Things You're Doing Wrong to Your Hormones

I hate click bait with a burning passion. The dumb lists of foods you can’t eat, and diseases you might think you have, and the supplements you just HAVE to start taking drive me up the wall.

So you can imagine that me, writing this post with this particular title, felt super icky. Trust me when I say that I don’t use the above title lightly.

There are definitely things you are doing wrong to your hormones. It’s hard not to, given the world we live in and the narrative we have around periods and hormone health. We practically celebrate people who ignore period issues and spend all of their energy helping other people make money!

Luckily resolving these hormone wrong-doings is easier than you think and there’s no need for panic!

1. You’re not eating enough. I’m going to be blunt with you, dear reader. From my work as a dietitian and in my special focus in fertility, period health education and disordered eating/eating disorders, I can tell you confidently that many menstruators are not eating enough to support their biological needs, let alone a monthly period.

Diet and “wellness” culture is to blame for this – even some of the period books I’ve reviewed (don’t eat carbs but also don’t be afraid of food, make it make sense). Folks are pressured to start diets from their friends, family and social media. Their healthcare providers promote weight loss as a “health” focus. Even their television ads are using toxic language and lies about how they’re “not diets” (but they’re definitely diets). The myth of 1200 calories is rampant in the hormone health world, and if you’ve fallen victim to it, it’s not your fault. Your body needs much more than this paltry energy dose – particularly pre-period. This becomes incredibly more critical when you’re an active individual.

When the body is malnourished, it tanks stimulation in the brain and stops production of the hormones needed to ovulate and have a healthy period. Blood sugar control goes wacky and cortisol production depletes the resources needed for hormone production in general. It’s time to get your nutrition up and adequate for hormone health – and a period-focused dietitian is the place to get support.

2. You’re not sleeping enough. Sleep is the most rejuvenating lifestyle factor for the body, and when you’re scraping by on a few hours you’re definitely missing out.

Getting enough shut eye helps the body shift into its’ rest and digest functions, allowing the gastrointestinal system to work on absorbing nutrients dedicated to hormone production and the liver to clear out hormone metabolites after detoxification. Not to mention getting poor sleep can increase the stress response, which leads me to #3.

3. Your stress level is unmanageable. When you’re not coping well, whether it be work or family or handling a history of trauma, the body takes a hit. Chronically elevated cortisol (your stress hormone) starts to deplete the building blocks for your hormones.

You may have heard it called the “pregnenolone steal” or something similar, but it’s more accurately described as a significant portion of hormone production shifting to survival and stress. Think not enough safety for pregnancy and so not enough energy for a period.

4. Long-term use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). It’s kind of in the name – EDCs disrupt the body’s normal hormonal processes, either preventing the normal functioning of circulating hormones or exerting a hormonal effect. They are thought to be a contributor to precocious puberty, or puberty starting very young.

While there are many chemicals that may be classified under EDCs, some big ones include bisphenol A (BPA), phlatates and parabens. Some that are not often discussed include tea tree oil and cannabis, found in many wellness products. A gradual clean out of your skin care, hair care and cooking products is a nice way to go, so there’s not a huge cost in a short period of time to replace them all. There is also a lot of privilege in changing over your products – keep companies accountable to provide cost-effective products without exposing their customers and making the hormone-friendly alternatives more affordable.

Not to fret – these can all be forgiven and repaired! I always recommend starting with one small change at a time, and in one specific area. You can’t possibly change and maintain everything at once, and that’s okay!

Prioritize your sleep routine for a few weeks, then when your energy levels permit start addressing your stress coping skills. And so on and so forth.

From a dietitian to you, don’t feel that nutrition needs to be the first thing to change; it is its own category of small changes over time, trust me. If you’re not sure where to get started, let’s talk! I love helping folks get their hormones in check, whether they’re just trying to learn more about their period or are planning a pregnancy.