Women who experience severe PMS, heavy, irregular or no periods, acne on the jawline, breast tenderness, low mood and fatigue, fibroids, PCOS or in some instances infertility, most likely have hormonal imbalance.
A lot of these symptoms are often associated with oestrogen dominance, often caused by years on the contraceptive pill, digestive issues or poor diet.
If you experience any of these symptoms for more than a day or two, it's highly advisable to get some nutritional support to improve them. I see a lot of women who have digestive problems that also have hormonal issues.
Does Long Term Hormonal Contraception Cause Hormonal Imbalance?
This is one of the biggest factors I find as a trigger for a woman's hormonal imbalance. Ive even found some woman who have been on contraception for just a few months have had long lasting impacts on their health.
Years on the pill or the implant can cause the body to build up synthetic hormones and cause oestrogen dominance. These hormones can deplete other nutrients such as B Vitamins, magnesium, zinc and folic acid, all which our needed to regulate our hormones, mood, skin health and blood to name a few.
Whilst it is not always possible for everyone, slowly weaning off hormonal contraception for other methods can be such a game changer for many women. Its not something you want to do quickly and I would highly recommend support of a nutritionist. Suddenly stopping the pill and not weaning off with support of the right nutrients can lead to weight gain, acne and painful periods.
What About Diet & Dehydration?
Foods that cause inflammation or increase prostaglandins (pain inducing chemicals in the uterus) are often contributing to symptoms feeling extreme as oppose to manageable.
Removing processed foods, foods high in sugar including soft drinks, alcohol, caffeine and simple carbs can work wonders, especially around the time of a period.
I often see patients are dehydrated, which means all bodily functions are reduced, but for hormones, it means that the liver is less able to excrete excess hormones efficiently. Dehydration also contributes to feelings of dull skin or holding onto water.
We All Know Stress Is Bad For Us
It raises our cortisol levels, and puts our bodies into fight or flight mode. The problem is when we're in a state of chronic stress, the building blocks that make up cortisol are also used to make the sex hormone progesterone, causing progesterone to take a back seat, creating an imbalance.
What About Digestive Issues?
Yes, absolutely. That is because hormones, toxins and wastes are excreted through the bowel. If your metabolism is not functioning properly, then these hormones and wastes get recirculated in the bloodstream and wreak havoc. So if you suffer with any type of IBS, IBD and you experience issues around your cycle, then speak to someone about healing the gut flora and the rest will fall into place a lot easier.
Exercise (or lack thereof) can contribute
Exercise is absolutely essential to help the liver speed up its detoxification process of excess hormones. When the body is sedentary it takes a lot longer and is less effective at getting rid of unwanted hormones and toxins in the body.
Another wonderful benefit of exercise is that it helps to stabilise blood sugar levels - so to sufferers of menopause, PCOS or insulin resistance in particular, it is non-negotiable that exercise forms a part of your routine. Even taking a brisk walk during your lunch break counts.
Physiology, Predisposition, Genetics Can Also Affect Your Hormones
Unfortunately, sometimes despite good diet, frequent exercise, our body is just configured a certain way, and all it needs is a little help readjusting. However, the good news is that we can now hack our genes! Simple DNA tests such as 23 and Me can give us huge insight into possible genetic mutations which impact how we process and metabolise food and nutrients. This in turn can support our bodies ability to detoxify hormones and wastes, which can often be a big reason we suffer with imbalances.
How to come off the pill naturally?
If you are looking to come of the contraceptive pill or other hormonal contraceptive and worried about side effects, then please do get in touch. Often women are worried that their symptoms pre pill will all come back. With the right support this can be mitigated against and work to rebalance hormones so this doesn't happen.
Here's what Samantha had to say;
"I came to see Kelly because I had decided to come off the pill (which I had gone on 20 years ago bc of acne) I knew there was a high chance of it coming back which caused me lots of anxiety & my friend said Kelly had a lot of experience in this area as she went through it herself which was comforting to know. When I met Kelly for my first consultation she made me feel very at ease and I felt like she definitely had the knowledge. I was reasonably healthy anyway but sticking to this new way of eating was tough for me at the start as I tended to be a grazer. After a while I got used to it & now is a way of life. Kelly gave me all the right supplements to support my body going through this change & it’s now been 4 months and still no break outs which I am delighted with. The journey with Kelly was amazing & I couldn’t recommend enough for acne worries."
If you think you have a hormonal balance or looking for more advice on ways to manage your symptoms, book in with me for a free 20 minute consultation to find out how I can help you today.
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Kelly Mulhall
Registered Nutritional Therapist
Kelly is a Registered Nutritional Therapist who focuses on positive physical and mental wellbeing, achieved through diet, lifestyle, sleep and exercise. Having struggled for years with IBS and hormonal imbalance, and increasingly frustrated with the lack of support and helpful advice from her GP, Kelly began her own journey of healing the body from the inside out. After seeing huge improvements she quit her job to study nutrition and focus on harnessing the healing powers of food to help other people in similar situations.