Katie Bessack is a Certified Holistic Health Coach from California. She's also a Corporate Wellness Expert who supports companies through corporate wellness programs. In this episode we talk about some of the fundamentals of self-care for women's health like getting the right kind of fats, finding healthy snacks and getting a good night's sleep.
How Toxins Affect Your Weight with Lara Adler
Lara Adler is an environmental toxins expert who teaches practitioners very detailed information about toxins so that they can share it with their clients. In this episode we talk about how & why toxins affect our weight, ways to reduce toxins in our lives, and childhood obesity.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:30 Maintaining healthy body weight
Min 07:10 How toxins & phamaceuticals affect body weight
Min 14:50 Genetics & body weight
Min 19:30 The diet & eating healthy organic food
Min 27:50 Other ways chemicals can trigger weight gain
Min 36:40 Going organic to reduce toxin exposure
Min 39:00 Doing away with plastics & fragrances
Min 44:50 Benefits of filtrating water
Min 55:25 Lara Adler's resources
To learn more about Lara Adler, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Resources:
Beautycounter shop - for non-toxic line of beauty products
Tools for Teaching Toxicity
Lara Adler's PDF Guide
Learn more about phthalates (chemicals in plastic) here
And here's the video version of the interview with Lara Adler:
5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health
Are you doing all the ‘right things’ but still feeling blah?
Get my list of 5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health to start clearing out the toxins and reset your system to feel better today!
Bridgit's Year in Review
I'm your guest this week where I will be reviewing the year 2017 and the decisions I made on my health, family and business. I'll be interviewed by our new team member Stephanie Risinger who'll also tell us about her podcast.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:05 Introducing Stephanie & Bridgit
Min 03:15 Transitioning from Portland to Arizona
Min 06:20 Review of Bridgit's physical health
Min 11:16 Marcons and using Western medicine with Eastern medicine
Min 14:10 Dealing with emotional health
Min 20:30 Getting help from different practitioners
Min 23:45 Lessons learnt in 2017
Min 26:50 Bridgit's habits and routines
Min 28:50 Big wins for Women's Wellness Collaborative in 2017
Min 33:35 The future of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Min 37:35 Stephanie Risinger's podcast
Min 40:10 Health steps taken by Stephanie
To learn more about Stephanie and her Holistic Fertility and Wellness Podcast, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Resources:
Here's a video version of the interview I did:
“How was your 2017? I’d love to hear about it below!”
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to get our Top-Down Digestion Guide here, and come on board!
We have lots of valuable, free resources for women's health we share weekly.
How Your Digestion Affects Your Hormones with Bridgit Danner
I'm your guest in this episode where I talk about steps involved in the digestion process and how your digestion affects hormone production and detoxification. This is an excerpt from a training I did about digestion and hormone health.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:20 Steps in the digestion process
Min 03:45 What can hamper digestion
Min 07:10 The large intestine & its functions
Min 08:35 Symptoms of indigestion
Min 10:28 How hormones are made & the nutrients required
Min 13:30 Inflammation
Min 14:35 The immune system
Min 16:15 How to support your digestion
Min 17:50 Using essential oils
Private Coaching with Bridgit
You can view our current coaching options on our website HERE.
Resources:
TAKE OUR FREE “IS A GUT INFECTION CAUSING MY HORMONAL IMBALANCE?" QUIZ BELOW.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to grab our hidden Hormone stressors quiz here, and come on board!
Thanks for listening,
Bridgit Danner,
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Get Your Sex Drive Back!
Having low sex drive or poor sexual response can damage not only your full experience of life but also your relationship, as sex is a part of bonding with your partner.
There are lots of reasons that you can have low sex drive, including:
Stress, exhaustion, bloating, body image issues, depression, unresolved conflict with your partner, distraction, worries about fertility, worries about your own or your partner's sexual performance, medications like birth control or anti-depressants, headaches or pain.
In this article, I'll focus mainly on the hormonal aspect of healthy sex drive.
A term I learned while researching this article is SIAD or Sex Interest/ Arousal Disorder. I think this acronym portrays the spectrum of what goes on both with a lack of interest in sex and an inability to become aroused and orgasmic during sex.
This research study describes that there are three parts to sexual experience: desire, arousal, and orgasm. I'll explain each stage and also how hormone imbalance can come into play to disrupt each stage.
Stages of Sex Drive
1) Desire
Sexual experience usually starts with thoughts and fantasies about sex, although the article says that it's not always required for a successful sexual experience.
Hormonally speaking, if you have low levels of testosterone, you'll have less desire. Low thyroid hormone activity could also sap your desire.
2) Arousal
The next stage is arousal. When there is an initiation of the sexual stimulation does your arousal grow? Arousal is both physical and mental and, usually, both components need to come into play, with the physical arousal coming first and then the mental arousal deepens your interest.
Estrogen is an important hormone to keep your vagina and vulva lubricated. This lubrication increases during sex and without it sex can be uncomfortable and you’ll lose the desire to continue.
3) Orgasm
This arousal leads the body towards orgasm. According to Women’s Health magazine, “The big bang is the moment when the uterus, vagina, and anus contract simultaneously at 0.8-second intervals. A small orgasm may consist of three to five contractions; a biggie, 10 to 15.”
If you have a high level of cortisol due to chronic stress, it can sometimes be hard to move from your stressed-out state to a relaxed state of enjoying sex that leads to orgasm.
What to Do
As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of mental and physical factors that come into play for a healthy sex life. You may want to review the list at the start of the article and determine if health, work or communication challenges are getting in the way of your satisfying sex life.
If you want a great 'shortcut' to a better sex life, I recommend a product we carry called Libido Stim F, which can support all three stages of your sexual experience.
I tried this product last Spring. At the time, I certainly wasn't thinking about sex much and I did sometimes have a hard time to become aroused- which as you know is super frustrating! So I tried this product, Libido Stim F, without getting my hopes up too high.
I didn't really notice anything until I had been taking it a couple weeks. Then I noticed more desire and even fantasies of sex. I was really surprised! I found arousal and orgasm became much easier as well. I can definitely recommend Libido Stim F as being effective.
The mechanisms of action in Libido Stim F are:
Increase hormone production
Maintain hormone balance
Improve adrenal function
Increase blood flow both to the genitals and the brain (two sex centers!)
Libido Stim F is in a capsule form and one bottle taken at the recommended two capsules a day will last one month. It is important to take it daily for the effect, and please give it some time to kick in. Please see warnings and considerations below before purchasing.
This formula contains a synergistic blend of stimulating and balancing herbs, plus a very small dose of DHEA. DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a hormone that is a precursor to other sex hormones being produced.
I'll highlight one of Libido Stim F's eight herbal ingredients: Tribulus Terrestris. Tribulus Terrestris is a thorny flowering plant also known as Puncture Vine. It has been used medicinally in Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions for thousands of years. According to Herbwisdom.com, "the active ingredients in Tribulus Terrestris include saponins, lignin amides, flavonoids, alkaloids, and glycosides."
A small double-blinded, randomized study showed, "a significant improvement in the domains of desire, arousal/lubrication, pain, and anorgasmia in women who used T Terrestris, whereas no improvement was observed in the placebo group. Moreover, free and bioavailable testosterone levels showed a significant increase in the T Terrestris group."
Warnings and Considerations
Libido Stim F is not recommended if you have had breast cancer, as it take contains a very small amount of DHEA which is a precursor to estrogen.
This product is not recommended in cases of dominant PCOS or hirsutism (excess hair growth). Note: I myself am on the PCOS spectrum and get acne very easily and I prefer to take this one capsule a day instead of two. I find the taking one a day still helps my sex drive and I avoid the extra testosterone (another hormone produced from DHEA) stimulating my skin cells too much.
This product is not vegetarian.
Always consult your primary care physician before starting a new regime, especially if you have a complex case.
It is dangerous to buy this product from an unknown vendor online.
This article is not meant to diagnose or treat disease and is not meant to replace your relationship with your primary care doctor.
Buy Libido Stim F at our shop.
Working on your sex drive and ability to arouse is not only something you do for yourself but for your relationship. You may be surprised at how much your relationship shifts overall when you are connecting well sexually again.
Here’s to your healthy, happy sex life!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3474615/
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/sex-ed-anatomy-of-an-orgasm
https://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-tribulus-terrestris.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27760089
Using Chinese Medicine for Hormone Balance with Dr. Eric Karchmer
Dr. Eric Karchmer is a doctor of Chinese medicine and co-founder of DAO Labs. In this episode we talk about his clinical experience, the concept of Chinese medicine and how it applies to women's health, and Chinese formulas.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:20 Introduction to Dr. Eric Karchmer & his education
Min 07:50 Dao Labs & Chinese medicine
Min 11:25 The concepts of Chinese medicine for women's cycles
Min 19:20 Eating cold food
Min 21:45 Blood deficiency & Dao Labs' formulas
Min 29:10 Formulas for perimenopause & menopause
Min 36:50 Selling formulas directly to consumers
Min 43:10 Formulas for PMS
Min 44:40 Seeing & treating clients
Min 47:35 Sourcing for herbs & testing for purity
Private Coaching with Bridgit
Check out our current coaching options on our website HERE.
Resources:
To learn more about Dr. Eric Karchmer & DAO Labs, visit their website here and find them on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to grab our hidden Hormone stressors quiz here, and come on board!
Thanks for listening,
Bridgit Danner,
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Is Your Gut Messing Up Your Hormones?
There are trillions of bacteria in your gut (1) and they are busy either keeping your hormones in balance or helping your hormones fail you. What is happening in your gut?
Ease Anxiety and Support Immunity in a Disaster with Mira Dessy
Mira Dessy is the Ingredient Guru and a Houston area resident whose home was flooded in Hurricane Harvey. She is a practicing holistic nutritionist and meditation expert.
She’ll share both how she remediated her home and some of the emotional and physical health challenges she handled with nutrition, supplements and mindfulness.
We cover:
The DIY actions she is taking to restore her home
How a community can come together in a crisis
The symptoms she’s noticing right after the hurricane
The emotional toll of losing your possessions and your home
How even junky food, given with love, can be nourishing!
How to kick a sugar habit if you’ve relied on it through a disaster
The supplements Mira uses to stay healthy
How quick and simple meditations can help for sleep and stress
Resources
Download notes from this interview HERE.
Get Mira Dessy's free ebook: Eating Out Healthy
Moisture Meter - to make sure all surfaces are dry enough before beginning the rebuilding process.
To learn more about Mira Dessy, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
You can listen to this and all other episodes on the podcast or watch directly on our YouTube channel here.
Please enjoy these articles from our friends Trudy Scott from Every Woman Over 29 and Jodi Cohen of Vibrant Blue Oils:
Nutrition Solutions for Psychological Stress After a Natural Disaster
3 Steps to Combating Mold with Essential Oils
Essential Oils to Modulate the Toxic Effects of Mold
Tomorrow we’ll have our final day of Mold Week with Ryan James, teaching you how to get the most out of an insurance claim. Home remediation can be quite costly; let Ryan keep you from getting the short end of the stick from your insurance company.
Audio-Only Version
If you are on-the-go or have a poor internet connection, it will be more reliable to play the following audio-only version.
Free Guide: Healing from Toxic Mold
You want help for your mold symptoms ASAP! Cut to the chase with this straight-forward guide, outlining my favorite supplements for detoxing mold. As a person who has been healing from mold toxicity, I can personally say these supplements support my daily self-care effectively.
Let me help you start healing!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP
Founder of Hormone Detox Shop
A Functional Physician's Approach to Mold with Dr. Jill Carnahan
We’re back for day 5 of Mold Week, and my guest today is Dr. Jill Carnahan. Dr. Carnahan is an integrative and functional medical doctor practicing in Colorado.
Jill and I cover:
Why you should not use bleach to clean up mold
What air filters she recommends
Her four step approach to healing
What other infections and chemical exposures she looks for
What natural and pharmaceutical medications she uses
How to test to see if you have mold and the genes that make you susceptible
Resources
Download notes from this interview with Dr. Jill HERE.
To learn more about Dr. Carnahan, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
You can listen to this and all other episodes on the podcast or watch directly on our YouTube channel here.
Audio-Only Version
If you are on the go or have a poor internet connection, it will be more reliable to play the following audio-only version.
Free Guide: Healing from Toxic Mold
You want help for your mold symptoms ASAP! Cut to the chase with this straight-forward guide, outlining my favorite supplements for detoxing mold. As a person who has been healing from mold toxicity, I can personally say these supplements support my daily self-care effectively.
Let me help you start healing!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP
Founder of Hormone Detox Shop
A Deeper Look at Hormones with Dr. Shawn Tassone, MD
Dr. Shawn Tassone is a board certified OBGYN and integrative medicine practitioner. In this episode we talk about hormones, infoceuticals & self care.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:50 Introduction to Dr. Tassone
Min 07:35 Dr. Tassone's practice
Min 10:20 Treating with bio-identical hormones
Min 14:50 Infoceuticals
Min 19:20 Self care - helping yourself first before others
Min 26:30 The wounded healer archetype
Min 30:10 Aging, hormones & identity
To learn more about Dr. Shawn Tassone, visit his website here and follow him on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Upcoming Event: Mold Week
From Oct. 30 - Nov. 5 2017, we will be having a special week on the podcast called Mold Week. This is a week I created to teach you on how to protect yourself from toxic mold. We will have an interview every day and you'll get an email everyday for the duration of the event with a link to the day's interview. Sign up for Mold Week here.
Here's a video version of the interview I did with Dr. Shawn Tassone.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to grab our hidden Hormone stressors quiz here, and come on board!
Thanks for listening,
Bridgit Danner,
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Take Down Your Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
The Parasite Hormone Connection
Do you think parasites have nothing to do with hormones? Or that parasites are very rare and only found in places like rural Africa?
You would be wrong on both counts. In this article, I'll explain:
What is the connection between hormones and parasites
What are the symptoms of a parasitic infection
Why are parasites so common
What you can do about it
The Link Between Parasites and Hormones
A parasite is dictionary defined as “an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense.”
You might be thinking, “well shouldn't my body prevent parasites?” You are right; it should but it doesn't always succeed. Parasites can enter through the skin or the vagina but the most common area of entry is the mouth.
When you eat something or put your hands in your mouth you expose yourself to potential parasites and their larvae. Parasites are found in soil and feces and do a great job of spreading themselves around.
When you swallow a parasite, your stomach acid should burn off the pathogen. However many of us have low stomach acid production from a thyroid condition, because of aging, or because we were eating on in a rush and we didn't get our bodies into “rest and digest” mode.
If a parasite survives the stomach it can live in the intestines or move to other areas of the body. Parasites can remain for decades. You may also be wondering, “isn't it somewhat normal to have parasites?”
According to Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman in her book Guess What Came to Dinner?, some amount of parasites could make for no noticeable symptoms. It really depends on the type and quantity of parasites and the strength or weakness of the host.
You are the host and the environment you create in your body helps determine if a parasite finds a good home or not. If your intestines are out of balance because of eating inflammatory foods, leaky gut, antibiotic use, other infections, or eating a high-sugar, high-refined flour diet you are providing a welcoming home for a parasite.
So now you understand how having a parasite is indeed possible. But why would this affect your hormones?
Having a parasite will cause inflammation in the gut and a potential loss of nutrients going to you, the host.
Hormones stay in balance through:
Production
Clearance
Communication
Parasites will contribute to the overall poor environment in the gut. And your gut is an important location for hormone production and clearance.
The nutrients you absorb in the gut are the ingredients to make hormones: B vitamins, amino acids, fats, etc. That's why I consider it not only very important to eat nourishing foods, but also to take high-quality supplements to 'mind your gut'.
Parasites can contribute to an imbalanced bacterial environment in your gut. (Other contributors are sugar, alcohol, white flour, genetically-modified foods, and antibiotics.) That imbalance can lead to a re-activation of used estrogens getting back into circulation in your body, possibly increasing your risk of breast cancer. (source)
In a healthy gut, used hormones that have been rendered inactive in the liver will be expelled in the intestines through the bile. In an unhealthy gut, an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase will be produced, making estrogen active again. This happens within a set of gut bacteria called the estrobolome.
Dr. Izabella Wentz, in her book Hashimoto's Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back, connects many parasites to the "triggering and exacerbating" of the autoimmune thyroid condition Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. These include: Giardia lamblia, Dientamoeba fragilis, Toxoplasma gondii, Entamoeba histolytica, Blastocystis hominis, Bartonella henselae and Cyrptosporidium.
Hormones are made in response to the needs of your body. If your body is chronically fighting an infection in your gut and dealing with the inflammation there, hormones will be made to combat that stress, namely stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
As a woman, you want a balance of stress hormones and more restorative hormones in the Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) family like estrogen and testosterone. If your body is making a lot of cortisol in comparison to DHEA, you could have symptoms like overwhelm, low sex drive, infertility and loss of muscle mass. Menopause and peri-menopause can be more difficult.
The above are just a few ways that parasites and an unhealthy gut can lead to hormonal problems.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a parasitic infection are numerous. This list is by no means a way of diagnosis but rather examples of the diverse ways that a parasite could manifest:
Constipation
Diarrhea
Gas and bloating
Muscle pain
Anemia
Autoimmune diseases
Skin rashes
Insomnia / Waking up too early
Anxiety
Fatigue
Teeth grinding
Frequent colds and flu
In this article, I am focusing on parasites but we often see parasites in our clients like Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and candida. Parasites can also help house and protect things like Epstein-Barr virus, mold mycotoxins, and Lyme infection. So in complex cases is often important to clear the gut of these pathogens.
But sometimes our clients are fairly healthy have lots of good habits, they are just stuck in one area of their health. They can't get pregnant or they're chronically bloated. These are cases where we've been able to address the gut and get good results overall.
According to the Center for Disease Control, millions of people in the United States are affected by parasites every year. How much of a problem parasites depend on who you ask. The colleagues of mine who treat complex cases are quite convinced of the efficacy of parasite treatment. You can hear my interview with parasite expert, Dr. Todd Watts here, and you can register for the Parasite Summit here (and more information is below).
Parasitic infections do seem to be on the rise because of these factors:
International travel
Contaminated public water supply
Household pets
Daycare centers
Eating at restaurants
Food imported from other countries
The use of antibiotics
Factory farming (including farmed fish)
A Personal Story
When I was in my early twenties I lived in a village in South America. All the pathogens there were new to my body and even though I tried to drink clean water I got very sick a few times. After that, I lived in Mexico and while there I was chronically constipated. I didn't know much about parasites back then but I suspected them I looked into getting a test run but opted for a kit I could buy at the store to clean parasites in my colon. Later my boyfriend at the time, who also lived in South America, passed a long worm out of his stool.
I forgot about parasites for a while but during a stressful time in Chinese medicine school, I developed IBS that would not go away. I attributed it to stress. If my diet is “really perfect” with all fresh, clean foods my digestion can be pretty stable. But cheating at all on corn chips or a beer would make me have loose stool again. This pattern went on for many years and I even had to stool test and treated H pylori infection with still no improvement.
One of my parasites that came out in my stool.Trust me, I was really grossed out when I first saw this too. Toothbrush somehow makes this picture grosser. I did not touch it to my toothbrush, just put it on top of bag for size comparison.
This past summer I interviewed Dr. Todd Watts office about parasites. Perhaps with that awareness in the back of my mind, I noticed a parasite in my stool the next day. I quickly ordered a stool test from a leading company we use and the test came back positive for a type of parasite.
I have been treating my parasite and, though I'm just beginning, I have passed another worm and some larvae which, while gross, is also pretty exciting to know that I am getting something out of my body that was likely stressing it for a long time. I know that my white blood cell count has been low for years and no one was able to explain it but I think this helps explain it.
Besides coming back from South America with a probable parasite I also came back with a lackadaisical attitude about sanitation. I thought that here in the US we were too paranoid about cleanliness. We have also learned in the last decade a lot about the microbiome and we are often encouraged to 'eat dirt and go barefoot.’
After reading Guess What Came to Dinner? by Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman, I have quite a different perspective. We DO want to be clean and careful to prevent parasites. It is much easier to prevent parasites then test and treat for them later.
Prevention Tips
Luckily there is a lot we can do to prevent parasites:
Always wash hands prior to eating
Keep your fingernails short and scrub under them with a brush
When you use a public toilet seat squat over it rather than sitting on it
At home, keep your bathrooms clean and sanitize toilet seats and bowls*
Keep the interior or your car clean*
Avoid kissing your pets or letting your children do so
All family members should wash their hands after petting the family pet
Pick up pet waste and don't let your kids play in areas where they can be exposing themselves to residual pet waste
Get a report on your local water quality and drink only filtered water (Filters need to be very fine a size of 3 microns or under to filter microorganism cysts.)
While hiking, never drink out of streams and carry a fine pore filter of 3 microns or under while camping
Wash raw fruits and vegetables before eating
Be very careful with cooking meats and fish to ensure that any larvae in them are killed
Cook beef to an internal temperature of 160° f
Cook chicken, lamb and pork to 170° f
Cook fish until flaky and do not cook in a microwave
Avoid eating raw Pacific salmon and rockfish (Flash frozen fish are safer.)
Eat fiber such as raw nuts, beans, greens berries; these sweep your colon
Avoiding sugars and simple starches that parasites thrive on
Avoid swimming in freshwater lakes
Always sit on a towel in a sauna
Be aware that public mud baths and spas can carry the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis (This happened to me the only time I used a mud bath!)
If you are pregnant or immunocompromised, avoid changing your cat's litter box and have someone else and household do it
* Please note that you don't need to use potent chemicals for cleaning. You can use potent essential oils instead! Dr. Mariza Snyder is my to-go resource on essential oils, and her book, Smart Mom's Guide to Essential Oils: Natural Solutions for a Healthy Family, Toxin-Free Home and Happier You has many great cleaning recipes.
If you would like to learn more about parasites, I encourage you to attend the Parasite Summit hosted by Dr. Jay Davidson. This event is an eye-opening journey into parasites and their effects on health, hormones, detox and more!
Accurate testing for parasites cannot be conducted at your local doctor's office. The technology is just available in this setting and paradigm. We do conduct these tests with our private clients and develop protocols to help them eradicate gut pathogens. If you are interested in talking to us more about it you can check out our coaching options here.
To Your Health!
Bridgit
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Natural Thyroid vs Levothyroxine by Dr. Ahmed Zayed
The Benefits of Lab Testing for Women's Health
You are trying to fix your hormones, tame your hormones, survive your hormones…is it working? If not, here’s help and an explanation of why it’s so complicated.
Your body is complex- 11 systems comprised of 37.2 trillion cells working together with 100 trillion bacteria to keep you energetic, sleeping well and thinking clearly. Source
Our modern environment is also complex. Wi-fi, international news reports, food additives, long work days…we all have a lot challenging us right now.
You are probably already trying to be healthy. Did you cut down on sugar, caffeine, gluten? That’s great! Are you noticing some steadier moods or a slimmer waistline? I hope so.
You may also be trying to get regular exercise, and maybe even meditating. That’s great too! How about reading blogs like this one and attending online health summits? Yup. These foundations of diet, exercise, stress reduction, and education are all very important.
But what if you are still tired? What if you still have no sex drive? Raging acne? Creeping weight gain?
You may think, “well I must have adrenal fatigue.”
That’s the mindset I had several years ago. I was eating really well but still had spotting before my periods and really low energy in the afternoons. I thought, “Well, it’s the stress. I need to do a better job of handling stress.” But I never seemed to accomplish that.
Later I had a DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) test, and it revealed something new to me. It suggested I may have low thyroid function, which I had never suspected. I didn’t have the hair loss, weight gain, etc. that I had learned about with low thyroid.
Important Point #1: Your hormone problems are not always what you think.
It’s easy to come to a conclusion that you have estrogen dominance, low hormone levels, low adrenal function, etc, but you don’t really know until you test. You can, like me, beat yourself about a diagnosis you’ve decided on and keep self-treating for it, but it’s better to test and really know.
After my DUTCH results suggested I had low thyroid function, I ran a full thyroid panel on myself for the first time. Although I had run blood tests in the past, I had never tested my thyroid antibodies as I hadn’t suspected an issue there.
My results showed a very low level of thyroid antibodies, and I’m so glad I caught it early. Around the same time I was chronically sick, and, at first, I figured it must be this thyroid issue.
But soon after we learned that we had toxic mold within the walls of our house, which took me down a deeper rabbit hole of testing.
Important Point # 2: Your hormone problems came from somewhere.
It’s important to realize that your body will not randomly give you a thyroid condition, or any other hormonal imbalance. It wants to have a working thyroid gland and balanced hormones.
As I learned about mold, I learned that it, among other triggers, can contribute to thyroid issues. This is why I still do not identify with a Hashimoto’s diagnosis, but rather I consider myself a person in the process of healing and clearing deeper causes of illness.
Recently I had a new type of stool test. My past stool tests had revealed some bacterial imbalance and H. Pylori infection, an infection I cleared without any improvement in my gastrointestinal symptoms.
I was ‘inspired’ to run a GI Map test by Diagnostic Solutions laboratory after interviewing Dr. Todd Watts about parasites on my podcast, and then promptly passing a worm in my stool the next day! What timing. Side note: if you see something that looks like a pad thai noodle or a bean sprout in your stool, but you’ve didn’t eat either the day before, you should be highly suspicious!
The GI Map is different because it looks for DNA fragments of parasite and other infections in your stool. So it doesn’t miss much. However, according to Dr. Watts, it is still inadequate because it does not test for every type of parasite.
But for me, a parasite was found, and it did appear to roughly match the specimen I had found in my stool. I lived a year in rural South America about 20 years ago, and I had suspected a parasite back then. But you don’t need to leave the country to get a parasite! Again according to Dr. Watts, “everyone who has a pulse has a parasite.” According to the Center for Disease Control's website, " Parasitic infections affect millions of people in the United States every year."
I mention stool testing because 100% of the clients in our coaching program have GI issues contributing to hormonal issues.
When you are housing candida infections, aberrant bacterial growth, parasites, H. Pylori infection or Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), it’s a chronic stress or your body, leading to inflammation, malnutrition or even autoimmune disease. It’s incredibly common, and digestion and hormones are not often enough linked in the medical conversation.
Important Point # 3: Your primary care doctor probably doesn’t take a functional approach to health care.
Many people comment to me that they want to feel better and they are very interested in the functional approach, and then their next question is, “Can my doctor run these tests for me?”
Yes and no. Sometimes your doctor to run a full CBC blood panel for you, and have them add vitamin D and thyroid antibodies. However:
Within a conventional medical system, she can’t run labs for diagnoses they don’t suspect based on their training
If she is not a functional practitioner, she will not interpret your results in a functional way, and may tell you you are fine (when you don’t feel fine)
She definitely cannot run the advanced urinary, saliva and stool tests we use because these tests are not available to them through the conventional medical system
You can’t ask your doctor to practice functional medicine if that’s not what she practices.
It’s like asking your massage therapist to give you acupuncture. It's not within their training.
Our clients can sometimes get helpful blood tests through their doctors that we can review, and I also encourage them to use a Health Savings Account (it’s pre-tax money you put towards health expenses) when possible.
I understand that spending money out-of-pocket on medical expenses is not fun. I understand that many people are living on modest means and supporting kids, parents, and other family members financially.
Our family has spent, get this, at least $100,000 in remediating mold in our house, replacing all our stuff, missing work, moving to a safer space, and treating our health. And the spending hasn’t stopped because I’m not all healed up yet, and we still have some mold-infected belongings to replace.
Still dealing with mold, over a year after it was found.
So I am sympathetic, but at the same time, I have made incredible sacrifices to heal myself and my family. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.
The experience I went through with mold was a huge growth opportunity. It made me realize how short and fragile life is, and gave me a deep hunger to get well and live my life to the fullest.
I recently read this quote in the book, Gratitude, by author and physician Oliver Sacks, after he learned he had advanced liver cancer, "It is now up to me to choose how to live out the months that remain to me. I have to live in the richest, deepest, most productive way I can."
I had a firsthand experience with the web of diseases and how they interconnect. It was not easy to identify my root causes nor navigate the options for care.
As a health coach, my experience made me a strong advocate for my clients to persist and get well, even if the path seems impossible to find, or the mountain too big to climb.
We have women in our program who are too sick to work, homemakers or who are working low-wage jobs. I am fiercely proud of them for choosing to invest in their health. Others have parents that choose to support them in their healthcare, often in cases of infertility where the odds of becoming a grandparent are increased!
It comes down to choosing more for yourself- to believing your health could be improved, which allows you to be happier and more productive. You also have to be willing to work and to pick yourself up when you have a hard day of symptoms.
If you'd like to have a conversation with me about your health journey and what we do in our functional health coaching program, please check out our current coaching options Our private coaching program does include choosing the best lab test for your case, placing the orders for you, interpreting your results, setting a protocol based on those results, and adjusting and monitoring your protocol for best results.
Free Educational Videos on our Favorite Lab Testing
In this video, Ann Melin is describing about the DUTCH i.e Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones by Precision Analytical. She will also explain about different types of hormones and organic acids.
In this video, Ann Melin is describing about the GI-Map from Diagnostic Solutions Lab. She will also explain about Stool testing techniques, different types of pathogens, worms and intestinal health.
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Why You're at Risk for Thyroid Disease After 40
Peri-menopause - the 5-10 years leading up to menopause - is a common time to be diagnosed with a thyroid condition.
In this article, I’d like to address these questions:
• Why then?
• Why more in women?
• What can be done?
Peri-menopause may begin in your late 30s or early or mid 40s. You may notice that your PMS is worse. You may have spotting between periods. Over time, your periods will likely get more dramatic, with missed periods and heavy periods.
Other symptoms may be popping up too, like anxiety, brain fog and weight gain. You may be thinking, “these sound like thyroid symptoms,” and you could be right!
But before we explore the thyroid connection, let’s cover what is normally happening during peri-menopause.
What is Peri-menopause?
Peri-menopause is, in short, the opposite of puberty. In puberty your ovaries are waking up to start your reproductive years. Your brain and ovaries are learning to work together to coordinate a monthly cycle, and often the first few reproductive years are hormonally unstable.
In peri-menopause, the brain-ovary relationship is starting to shut down. The ovaries are closing up shop, but the brain keeps knocking at the door, trying to get the shopkeeper working again.
The sex hormone that needs to rise sufficiently in the first half of the month is estrogen. It is produced by the ovaries as they also grow eggs. If you produce enough estrogen and release an egg, you’ll ovulate. And if that egg is healthy and hearty, you’ll produce a good amount of progesterone in the second half of your cycle. (The egg sac, or corpus luteum, makes progesterone after ovulation.)
How Your Thyroid Could Be Impacted in Peri-menopause
Even though both estrogen and progesterone are declining in peri-menopause, progesterone declines more dramatically in this stage. This leads to a condition called ‘estrogen dominance.’
Too much estrogen can prevent the thyroid hormone from getting to where it needs to go and can prevent it from converting to its active form. For some women, their thyroid symptoms are simply a result of this high estrogen interfering with thyroid hormone activity. We’ll talk about how to address estrogen dominance shortly.
Another thing estrogen effects is the immune system. Estrogen is associated with stimulating the TH2 branch of the immune system (1). TH2 is short for T Helper cell type 2, a lymphocyte (immune cell). TH2 is part of the adaptive immune system, which mounts a specific attack against pathogens.+ Adaptive immunity is usually a good thing, but it can also lead to autoimmunity if the antigen activity is directed towards itself.
As estrogen is the dominant sex hormone in women, this helps to explain why autoimmunity and thyroid disease is more common in women.
As we age, we also experience decreased immunity, and a tendency towards TH2 response.
“In the aged, however, naive cells are less likely to become effectors. In those that do, there is a documented shift towards a Th2 cytokine response.
The elderly have impaired ability to achieve immunization but much higher levels of circulating autoantibodies, (due to the lack of naive effectors) impaired response to viral infections, increased risk of bacterial infections, and increased risk of both neoplastic and autoimmune disease.” (3)
However, there is hope and action we can take to keep estrogen in check!
What To Do
1. Improve Gut Health
If you’ve studied the thyroid, you know that gut health is key to prevent an autoimmune response and to convert thyroid hormone effectively. Did you know it’s also important to clear estrogen dominance? One way your gut helps clear estrogen is through the estrobolome, “the aggregate of enteric bacterial genes whose products are capable of metabolizing estrogens.” (4)
You can be friendly to your gut by avoiding:
• Genetically modified foods (GMO) - These kill off friendly bacteria
• Sugars - These feed troublesome bacteria
• Unnecessary antibiotic use - This kills everything, with bacterial imbalance often resulting in its wake
You can be friendly to your gut by including:
• Small amounts of fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi
• A wide variety of fibers from salad greens, fresh spices, berries, etc.
• A long period from an early dinner to breakfast - lets your gut bacteria grow in peace!
2. Boost Progesterone
Progesterone helps keep estrogen in check, so boost it by giving your body ingredients to make hormones.
• Hemp Oil - I’ve been very impressed with how 1 T of hemp oil a day helps my own peri-menopausal hormones
• Borage Oil - This oil, usually in pill form, has gamma linoleic acid (GLA) to spark hormone production
• Maca- This adaptogenic root herb helps boosts hormone production and can benefit your energy levels and sex drive
3. Help Out Your Immune System
If aberrant immunity could be a problem in your case, add some components that can balance your TH2 activity:
• Omega 3 - Omega fatty acids have a balancing effect on the immune system and decreases inflammation. (5) Quality matters with omega 3, so do research to find a good brand.
• Vitamin D- Vitamin D deficiency is found at higher levels in people with autoimmune thyroid disease. (6) Talk to your doctor about getting your vitamin D tested and restoring it to a level around 60-80 NG/DL through sunshine and vitamin D3 supplementation.
Learn more about the thyroid at perimenopause from experts like Dana Trentini, Dr. Tom O’Bryan and Heather Dubé at the free, online Hormone Balance After 40 Summit!
The summit happens live June 5-11, 2017, but recordings will live on after the live summit.
Hormone Balance After 40 Summit
BUY the Hormone Balance After 40 Summit package here!
References:
1. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cdtia/2004/00000003/00000001/art00010
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_immune_system#T_lymphocytes
3. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/775536_2
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3264051/
Hormone Balance After 40 Part 2 with Dr. Ronda Nelson
We're back for part 2 of the interview with Dr. Ronda Nelson about hormone balance after 40 and dealing with some of the symptoms that can come as result of your hormones changing with age.
Click here to download an mp3 of "Hormone Balance After 40 Part 1 with Dr. Ronda Nelson."
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:15 The transition from perimenopause to menopause
Min 05:30 Hot flushes & night sweats and when they start showing up
Min 07:00 Why we need to support the ovaries
Min 10:05 Taking care of the adrenals before perimenopause
Min 13:35 Night sweats
Min 16:10 Caring for the hypothalamus
Min 19:00 Benefits of Black cohosh & Sage
Min 20:50 Insomnia & Dr. Nelson's tips to help with sleep
Min 33:10 Irritated bladder problems & dealing with them
Min 39:45 Loss of integrity in the skin & Dr. Nelson’s remedies
To learn more about Dr. Ronda Nelson, you can visit her website here and follow her on social:
LEARN MY 25 SUPERFOODS FOR HORMONE SUPPORT!
Balancing your health and hormones can be about adding foods that taste great and give your body a boost, rather than just focusing on what you take away. As you fill your day with these delicious superfoods, you feel more satisfied and have less cravings.
Grab the guide now and watch your hormones start to hum!
Hormone Balance After 40 Part 1 with Dr. Ronda Nelson
Dr. Ronda Nelson is a functional nutritionist who works with thyroid, endocrine and digestive issues. She’s our guest this week and we're talking about hormones and menopause.
Click here to download an mp3 of "Hormone Balance After 40 Part 1 with Dr. Ronda Nelson."
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:00 Introduction to Dr. Ronda Nelson & her practice
Min 06:45 Dr. Ronda healing her daughter's cancer
Min 11:40 Root causes & generational risks
Min 13:50 Lifestyle factors while entering menopause
Min 17:20 Supporting the adrenal glands
Min 18:10 Weight gain and adrenal dysfunction
Min 25:45 Estrogen (E2, E1 & E3)
Min 28:50 Forgetfulness in perimenopausal women
Min 32:50 Tribulus herb & how it works
Min 35:15 Vaginal dryness and Dr. Ronda's recommended remedies
Min 41:00 Bio-identical hormones & their effects
Min 47:40 Lab tests for hormone overdose & taking a woman out of bio-identical hormones
To learn more about Dr. Ronda Nelson, you can visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Learn My 25 Superfoods for Hormone Support!
Balancing your health and hormones can be about adding foods that taste great and give your body a boost, rather than just focusing on what you take away. As you fill your day with these delicious superfoods, you feel more satisfied and have less cravings.
Grab the guide now and watch your hormones start to hum!
Healthy Fats for Happy Hormones
In this article, we’ll be focusing on fats that increase the production of prostaglandins, which are not hormones, but are powerful, hormone-like agents that do important jobs such as regulating inflammation and stimulating hormone production. (1) So if you want to have regulated hormones and managed inflammation, read on to learn about your helpful prostaglandins and how to support them.
Are you dealing with symptoms like:
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Irregular periods
Heavy periods
Anxiety
Weight Gain
Menstrual migraines
These are all potential symptoms of inflammation and hormone imbalance that may benefit from the prostaglandin lovin’ you’ll learn about today.
What are Prostaglandins?
Prostaglandins are lipid compounds produced throughout the body, derived from fats and produced by an enzymatic process. They are made from Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats, plus some micronutrients and minerals are needed in their production as well.
Prostaglandins can both initiate and reduce inflammation. (2) Inflammation is a normal process in the body, but too much inflammation causes pain and hormone dysregulation.
Since prostaglandins can be inflammatory or anti-inflammatory; one way to reduce symptoms is to increase anti-inflammatory prostaglandins by consuming the fats that are needed to make anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.
If you’re nutritionally savvy, you may have learned that Omega 3 fats are good and that Omega 6 fats are bad. This is somewhat true, but there’s more to it.
The Fats
Omega 3 and 6 fats are both polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the numbers 3 and 6 refer to the location of a double carbon bond within the structure of the molecule. Omega 3 and 6 oils are considered ‘essential’ to consume because the human body cannot make them.
The Omega 3s
Omega 3 oils are anti-inflammatory which means they reduce the unwanted symptoms of inflammation like headaches and acne. Their anti-inflammatory effect even helps in treating the autoimmune diseases that are becoming so common in women by regulating the immune system.
The three types of Omega 3 fatty acids involved in human physiology are α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA comes from plant sources and DHA and EPA come from marine sources.
ALA sources of omega three can be converted in EPA and, less efficiently, to DHA. There has been some debate about the rate of this conversion. It appears that women, as a result of higher estrogen levels, convert ALA to EPA at a higher rate than in men. (3)
EPA is what we are focusing on in this article, as it is converted to a prostaglandin.
From the Omega 3 category, consume foods such as:
Wild, fresh salmon
Grass-fed beef and lamb
Pastured chicken or duck eggs
Fish eggs
Sardines
Tuna
Oysters
Shrimp
Anchovies
Flounder
Bass
Mackerel
These vegetarian sources of Omega 3s are awesome additions to your diet:
Fresh ground flax seed
High lignan flax oil (use for dressing, not for cooking)
Walnuts
Chia seeds
Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale
Brussels sprouts
Sea vegetables
Hemp seed and oil
As a supplement, you can take 1,000 mg /day of high quality fish oil, like this one we carry. You can also find an algae-based Omega 3 oil as well, like this one from Nordic Naturals.
The Omega 6s
While all clean sources of Omega 3's are good, Omega 6's are more of a mixed bag.
Omega 6 oils include linoleic acid (LA), an essential fatty acid, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Similar to the conversion process of the Omega 3 ALA into EPA, it is possible to CONVERT LA into GLA, but there can be snags in the process. Another downside of linoleum acid is that too much is inflammatory.
So it’s best to get your linoleum acid from clean sources, and also to add in the lesser-known and potent GLA oils below.
The Bad Boys
Some Omega 6 fats are dangerous, like the ones coming from canola, corn, safflower oils. These processed vegetable oils often are derived from non-organic, genetically-modified seeds, and the oil can only be extracted from a series of complex steps. In other words, they are not real food. The resulting product is inflammatory, can contribute to leaky gut, and can actually block normal hormone production and function, contributing to things like cramps and infertility. (4)
These oils are prevalent in processed foods like bakery items, margarines and most prepared foods, whether from the grocery store shelf, the deli section or a restaurant. When you use these oils to fry things like French fries, they become really bad, as the extra heat exposure creates even more free radicals.
Please do not use vegetable oils in your home cooking and avoid all margarines. Minimize processed foods and cook at home much more than you eat out.
The Good Girls
Clean sources of linoleic acid (LA) include:
Avocado
Almonds
Brazils nuts
Pistachios
Pecans
Pine nuts
Sunflower seeds
Organic organ meat
Great sources of gamma- linoleic acid (GLA) include:
Borage oil
Evening primrose oil
Flax oil
Olive oil
Hemp oil
Spirulina (5)
As mentioned earlier, LA can be converted to prostaglandins, but too much compared to Omega 3 ALA can be a problem. (6) So watch your ‘bad boy’ oil consumption. And do get your extra special GLA fats, as these are not inflammatory and tend to be the most overlooked in our diets.
It can be easy to increase good fats in your diet. Here are some suggestions:
Drizzle hemp, flax or sesame oil over your cooked food or salad.
Buy raw nuts and mix with coconut flakes and dried berries for a trail mix/ easy snack. (Store in fridge.)
Add nuts and seeds to your morning smoothie.
Make a chia/ seed porridge.
Find a clean source of fish and learn to cook it!
Learn about sea vegetables and how to use them.
References:
Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause by Ann Louise Gittleman, Harper Collins 1998
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-the-omega-3omega-6-ratio-may-not-matter-after-all/
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Support These Three Systems for Smoother Peri-menopause
We'll focus on three systems to support the most while in peri-menopause.
1. Balance Your Blood Sugar
This tip is HUGE for peri-menopause, so pay close attention. When you were younger, you could maybe get away with late-night pizza or drinking binges. You body is much less forgiving at this age, which you probably already realized.
You don’t want to gain weight, feel cloudy, or sleep poorly, but, if your like most of us, you want to have you cake and eat it too.
It’s super important to keep your blood sugar balanced to prevent the symptoms of peri-menopause. Spikes and dips in your blood sugar create an additional stress on your body, and your body is already going through the stress of changing hormones.
These spikes and dips in your blood sugar also make you cranky, craving carbs and gaining weight. Sugars also feed the unhealthy bacteria in your gut, and you need a healthy gut to clear old hormones and to make chemicals that make you feel good.
Here’s my best tip for blood sugar: start the day with low sugar and high protein and fiber. When you start you day this way, you will have less cravings and make better choices.
Some options:
Eggs
Trail mix
Leftovers from dinner
Organic breakfast sausage
Miso soup with veggies
2. Love Your Adrenals
Your adrenals are two glands in your lower back that make hormones for energy and stress. They also make some female hormones (sex hormones) and you rely on them more as your ovarian function declines.
Your adrenals make hormones for stress, energy and sex. You probably want lots of energy and great sex, but less stress. So create less stress in your life.
Now, you probably think of stress as being stuck in traffic and late for an important appointment. That is stressful. But stress to your body comes in lots of other forms too, like:
The blood sugar spikes and dips we discussed
The late nights of work
The stress of caring for kids or elderly parents
Chronic pain
Eating low-quality foods or inflammatory foods
This list could be longer, but I’ll stop here and give you tip #2 to love your adrenals. Get to bed by 10 PM, take rest breaks during the day, and have fun!
3. Support Detox Pathways
To have hormone balance, you need to clear toxins. Excess hormones re-circulating in your blood stream, or toxins that mimic hormones can lead to peri-menopause symptoms.
Today we’ll talk about two mechanisms that clear toxins and how to support them: the liver and the digestive tract.
The liver is the best known detox organ, for good reason. It breaks down toxins and used hormones into a form that can be eliminated. To support the liver, eat foods that contain the nutrients your liver needs to do its tasks.
Some liver-loving foods include: pasture-raised eggs, beets, carrots, lemon, broccoli, chard, dandelion, cabbage, onions and garlic.
Once toxins and used hormones are broken down, they need to be eliminated from the body. The main exit route is the digestive tract. If you are constipated or have an inflamed digestive tract, these waste products may not be eliminated.
Natural sources of fat, such as coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, unprocessed meats and fish, are needed by the gallbladder to make the bile that the toxins travel with from the liver to the digestive tract.
Once in the digestive tract, keep your bowels moving with regular exercise and drinking plenty of water. Reduce inflammation by avoiding inflammatory foods such as sugar, alcohol, gluten and processed dairy products.
Please take one tip from above and get started!
Love these tips? Want to learn more?
Learn more about peri-menopause from experts like Ann Louise Gittleman, Dr. Anna Cabeca and Tana Amen at my online Hormone Balance After 40 Summit!
The summit happened live June 5-11, 2017, but recordings will live on after the live summit.
You’ll hear 30+ experts on the topics like:
• Boosting your Metabolism
• Reclaiming your Sex Drive
• Restoring Mental Clarity.
The best part is that it’s all free and you can attend online from any computer or smartphone. Purchase here for your own Hormone Balance After 40!
What in the World is Peri-menopause?
If I were to ask 10 women on the street, “What is peri-menopause?,” I would probably get just 1 out of 10 who would know the answer, at best.
Peri-menopause is the about 10 year period before the full stopping of your period, called menopause. The stopping of your menstrual period doesn’t just come out of nowhere, it happens after a slow decline of ovarian function.
Your ovaries, the two little organs that shoot out an egg every month when you ovulate, come to life at puberty, and peak around 27 years of age. After that, their function starts to decline very gradually, and then much more rapidly.
If you recall your teenage years, you may remember having acne, mood swings and irregular periods. This was because your brain was learning to work with your newly active ovaries together.
At peri-menopause, you may also have hormonal symptoms, that could include:
Heavy periods
Early periods
Missed periods
Anxiety
Insomnia
Weight Gain
Forgetfulness
So why do the symptoms of peri-menopause happen?
Sadly, you can’t live forever, or make babies forever. Your genes are programmed to turn on your reproductive powers at puberty, and gradually fade them before menopause.
As you entered puberty, your ovaries started making estrogen, the dominant female hormone, like crazy. You grew breasts and hips and your periods may have been really intense.
You rode this nice estrogen high with gorgeous skin and a healthy sex drive in your 20s. But as you aged, your ovarian function declined and you made less estrogen, slowly.
Just like in puberty, the brain is trying its best to work with the ovaries at peri-menopause. Some months it's pushing them to work harder, and estrogen level go up. Other months estrogen levels are low. This is a normal aspect of peri-menopause, but it can result in symptoms.
Because the eggs in the ovaries aren't as prime in our older years, their function is less robust. This leads to less progesterone production, the hormone that is made after your ovulate, in the second half of your cycle. It is also normal that progesterone declines, but this change can again cause symptoms.
Here’s one last detail: you make a certain type of estrogen, estradiol, in your reproductive years. As you shift towards menopause, another type of estrogen, estrone, becomes dominant. But that shift is a little rough on your body, because it got used to using estradiol for many years.
You don’t have to be a victim of your changing hormones. Once you get to know your hormones and what they need, you can be the hero in your own hormone story.
Stayed tuned for information on how to best take care of yourself in these years to avoid symptoms as much as possible!
Bridgit Danner is at the author of this article and the founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative.
She designed a private, collaborative coaching service exclusively for women which utilizes the accuracy of functional medicine for outstanding results.
