***I am a Certified Holistic Nutrition Health Coach however, this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used as nutrition or medical advise. See my blog’s disclaimer for more information.
Scrolling through instagram, I come across an outrageous number of accounts of women documenting their fertility journey or their journey with IVF. Being 30 years old and single, not going to lie, I get freaked out by it. Most of these women who own these accounts are in their 20’s and 30’s. I want kids one day and I would be lying if I said I’m not concerned about my fertility.
A lot of these women are experiencing diminished ovarian reserve, some have unexplained infertility, a lot have PCOS so their cycles aren’t regular, I’m sure there are many more reasons, but those seem to be the most common I’ve come across.
How did we get to this point? Our grandmothers were popping out kids left and right! Heck, my own grandmother had twins in her mid/late 30’s and they were kids 4&5! (My dad is one of the twins.)
Now so many women struggle to get pregnant and stay pregnant. On top of that, women have much more hormonal issues than ever before.
Growing up, acne was a teenage thing and everyone always said “you’ll grow out of it!” Now, women are struggling with acne in their 40’s! This is unreal to me! Is no one else concerned?? Does anyone else think this is weird?? Once I got in my 20’s and my acne was only getting worse, I took charge of my skin and cleared it on my own. Read about my experience HERE.
I have friends who struggle with their weight too. They try to lose weight, they eat right, exercise, don’t drink excessively, and they still can’t seem to lose weight. I know that’s the story for a lot of women.
Also, more women struggle with depression and anxiety than ever before! What is happening??
I’ll tell you what is happening…we are bombarding ourselves with hormone disrupting chemicals, eating hormones & hormone disrupting chemicals (in the form of birth control, conventional animal products, and pesticides), we are more stressed out because society’s standards are shifting, even though biology isn’t and isn’t meant to. There is so much happening in today’s world that is such a disservice to women.
We need to take back our lives and femininity! If you’re ready to take control of your health and hormones, keep reading!
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1. Get Off The Hormonal Birth Control:
This is the first step to taking control of your life. Hormonal birth control masks the symptoms while the actual problem gets worse. If you have period cramps, irregular periods, acne, heavy periods, etc. birth control does not treat the root of the problem. These issues are caused by a hormone imbalance (except not all acne is hormonal) and the hormone imbalance should be treated from the root, not masked by Birth Control.
Helping someone figure out what is causing their hormone imbalance is way less convenient than prescribing someone a pill to take. If you’re on birth control to prevent pregnancy, there are non-hormonal options just as effective as hormonal birth control. Condoms and Natural Cycles are both non-hormonal options that can be toxin free too, and if used properly, they are just as effective as hormonal birth control.
2. Educate Yourself On Common Hormone Disrupting Chemicals and Avoid Them:
At this point, we all know parabens are hormone disrupting and should be avoided, but that’s not the only common hormone disrupting chemical in products. Fragrance is even more common than parabens! Fragrance is in everything from your face wash to your air freshener, scented candles to scented tampons. Unfortunately, fragrance is soooo hard to avoid! You really have to be diligent and read labels religiously to avoid it, but it really is so important to avoid.
Fragrance and Parabens still aren’t the only hormone disrupting chemicals. Save the list below to reference when you’re shopping! These ingredients are found in non-stick cookware, plastic containers, skincare and makeup products, perfume, even food! (For completely TOXIN FREE skincare and makeup, click here for $10 OFF your first purchase of $50 or more from Crunchi! Discount automatically applied at checkout when you see my name in the top right corner.)
3. Know What You’re Putting In Your Body:
Diet plays a HUGE role in hormone health! If you’re eating loads of refined sugar, refined carbs, processed food, your hormones are going to get so out of whack very quickly! Also, avoid food high in glyphosate unless it’s organic. Non-organic oats have recently come under fire for containing high levels of glyphosate. Glyphosate is found in GMO foods and non-organic produce and grains. Your best bet is to eat organic or only eat conventional produce with thick skin (like oranges, pineapple, watermelon, etc.)
Make sure you’re getting enough healthy protein and healthy fats and limiting/eliminating refined sugar and processed foods. This is essential for regulating hormones. (Protein powders with a bunch of synthetic vitamins and artificial sweeteners and flavors won’t do you any good though.)
If you’re not sure how to eat better, check out this post.
4. Listen To Your Body and Do Some Digging:
Everything in our body is related and affects each other. On my journey to clear skin, when I got rid of my acne with diet, I also got rid of frequent headaches, sinus issues, allergies, and my period cramps weren’t near as severe as they were before.
Also, I suffered from anxiety to the point where I had digestive issues and couldn’t eat. I even dropped down to 105lbs because I was so anxious I would gag when I tried to eat. I would get dizzy spells and almost pass out. Changing my diet got rid of my anxiety issues too!
If you have one issue, it’s probably related to other issues you may not even know are problems.
I HIGHLY recommend reading Dr. Jolene Brighten’s book Beyond The Pill. There’s questionnaires to really dive deeper into your symptoms and how to figure out exactly which hormones are off. No doctor can tell you how you’re feeling. Everyone knows deep down if something is wrong or off and you need to be the one to take charge of your health. No one will do it for you.
5. We Are Not Meant To Work Like A Man:
A man’s hormonal cycle is over a 24 hour period. A woman’s hormone cycle is over a 28 day period. So the 9-5 work day is literally in favor of men. Testosterone levels for a man are highest in the morning. He feels most confident and energetic in the morning and as the day goes on, testosterone levels drop so he becomes calmer, less energized, then he goes to bed and starts the cycle over the next day. This is great for their productivity during the work day or really for anything in life.
A woman’s cycle is over 28 days. We have 4 phases to our cycle and each phase we experience different energy levels, different sleep patterns, different moods, and even different body temperatures. Taking our cycle and putting it into a typical, repetitive work day is stressful and overwhelming which in turn, negatively affects our hormone levels which can cause hormone imbalances, acne, period issues, etc.
(Side note, I’m not a screw the patriarchy, it’s a man’s world, man hating femenist. I just believe our bodies are not the same as a man and our needs are not the same. I think there is a biological purpose to traditional gender roles. Men and women are equal partners but we do not have equal tasks or abilities…we’re meant to complement each other, not do the same as each other. I experience a lot of stress, overwhelm, and burnout at work which is why I’m a serial job-hopper. My goal in life is not to excel in a career, but to get married and raise a family…that’s just my natural, biological instinct.)
I’m so happy more and more women are becoming aware of their hormone health and realizing that taking birth control is not a cure all.
Now is the time to really take control, do your research, and do what is best for you and only you! If we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of anyone else and be successful in anything?
Just know you don’t have to change everything at once! Please don’t try to or you’ll get overwhelmed and you won’t succeed. Baby steps are key to making huge changes in the long run! If you want to make a change now, pick one of these steps to start with.
If you want to change your health and your life but don’t know where to start or need some support, reach out anytime! I check my insta DM’s often!
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