Redefining Health

Balancing Female Hormones for Health and Well-Being

By Kalpana (Rose) M. Kumar, M.D.

If you are a woman who has experienced any or all of the following symptoms: PMS, moodiness, brain fog, memory lapses, night sweats, hot flashes, irritability, depression, anxiety, weight gain, sleeplessness, hair loss, water retention, muscle pain, lack of motivation, in addition to a variety of many low-grade symptoms that erode well-being that are discounted as symptoms of ‘getting old,’ you could be suffering from hormone imbalance.

Hormones are chemical messengers produced in our body that control and regulate the activity of cells and organs as well as their functions. They are produced by endocrine glands and exert their effects at a distance as well as in close proximity to the site of their production.

The human body produces hundreds of hormones. The ones listed below have the greatest impact on a woman’s mental and physical health:

1. Thyroid hormones: regulate energy, weight and metabolism. These are the most misinterpreted and inadequately treated hormones in women by the traditional medical system. The proper test for thyroid hormones is a thyroid panel, not the TSH reflex, the standard test ordered as part the traditional thyroid protocol. Additionally, since the primary building block of your thyroid hormones is iodine, (and iodine levels are lacking in our soil due to unsustainable farming practices), currently, more women are experiencing thyroid dysregulation from its lack. Low thyroid levels (1) can cause symptoms of weight gain, mood and sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, water retention, fatigue and skin changes, to name a few. Balancing your thyroid is essential for your health.

2. Estrogen: One of the main hormones produced (2) by a woman’s ovaries. In addition to regulating mood and emotions, estrogen also effects your feelings of well-being especially when balanced with progesterone. Adipose tissue (fat) also produces estrogen, so if you are carrying extra body weight, you may be estrogen dominant. Estrogen dominance (too much estrogen not balanced by progesterone) can cause symptoms of further weight gain, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance and mental fog. Estrogen dominance can also increase your risk for breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine cancer, strokes and hypertension.

3. Progesterone: This female hormone (3) produced during ovulation, is essential for feelings of well-being and mental and emotional regulation. Progesterone must be present at levels high enough to balance estrogen for half a month while a woman is still menstrual. Stress and poor diet can lead to low levels of progesterone. When enough progesterone to balance estrogen is not present, not only does this cause estrogen dominance, but can also cause depression, anxiety, memory loss, hypertension, muscle and joint pain, fibromyalgia and irregular and heavy periods. In addition, the most common cause of menopausal symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, depression, mental fog, memory loss and weight gain can be the result of declining progesterone levels, so balancing estrogen with progesterone is essential for a woman’s well-being as she progresses towards menopause.

Even after menopause, a low dose of natural progesterone can lead to an improvement in emotional and mental wellbeing. Over the counter progesterone is dangerous for women to use as it is not standardized or unregulated and can do more harm than good. Natural progesterone should always be prescribed and monitored under the supervision of a physician who specializes in natural hor-