Your Hormones Aren’t the Enemy

Understanding your cycle, your hormones, and the rhythms that make you, you.

Hormones are an essential part of our lives. They ebb and flow the way seasons do. They can be influenced by our lifestyle, diet, genetics, exercise, sleep, environment... so many things!

And somewhere along the way, hormones got a pretty bad reputation.

Tired? Hormones.

Moody? Hormones.

Can't sleep? Hormones.

Don't want your husband anywhere near you? Definitely hormones. Haha.

But our hormones aren't the enemy. They are constantly communicating with the rest of our body, and learning to recognize some of those patterns can tell us quite a bit about what may be going on underneath the surface.

I am trained in integrative gynecology and fascinated by functional medicine in the realm of women's health. One of my favorite things is teaching women about their hormones, what they do, how they function, and how our everyday lives can support a healthy balance.

So let's start with some low-hanging fruit.

Your period.

Your period is more than just... your period

A menstrual cycle is just that. A cycle. Think of a circle.

We tend to pay attention to the bleeding portion because, well... it's hard NOT to notice that part.

But what about all those days in between?

Those don't matter, right?

Wrong!!

So wrong!

Your menstrual cycle can give us a lot of information about your overall health. How often you're bleeding, how long you're bleeding, whether you're ovulating, pain, spotting, changes in flow, and symptoms throughout the month can all give us clues about what's happening in your body.

And your cycle is not just the days you're bleeding. We count it from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.

The cycle is broken into two main phases, the follicular phase and the luteal phase, with ovulation sitting right there between them.

Ahhh... the follicular phase

We all love the follicular phase, whether you've realized it or not.

Your period has come. You suddenly realize why you were a tad cranky or tearful last week. The not-so-fun bleeding part finally ends and then...

Hello!

You may feel more energetic. More social. More confident. More motivated.

Maybe you can conquer the world!

As follicles in the ovary develop, estrogen generally rises. Eventually one follicle becomes dominant and, when everything lines up just right, we get a surge of luteinizing hormone, or LH, that helps trigger ovulation.

And somewhere around that fertile window, you may notice a little spike in libido too.

Convenient, huh?

If you're using fertility awareness either to achieve or avoid pregnancy, this is why understanding your fertile window matters. And no, that window is not automatically “day 14” for every woman.

Bodies did not read the textbook.

Then comes the luteal phase...

After ovulation, we enter the luteal phase.

The follicle that released the egg transforms into something called the corpus luteum and begins producing progesterone.

Progesterone is pretty important here. It helps prepare and maintain the uterine lining in case pregnancy occurs.

If pregnancy doesn't happen, estrogen and progesterone eventually fall and...

Hello again, period.

And around we go.

This is also the part of the cycle when some women begin to feel different.

Maybe you're a little more tired. Maybe your breasts are tender. Maybe you're hungrier. Maybe you want everyone to please stop chewing so loudly.

Some premenstrual changes can be completely normal. But feeling absolutely miserable for a significant portion of every month isn't something you should automatically shrug off as, “Well, I'm a woman. Hormones.”

PMS and PMDD are real conditions, and symptoms that interfere with your everyday life deserve a conversation.

Who is running this show anyway?

There are several major players behind this whole production.

Estrogen helps regulate the menstrual cycle and has effects far beyond reproduction, including our bones, brain, cardiovascular system, and other tissues.

Progesterone rises after ovulation and helps prepare the uterine lining for a possible pregnancy.

Follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, helps follicles in the ovaries develop.

Luteinizing hormone, or LH, helps trigger ovulation.

And then there's gonadotropin-releasing hormone, or GnRH.

GnRH comes from the hypothalamus in your brain and essentially tells the pituitary, “Hey, we have work to do down there,” prompting the release of FSH and LH.

So when we talk about “hormone balance,” we're really talking about a whole communication system involving your brain, ovaries, and the rest of your body.

Pretty cool, right?

So how do we support our hormones?

This is where I really love integrative women's health.

Before jumping immediately to a pill or supplement, I like to zoom out.

How are you sleeping?

How are you eating?

Are you moving your body?

How much stress are you carrying?

What does your menstrual cycle actually look like?

What symptoms are you experiencing, and when are you experiencing them?

Because all of this matters.

Regular exercise, adequate sleep, good nutrition, and stress reduction aren't particularly glamorous recommendations, but they can genuinely matter for menstrual and premenstrual health. Exercise, sleep, relaxation techniques, and dietary changes are among the lifestyle approaches ACOG discusses for managing PMS symptoms.

Nutrition matters too. Rather than obsessing over a single “hormone-balancing” food, I tend to favor an overall nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory pattern with plenty of vegetables, fiber, healthy fats, and whole foods.

Your liver and digestive system also participate in how hormones are metabolized and eliminated, which is another reason that our overall health matters when we're talking about hormones.

And then there is our environment.

Yep... our environment matters too

You may have heard the term “endocrine disruptor.”

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, are substances that can interfere with the way our hormones work. They can be found in some plastics, pesticides, cosmetics, fragrances, food-contact materials, and other everyday products.

Does this mean you need to throw everything in your house away and live in a glass bubble?

Please don't.

This is not about fear.

It is about making reasonable changes where you can.

Maybe that means using glass or stainless steel for food storage more often, avoiding heating food in plastic, choosing fragrance-free products when it makes sense, or simply becoming more aware of what you're bringing into your home.

You will never eliminate every exposure, nor do you need to make yourself crazy trying. The goal is reducing unnecessary exposures where it's practical. The Endocrine Society similarly recommends informed, practical steps to reduce preventable EDC exposure.

Your hormones aren't the enemy

They're messengers.

They change throughout the month. They change during pregnancy. They change postpartum. They change as we move toward perimenopause and menopause.

They're supposed to change.

Instead of fighting our bodies, I want women to understand them.

Learn your cycle. Pay attention to patterns. Notice when something changes. Ask questions.

And when something doesn't feel right, find a provider who is willing to look at the whole picture with you.

Because sometimes your body isn't betraying you.

It might just be asking you to listen.