5 Root Causes of Hormonal Imbalance

When it comes to hormone imbalance, estrogen and progesterone are the first hormones that come to mind. Both these hormones are very closely linked with the nervous system and are responsible for mood, mental state, energy, libido and even in part for our heart and bone health. But these hormones usually don’t go out of balance on their own. Reproductive hormones are part of a “hormone hierarchy” and only perform their role in the body under the guidance of some much larger hormones behind the scenes. Although some improvement in symptoms can be achieved by targeting the menstrual cycle, true long-lasting results do not occur until the underlying issues are addressed. Here are the 5 most common root causes that can lead to imbalances in estrogen, progesterone and the menstrual cycle as a whole.

Inflammation

Acute inflammation from a short-term illness or injury is necessary and resolves quickly with no long-lasting effects on hormones, however, chronic inflammation has been shown to interfere with a number of hormonal systems and is associated with insulin resistance, high testosterone and high cortisol (1). Each woman responds to inflammation differently, but in general, inflammation causes estrogenic symptoms like PMS, heavy and painful periods and tender breasts. Poor gut health is a huge culprit of widespread inflammation. Lowering stress and improving gut function by correcting gut dysbiosis through the removal of gut stressors like alcohol (2), sugar (3) and saturated fat (4) as well as the careful and slow introduction of a wide variety of plant foods containing fibre is one of the most beneficial things to do for lowering inflammation on the whole (5).

Blood sugar balance

Both high blood sugar and low blood sugar can cause hormone imbalances and disturbances in the menstrual cycle. Insulin resistance (which leads to high blood sugar) is the largest known contributing factor in women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) (6) and also exacerbates symptoms of perimenopause (7). Insulin resistance can lead to excess production of testosterone in some women. This leads to irregular cycles as well as symptoms like weight gain, acne, thinning hair or unwanted body and facial hair.

When blood sugar drops too low adrenalin and cortisol are released. Cortisol and adrenalin send a message to the pituitary gland in the brain that there is “danger” or a “threat” and the brain responds by lowering sex hormone output while diverting energy to deal with more important bodily functions.

Low blood sugar occurs from frequent consumption of refined sugars (cakes, sweets, soft drinks) because a very rapid and large rise in blood sugar is followed by a very sudden and severe drop in blood sugar (8). The massive swings between high and low blood sugar cause obvious mood changes and hormone imbalances. However low blood sugar is also caused by inadequate calorie intake (not eating enough) or waiting too long between meals and extended fasting. Low blood sugar is associated with nervous system dysregulation, anxiety or aggression (hangryiness) and various hormone imbalances (9).

Nervous system dysregulation/stress

Stress can easily be dismissed as inconsequential for our female hormones but in fact, it is likely the biggest causative factor behind hormonal imbalances (16). An overactive stress response leads to elevated cortisol and adrenalin levels.

Elevated cortisol interferes with the production of sex hormones from the ovary (estrogen, progesterone testosterone). This can lead to a wide array of menstrual cycle disturbances including a short luteal phase (infertile menstrual cycle) delayed ovulation or even lack of ovulation or missing periods (10). Under stress dopamine production decreases, which intern increases the hormone prolactin (usually responsible for creating breastmilk in new mothers) prolactin suppresses ovarian hormones in women leading to low progesterone, low estrogen and even a lack of ovulation if stress is severe (12). Stress also deregulates blood sugar and can slow down the function of the liver and gut leading to poor metabolism of estrogen.

Studies show that stress can increase PMS symptoms including period pain by up to 4x in any given menstrual cycle (13). Chronic sustained stress is the largest factor involved in low thyroid function. Prolonged adrenal dysfunction from stress can affect thyroid function which will affect overall energy levels, mood and metabolism (weight gain). Thyroid hormone imbalances further affect the menstrual cycle leading to longer cycles with heavier periods (14) (15).

Nutrient Deficiencies

Nutrients form the building blocks of hormones and play a crucial role in hundreds of enzyme reactions that help hormones do their job. Common nutritional deficiencies associated with hormonal imbalance include magnesium, vitamin d, b vitamins, vitamin c, iodine and zinc (18). Many nutrient deficiencies are not bad enough to show up on a blood test, but hormones are sensitive and sometimes even a mild nutrient insufficiency can lead to a hormone imbalance. Stress alone is highly depleting in magnesium, calcium, b vitamins, zinc, potassium, vitamin c and sodium (the main nutrients required by the adrenal glands) and these nutrients need to be constantly replenished in order to restore balance (19). Women that have come off hormonal birth control need to be especially mindful of nutrient deficiencies as hormonal birth control is highly depleting of various nutrients including magnesium, b6, and selenium (17) this is one of the reasons that underlying hormonal imbalances can become worse once hormonal birth control is discontinued.

Environmental toxins

There are hundreds of new chemicals that are introduced into the environment every day, many of which are not adequately tested for human safety. Many of these chemicals are considered “endocrine disruptors”. Certain chemicals found in beauty products, pesticides and herbicides, food additives, plastics and many other synthetic materials contain substances known as “xenoestrogens” these are compounds that mimic estrogen in the body. These chemicals form harmful estrogen metabolites which can bind to estrogen receptors in the body and increase the risk of estrogenic cancers like breast cancer as well as contribute to symptoms of estrogen excess (20). Xenoestrogens and other toxins are stored and concentrated in the fat cells of humans and animals. Eating conventionally raised animal products can expose women to higher doses of toxins as animal fat stores and concentrates toxins found in pesticides and herbicides (23). It is not possible to completely avoid all harmful toxins but exposure can be reduced by switching to organic and non-toxic natural products.