What is a Female Hormone Imbalance?

If you have a uterus, you’ve probably experienced some kind of hormonal changes throughout the month. In a healthy menstrual cycle, this usually involves some mild cramping during your period and moderate to light bleeding that lasts from 3 to 7 days. Other than some minor inconveniences, you find it easy to go on with your life. But what about when your period controls your life?

This could be a sign of a Female Hormone Imbalance. 

Female Hormone Imbalances can occur when sex hormone levels reach above or fall below regular levels in your body. These important chemicals have many functions, including regulating mood, sleep, metabolism, reproductive cycles, and stress levels. When they become imbalanced, your entire body – and life – can be affected dramatically. Often, these conditions go undiagnosed for years, leaving individuals feeling like they simply have to live with these debilitating symptoms.

Rest assured that your search for answers is over. We hear you and we believe you, and we can help you get back to feeling your best.

Types of Hormone Imbalances

Estrogen and progesterone are the two main hormones in a menstrual cycle. The first half of the cycle is estrogen dominant because our body is preparing to ovulate. The second half of the menstrual cycle is progesterone dominant. This helps build the uterine lining to support a healthy pregnancy. Of course, if you don’t get pregnant, your body sheds its uterine lining in the form of a period. With the constant fluctuation of these hormones, any type of imbalance can become problematic. Let’s explore the two most common types of female hormone imbalances: 

Estrogen dominance 

This occurs when your levels of estrogen are much higher than your progesterone levels. Signs of estrogen dominance include painful, heavy periods, clotting, sore breasts, weight gain, mood swings, and headaches. 

Luteal Phase Deficiency

This happens when our progesterone levels fail to rise adequately after ovulation. Low progesterone can cause symptoms of anxiety, poor sleep, infertility, missed or irregular periods, headaches, hot flashes, and low libido.

Symptoms of a Hormone Imbalance

• Acne on your chin and cheeks (this could be a symptom of high testosterone) 
• Hair loss, especially if you’ve recently stopped hormonal birth control 
• Painful and heavy periods (could be a sign of estrogen dominance)
• Light bleeding or missing your period altogether. This can happen after you stop hormonal birth control. Missed or irregular periods can also be a sign of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
• Weight gain
• Endometriosis
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Poor sleep
• Headaches 
• Sore breasts
• Hot flashes
• Low libido
• Infertility 
• Fatigue

So, what can we do about it?

Comprehensive testing to determine the root cause.

…Dr. Smith has helped me become nearly symptom-free

After struggling with severe PMS for many years, Dr. Smith has helped me become nearly symptom-free. It was such a relief to finally find a doctor that took my concerns seriously and focused on my long term health. I just wish I had gone to Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine sooner!

Kristal Jenkinson
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Testing We Offer

• Micronutrient testing
• Comprehensive blood work
• Comprehensive hormone metabolite testing 
• Comprehensive salivary hormone testing
• Comprehensive stool analysis 
• Heavy metal provocation testing 
• Neuro analysis + Neurofeedback within Neurvana

Once we determine the root cause, it’s time to balance those hormones.

Treatments We Offer

• Targeted supplementation and nutraceuticals to address specific hormone imbalances
• Stress mitigation techniques
• Mental Health Support
• Diet and lifestyle recommendations specific to hormone imbalances
• IV therapy
• Heavy metal chelation therapy
• Neuro analysis + Neurofeedback within Neurvana

“With women who have health concerns, whether that’s hormonal or gastrointestinal or any other host of health concerns, the number one step that I do is gather a full health history. This helps better understand what kind of symptoms you’re experiencing and how they’re affecting your daily life. 

With the understanding of your symptoms, comprehensive testing is the next step to further understand the root cause of your health concerns. Then we can come up with a targeted treatment protocol, whether that includes supplementation, diet, lifestyle factors, and stress mitigation techniques.”

— Dr. Alexandra Smith, ND

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