How I'm Using Food, Knowledge, And Supplements To Balance My Hormones Naturally

Hormones are our controllers. They control how we react to a situation to how we get through a stressful time. Hormones dictate how we act, think, eat, react, everything we do is based off of how our hormones are functioning and whether they are working properly. Hormones are especially important for women of any age, especially if you want to conceive naturally and as soon as possible.

Many of you know that my husband and I have recently embarked on our journey to parenthood and it's been a huge time of growth and a huge process for me. At times I feel overwhelmed and scared. Up until the other day I was living in a constant state of fear with a really dark attitude that it was never going to happen for us. That was until I realized just how important positive thinking is for this next phase of our journey together. 

Although we haven't been trying for very long and with the excessive amount of stress and personal pain we've been going through, some would consider our trying, not really trying at all. I'm working really hard on not freaking out about the fact that it hasn't happened yet because there have been so many outside stressors that need to be dealt with before my body can do its job.

We lost a parent this summer. It was a blow to both of us and enduring that pain has been has been ugly and hard. My dog was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma and although he's on the road to recovery it has been anything but easy. I wrote a cookbook in under 6-weeks. The stress of that was nearly unbearable, but I got through it. My hormones have been all over the place. I've been stressing out over everything and I feel as if I'm in a constant state of panic. I never realized how much this very personal journey would send me into overdrive and Google city. But, I'm on a new path now. No more Google rabbit holes. No more believing my body can't do it. No more stress. No more pain. 

Our minds are very powerful. With them, we can dictate whether we are going to have a good day or a bad one. Our minds can control us or we can control them. I'm the captain of my ship, not my mind and not anyone else. 

Now, let's talk all things hormones. I have fibroids which are benign growths in my uterus that cause excessively long heavy periods and spotting prior to my period beginning each month and spotting after. No one really knows why fibroids start, but they begin once we get our periods and they continue throughout adulthood until menopause. Although there is no direct link, researchers believe they are caused by excessive estrogen, otherwise known as estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is bad and can cause a slew of issues. Heavy periods, painful breasts throughout our cycles, bloating, fertility issues, fibroids, endometriosis, weight-gain, hair-loss, cramping, and certain cancers. Most women have either fibroids or endometriosis and don't even know it because the diagnosis for both is hard.

Estrogen dominance is nothing to mess with and unfortunately, most AMA doctors don't help manage it. All they want to do is shove birth control pills down your throat and tell you to "deal with it". Well, the answer is no. I'm not going to just deal with it anymore. I'm tired of worrying that estrogen dominance is keeping me from conceiving naturally, I'm tired of spotting for half of the month, and I'm tired of having long, heavy, periods. I'm taking my health into my own hands and read on to find out how I'm doing it. 

Although I haven't been officially diagnosed with estrogen dominance (I'm begging my doctor to run a hormone panel on me to find out for sure, and that's is not an easy task either.) I'm fairly certain I am and these are the steps I'm taking to get control of it so I can have a baby soon. 

First, diet is everything. Eating a cruciferous diet full of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leafy greens, and tons of veggies is one of the easiest ways to rid excess estrogen from the body. The more cruciferous veggies you eat daily, the happier your liver will be able to function properly. 

The next thing I'm doing is taking the right supplements. I'm not a doctor but I've done enough research to know which supplements are right for me. Spirulina is a wonderful supplement that comes from the earth in it's purest form and does wonders for estrogen dominance and fertility. It clears the liver, is packed with Vitamin A and Folate, and helps keep our uterus functioning properly. Think of spirulina like a tonic for your lady parts. It's a natural food and it does wonders for the body. Beef Liver is another wonderful option for its Folate properties and it's high b-vitamins amounts. If our bodies do not have enough beef liver then we have a hard time having energy, sleeping, or we may feel lethargic throughout the day. Beef liver is also a food and is very good for women of any age. Zinc and magnesium are also both necessary for managing estrogen dominance. Magnesium helps with detoxification and helps keep us regular. Zinc is vital to maintaining a healthy immune system so our cortisol levels don't spike. When cortisol is high, that causes estrogen to go into high levels. Find a way to manage your stress and you'll be on the path to ED recovery. 

Turmeric and ginger are both wonderful for upping progesterone in the body and both offer amazing anti-inflammatory properties. When our bodies are inflamed they react by spiking our cortisol levels, thus sending estrogen into overdrive and progesterone to too low of levels. We need progesterone to get pregnant and keep a pregnancy. Without progesterone functioning properly, it is extremely hard to get and stay pregnant. Signs of low progesterone is spotting in-between periods, low energy, weight gain, and so much more. Although I have super high energy levels each month, I do spot between my cycles and I want to get a hormone panel done to find out why. 

Diet is everything. Eating a diet full of healthy proteins, tons of leafy greens, veggies, fresh fruits, water, and limiting your amount of caffeine, refined sugars, and even gluten if you have a gluten problem can make all the difference. 

Castor Oil packs and cod liver oil are also amazing options for bringing the hormones into balance. I have yet to try castor oil packs, but I've heard they can do wonders to help shrink fibroids, cysts, and help women achieve pregnancy naturally. As soon as I gather up the courage to try castor oil packs I will report back on it here. I've only heard good things and I'm excited to try them. Cod liver oil has been used for centuries and is amazing for achieving hormone balance and can be taken throughout pregnancy. 

One more note, make sure to eliminate all plastics, buy certain foods and all meats organic when you can, and switch to all-natural feminine care products. Remember, pads and tampons are soaked in bleach. Do you really want bleach to surround your uterus? I sure don't. I've recently switched to all natural woman products (I hate the word sanitary as having our periods is the most natural thing in the world) and I'm already noticing a difference. 

Although my cycles are normal, I do want to get to the root of my hormones and find out if I am in fact estrogen dominant and if I have a progesterone issue. The quickest way to do that is changing diet, meditation, manifestation, managing stress, limiting my exposure to plastics and BPA, and asking my doctor to help me find the answers and if she won't then I will. 

We are the masters of our ship. We are the dictators of our bodies. If you think something is up or you feel like your hormones are out of balance, do something about it. You have the power Your doctor works for you, not the other way around. Remember that. 

All of the power is within you. Wherever you may be on this journey, may you find stillness, peace, and harmony. And know that I'm right there with you. 

Blessings and light to you all.