How To Know If Your Hormones Out Of Balance & How To Balance Them Naturally

Many Black and Brown women suffer from hormonal imbalances unnecessarily. As women of color, unfortunately, our symptoms are often minimized or ignored, which can lead to delays in care. This article will teach you about hormonal imbalances, including symptoms, to empower you to advocate for your health and wellness.

Hormonal imbalance is when the body produces an excess or deficiency of certain hormones, which can lead to unpleasant side effects. Many factors, including environmental toxins and stress, can cause hormone imbalance. Imbalances can also be brought on by poor diet and lack of exercise. Hormonal imbalances can be a vicious cycle, especially if they are not diagnosed and treated. With proper care and attention, these imbalances usually get better.

Let’s see what to look for if your hormones are not balanced. Here are some of the common signs/symptoms.

 Signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women:

• Low energy, fatigue
• Irregular and/or heavy menstrual bleeding  
• Low sex drive
• Unexplained weight gain
• Trouble losing weight
• Infertility
• Insomnia
• Bloating
• Mood swings
• Issues with thyroid (high or low)
• Feeling stressed or anxious
• Insensitivity to temperature changes
• Hot flashes
• Losing hair
• Constipation or diarrhea

There are several approaches to finding out if you have hormonal imbalances. One method is to use a symptom-based system without testing. Symptom-based treatment can be highly effective, and many functional medicine and holistic health providers prefer this method. The other process is to do hormonal testing to diagnose. Testing may involve a blood draw or other body fluids such as saliva. You may require additional tests, such as an ultrasound or biopsy, depending on the test results. 

If you’re showing signs of a possible hormone imbalance, you need to take your concerns to your healthcare provider. Using this information, state why you’re concerned about your hormones being out of balance and come up with a treatment plan together. Be sure to let them know any supplements you’re taking and what lifestyle changes you have started to balance your hormones naturally.

Now that you have started to think about symptoms of hormonal imbalance, you are probably wondering what you can do to reverse the imbalance.

Here are some tips to get started on balancing your hormones naturally: 

• Eating protein at every meal
• Engaging in daily movement (low intensity is best)
• Avoiding sugar and refined carbs
• Consuming more healthy fats
• Eat regularly to avoid overeating & undereating
• Eat fatty fish like salmon weekly 
• Good sleep hygiene