12 Easy, Effective Ways to Support Healthy Hormone Balance

Many symptoms women are told are “normal” are actually signals of hormonal dysregulation or inadequate support for the stage you are at. Bloating, fatigue, acne, poor sleep, anxiety and painful periods are common, but they are not inevitable. If you have been struggling you might be surprised to discover that any or all of these issues might be connected with hormone disruption! With so many of these issues being commonplace, is it really "normal" to feel this way? And more importantly is there anything you can do about it? The answer is yes! In this article you'll be educating yourself on several reliable methods to maintain a healthy hormonal balance and enhance your well-being for life. 

Firstly, what are hormones and why should we care? 

Hormones are the chemical messengers that orchestrate the inner workings of our bodies. When these vital compounds fall out of balance, a range of unpleasant symptoms can emerge, affecting various aspects of our health. Balanced hormones are essential for healthy skin, energy levels, immune function, mood, fertility, libido, bone health, cardiovascular health, aging gracefully, and more!

There are several factors that can disrupt hormonal balance, including:

Stress

Inadequate Sleep

Poor Diet

Nutritional Deficiencies

Lack of Exercise

Obesity

Imbalanced Microbiome

Poor Liver or Detox Function

Environmental Toxins and Chemicals

Normal age related fluctuations

Here are some top tips to support healthy hormones:

Manage Stress

Chronic stress can wreak havoc on hormonal balance by elevating cortisol and adrenaline levels. This disrupts the HPA-AXIS, affecting various hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid production.

Effective stress-reduction methods include self-care, spending time in nature, earthing, regular exercise, avoiding fasting, breathing exercises, meditation, having regular therapy or kinesiology sessions, practising yoga or Tai Chi and more. You really do need to make this a daily priority, especially if your hormones are already dysregulated. You can book a kinesiology session here

PMS Specific Supports

As we approach our period, progesterone and estrogen begin to fall. Progesterone normally supports calming activity of GABA in the brain, and estrogen supports serotonin. When these drop, we temporarily lose some of our neurological “buffer” against stress. At the same time, the body’s metabolic demands increase in the luteal phase. If nutrient intake, sleep, and stress regulation aren’t adequate, the system can feel overwhelmed, resulting in irritability, anxiety, cravings, fatigue and mood swings. PMS is often a signal that demand has exceeded supply.

How to Support PMS

• Eat slightly more in luteal phase

• Prioritise protein

• Ensure magnesium, B6, zinc, iron and vitamin D are adequate

• Do not diet premenstrually

• Stabilise Blood Sugar (see below)

• Avoid excessive caffeine

• Reduce refined carbs

• Support Neurotransmitters: Magnesium glycinate (if appropriate) Omega-3 fatty acids, Morning light exposure

• Strength training (other times of month, see below)

• Adequate rest, reduce demand.

  
  

Support a Healthy Microbiome and Gut.

The microbiome is not only essential to aid with nutrient absorption, overall energy, immunity and skin health, the microbiome and the estrobolome influences hormonal balance, especially estrogen metabolism. Maintaining a balanced microbiome is key to preventing PMS symptoms!

Support a healthy microbiome by avoiding processed and sugary foods, minimizing alcohol consumption, reducing yeast containing foods and including prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods in your diet such as kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir. Consultation with a naturopath can also help support microbiome through dietary regimes, supplementing collagen, slippery elm aloe glutamine, herbs to control yeast, probiotic supplements and more.

If on medication consult with your doctor also because certain medications including antibiotics and the pill can throw off your microbiome. 

Enhance Liver Detoxification

The liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying hormones! Optimal liver function is essential to prevent the recirculation of hormones like cortisol and estrogen. Excess oestrogen worsens PMS symptoms like mood swings, cramping, clotting and tenderness. Cortisol is our long-term stress chemical, excess leads us to feel excessively focused on negativity and worry, feel more irritated, defensive and to eventually burn out.

To support your liver, wherever possible avoid specific substances including alcohol, paracetamol, smoking, plastics and environmental toxins such as pollution and provide essential nutrients, including selenium, zinc, glutathione, vitamin C, sulfur-rich foods, and foods rich in antioxidants. Several herbs are also shown to support liver health, consult a herbalist. They may suggest milk thistle, bitters, dandelion root or others. In traditional Chinese medicine foods associated with supporting the liver are bitter foods, beet root and leaves, carrots, apples, dark green leafy vegetables, onions, garlic and dandelion leaves. 

Support Healthy Methylation

Hormone metabolism doesn’t stop at the liver. Your body must also properly “methylate” hormones so they can be safely processed and excreted. Methylation is a biochemical pathway that influences estrogen clearance, detoxification, neurotransmitter balance, fertility, and even mood. Not everyone can do this effectively due to disorders such as Pyrolle Disorder or MTHFR Gene mutation.

Poor methylation may contribute to:

• Estrogen dominance symptoms

• PMS and heavy periods

• Fatigue

• Anxiety

• Histamine sensitivity

To support methylation:

• Ensure adequate B vitamins (particularly B6, B12 and folate in active forms, if you have a problem with methylation though you may experience heart palpitations from inactive b6, be aware)

• Eat leafy greens, beetroot, legumes and eggs (unless sensitive)

• Ensure sufficient protein intake (for amino acids)

• Support gut health

  
  

If you suspect issues such as severe PMS, recurrent miscarriage, mood instability, or a family history of methylation-related issues, speak with a GP or integrative practitioner about testing options. Happy to provide a practitioner recommendation.

Regulate your Blood Sugar

Fluctuating blood sugar levels directly impact cortisol and insulin, which in turn affect estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

Support stable blood sugar by:

• Eating protein with every meal

• Avoiding skipping meals (especially if stressed)

• Reducing refined carbohydrates (increase fibre)

• Walking for 10 minutes after a meal

• Include healthy fats

• Managing stress

For women with PCOS or insulin resistance, this is particularly important.

Add Strength Training

Resistance training improves:

• Insulin sensitivity

• Bone density

• Testosterone balance

• Metabolic health

• Mood regulation

Two to three sessions per week can be transformative. After age 40, adults lose approximately 0.5–1% of muscle mass per year if they are not actively resistance training. This process, known as age-related sarcopenia, can accelerate after age 60 to closer to 1–2% per year, particularly if someone is sedentary, under-eating protein, or experiencing hormonal decline, it is also worth remembering that between approximately ages 12 and 18 we lay down a significant portion of our peak bone mass, making adequate nutrition (ie. no extreme dieting), healthy hormone levels and weight-bearing exercise during adolescence critically important for lifelong bone health.

Consider Adding Herbal Support

A qualified Naturopath or Herbalist might be supportive. Common herbs used in clinical practice include:

• Vitex (Chaste Tree) for low progesterone patterns

• Maca for libido and energy

• Shatavari for female reproductive nourishment

• Ashwagandha for stress resilience

• Milk Thistle for liver support

Herbs should be prescribed individually and may interact with medications, so always consult a qualified practitioner.

Regulate Circadian Rhythm

A well-balanced circadian rhythm is vital for healthy hormones. Disrupted sleep patterns, often caused by blue light exposure, affect hormone production.

Regulate your circadian rhythm by going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday, avoiding caffeine (particularly after 3pm,) avoiding blue lights after 7pm, reducing artificial light for at least an hour before bed and getting at least 10 minutes of sunlight exposure first thing in the morning within the first hour of waking.

Reduce Exposure to Chemicals and Plastics

Chemicals such as those found in beauty products, cleaning products Receipts (thermal paper contains BPA) Synthetic fragrance, Non-stick cookware, Pesticides and plastics can directly and indirectly impact hormones.

Unfortunately, plastics are everywhere. You might think that it isn't affecting you at all… but did you know it's estimated that the average person eats a credit card worth of plastic every year? Compounds contained in plastic mimic oestrogen. Excess oestrogen as previously mentioned can be a contributing factor to very unpleasant PMS symptoms like cramping, tender breasts, bloating, clotting, and severe mood swings.

Minimizing exposure to these substances can have significant benefits for your hormonal health and reducing toxic load decreases the burden on the liver and endocrine system, allowing hormones to regulate more efficiently

Reduce exposure by using only natural cleaning and beauty products, avoiding phthalates and BPA, limiting canned foods, and being mindful of plastics in food packaging. You can find my seven essential cleaning recipes here. You might consider avoiding packaged or processed food, purchasing your produce from a food cooperative or bulk food retailer such as "Scoop" (bonus points for minimising waste here, too!) Purchase glass or stainless food storage containers, especially if the food is heated. Never ever leave a plastic water bottle in your car and drink from it. Heating the plastic increases the leaching of these toxic chemicals into your water manifold. 

Additionally, having indoor plants, using good ventilation or an air purifier, and washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly in apple cider vinegar or bicarb soda can help reduce exposure to harmful substances.

When to Consult a GP

While lifestyle medicine is powerful, some symptoms require medical assessment. Please consult your GP if you experience:

• Very heavy or painful periods

• Bleeding between cycles

• Sudden cycle changes

• Severe mood shifts

• Hot flushes or night sweats affecting sleep

• Fertility concerns

• Unexplained weight change

• Hair loss

• Persistent fatigue

The right doctor can assess:

• Thyroid function

• Iron levels

• Vitamin D

• Blood sugar regulation

• Reproductive hormones

Early investigation prevents unnecessary suffering.

Perimenopause & HRT Considerations

A Note on Perimenopause & Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

If you are in your late 30s or 40s and experiencing anxiety, insomnia, irregular cycles, brain fog, stubborn weight or low mood, perimenopause may be contributing.

Hormone replacement therapy, as well as the basis of available research has evolved significantly in the last few years. For some women, appropriately prescribed bioidentical HRT could:

• Improve sleep

• Reduce anxiety and mood swings

• Protect bone density

• Support cardiovascular health

• Reduce hot flushes

• Improve vaginal and sexual health

• Protect joints

It is not appropriate for everyone and should be discussed with a qualified GP or gynaecologist, specifically for those with heart conditions or predisposition to breast cancer. However, it is no longer considered taboo or as dangerous when prescribed correctly and monitored appropriately, as is reflected in the recent lifting of black box warning labels. Please note that lifestyle foundations remain essential, even if HRT is used.

Get the support of a professional

Hormones do not exist in isolation. They respond to your stress levels, sleep, gut health, nutrient status, environment and emotional state. When you work with your nervous system rather than against it, the body often finds its way back to balance. This advice is good education but general in nature.

Did you know that acupuncturists are amazing at supporting fertility? 

Did you know that naturopaths, nutritionists or herbalists can prescribe herbs such as chaste tree berry to increase progesterone and way more? Did you know that Drs can run blood tests which help, for example you need your iron and vitamin D levels to be high and your thyroid to be functioning well for optimum fertility? 

Did you know that kinesiology has specific balances that can help and provide insight into which direction to turn to regulate stress, sleep, minimise environmental toxins and regulate hormones? Book a Kinesiology session here or get in touch. I may be able to recommend a practitioner. If you are unsure where to begin, testing and personalised support can save years of guesswork.

All the very best of health and happiness.

E xx

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