – the mouth of your cervix opens enabling sperm to meet the egg. Otherwise it remains closed.
• Body temperature – the rise in progesterone just after ovulation increases your body temperature by at least 0.2c. By recording your temperature every day for 4 weeks and plotting it on a graph it is easy to see when ovulation has occurred.

If you’re worried about any of the factors above affecting your hormone balance then you’re welcome to have a chat with me to see if a natural treatment like homeopathy could help. I offer a free 15-minute clarity consultation by telephone to discuss your health concerns and to see if we would like to work together.

To make an appointment please contact me on +44 (0)7582 269569 or info@clairezarb.com

Until next time, have a happy healthy week!

Claire Zarb LCPH
t: +44 (0)7582 269569
e: claire@clairezarb.com
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