How Hormone Testing Revolutionises Women's Health

Hormones play a crucial role in the overall well-being of women. From reproductive health to metabolism and mood, hormone balance is essential for optimal health. As a nutritionist, I have witnessed the transformative power of hormone testing in helping women reclaim their vitality and overcome various health challenges. In this blog post, we will delve into how hormone testing revolutionizes women's health and how it enables me, as a nutritionist, to provide personalised support for my clients.

1. Understanding the Importance of Hormone Testing:

Hormone testing serves as a diagnostic tool that enables nutritionists like myself to gain deep insights into the hormonal profile of women. By analyzing hormone levels and imbalances, we can identify the root causes of various health issues, such as irregular periods, PMS, mood swings, weight gain, and fatigue. This understanding allows us to develop personalised nutrition plans that target specific hormone imbalances, thus facilitating optimal health outcomes.

2. Identifying Hormonal Imbalances:

Through comprehensive hormone testing, I can identify imbalances in key hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol. These imbalances can occur due to factors such as stress, poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, and environmental toxins. By identifying these imbalances, I can create tailored nutrition plans that focus on rebalancing hormones, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.

3. Tailoring Nutrition Plans:

Once hormone imbalances are identified, I can craft personalised nutrition plans that address the specific needs of my clients. For example, if estrogen dominance is detected, I may recommend a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, fibre and healthy fats, coupled with targeted supplementation. For women facing thyroid hormone imbalances, I may suggest nutrient-dense foods like iodine-rich seaweed, Brazil nuts, and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrition plans work harmoniously with hormone testing results to support women's health.

4. Tracking Progress and Adjusting Interventions:

Hormone testing not only allows me to identify imbalances initially but also helps me monitor progress as my clients follow their customised nutrition plans. Regularly retesting hormone levels enables us to assess the effectiveness of the interventions implemented and make necessary adjustments along the way. This helps us fine-tune the nutrition plan to ensure that it continues to support optimal hormone balance and overall health.

5. Empowering Women with Knowledge:

Beyond personalised nutrition plans, hormone testing empowers women with knowledge about their own bodies. By understanding their unique hormonal profiles, women can make informed choices about their lifestyle, nutrition, and self-care practices. This knowledge equips them to take proactive steps in managing and improving their health, leading to long-term well-being.

Hormone testing has revolutionized women's health by enabling nutritionists to identify and address hormone imbalances that can impact overall well-being. Through the power of personalised nutrition plans, tracking progress, and empowering women with knowledge about their bodies, hormone testing serves as a catalyst for positive change.

Debunking Hormones

Progesterone & Estrogen

Progesterone and Estrogen shift rhythmically back and forth over the course of the menstrual cycle. Maintaining the delicate balance between the two hormones will keep you feeling vital. As we get older, the amount we make of each can fluctuate more widely, particularly when under stress.

Progesterone is produced primarily by the ovary after ovulation and by the placenta during pregnancy. It's also made in lesser amounts by the adrenal glands and the testes. Its main job is to prepare the body for pregnancy and regulate the menstrual cycle with estrogen. It also plays a role in mood and sleep. If there is no pregnancy, the corpus luteum breaks down, progesterone levels decrease which triggers menstruation.

Possible causes of low progesterone

• Anovulatory cycle = no ovulation

• PCOS

• Hypothyroidism

• Chronic stress

• Low cholesterol levels

• Hyperprolactinemia

Possible signs of low progesterone

• PMS migraines

• Lumby & sore breasts

• Irregular/absent periods

• Heavy periods

• Painful periods

• Spotting between periods

• Disturbed sleep

• Water retention

Estrogen

Estrogen is the queen hormone over the first half of your menstrual cycle, the follicular phase. This hormone stimulates the growth of the uterine lining and breasts, protects the brain, supports bone & cardiovascular health, and promotes vaginal lubrication. It can also make you feel great – you may feel energetic & more confident during the first part of the cycle.

We talk about one estrogen but there are others!

1. Estrone (E1) is a weaker estrogen and is predominant in menopause.

2. Estradiol (E2) is our primary estrogen & most abundant. It’s produced in the ovaries & plays a part in sexual development, brain, breast, bone & cardiovascular health.

3. Estriol (E3) rises during pregnancy and peaks just before birth.

Your estrogens need to be inactivated to maintain normal levels. They go through metabolism via different phases. Phase I (hydroxylation), Phase II (methylation, glucuronidation, and sulphation) and the final phase is removing the metabolites in the urine and stools.

Excess Estrogen Symptoms
Bloating / water retention, heavy bleeding, weight gain, breast tenderness, fibroids, endometriosis, painful periods, mood swings, PMS, anxiety, and weight gain. Quite a list!

Possible causes of excess estrogen

1. Body not breaking it down & getting rid of it, as it should.

2. High body fat. Fat tissue secretes estrogens.

3. Excess alcohol can increase estrogen levels and disturb its metabolization.

4. High stress can rock the balance of progesterone & estrogen.

5. Xenoestrogens. Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates (both found in plastics), pesticides, cleaning & personal care, contain Xenoestrogens that act like estrogen when in our body.

During perimenopause our progesterone declines and estrogen can be as highest it’s ever been & fall drastically.

Maintaining this delicate balance between the two hormones is essential for your health.

Am I Perimenopausal?

Changes in your menstrual cycle? Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? PMS mood swings out of control? 
 

Sound familiar? If you are in your 40s, these symptoms could point to perimenopause. That’s too early, I hear you say! Perimenopause hormonal shifts can already start in your 30s and these fluctuations can last 2-12 years. We are often already in perimenopause without realising it!

What is Perimenopause?

It is a sequence of hormonal events and changes, meaning fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone. Perimenopause is like our second puberty where estrogen spikes & falls. And your progesterone continues to decrease.

Perimenopause can be the time when you experience these symptoms:

• mid-sleep waking

• increased mood swings

• spotting

• increased cramps

• changes in menstrual flow; heavier, shorter, or longer cycles

• night sweats, particularly post-ovulation

5 Tips on how to manage Perimenopause

1. Eat your greens! Broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, kale, watercress. Veggies contain lots of fibre, keeping your stools moving & reduce excess estrogen levels.

2. Tipple less. Perimenopause & alcohol are not friends. Alcohol can make your symptoms worse.

3. Remember to add protein with EVERY meal! This keeps your blood sugar steady so you snack less and reduce cravings.

4. Prioritising sleep = more energy, better mood, reduces the risk of metabolic disease.

5. Start lifting. Add strength training to your workout schedule. Great for bone & muscle health and improves insulin sensitivity.

Will Magnesium Help My PMS?

The ‘Hell Week’ as some women describe the week before periods. You may feel anxious, bloated, irritable or down right angry due to fluctuating hormones. PMS can have a huge impact on woman’s daily life, work and relationships.

Could Magnesium Help?

Magnesium is an important mineral and plays a role in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body – regulating blood sugar, protein synthesis, bone development, muscle health, blood pressure and nerve function. Studies have shown that extra magnesium could relieve PMS symptoms, especially when combined with vitamin B6.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3208934/#__ffn_sectitle

Menstrual cramps
Magnesium could help with menstrual cramps. It improves the blood flow, relaxes uterine muscles and reduce inflammatory-prostaglandin production.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28392498/

Mood swings
Studies show that magnesium supplementation could reduce anxiety, irritability and improve mood. Magnesium deficiency causes low dopamine in the brain which could in turn, increase anxiety and irritabilityhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23950577/

5 Top Magnesium Tips

• Eat daily leafy greens; kale, spinach, argula. Tip: make a salad or add a handful into a smoothie.

• Eat nuts & seeds: almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds.

• For sugar cravings - eat few squares of dark chocolate (min. 75%). Dark chocolate contains some magnesium.

• Take magnesium salt bath. Magnesium is easily absorbed through the skin.

• Take extra magnesium bisglycinate/ glycinate with vitamin B6.