The connection between stress and female hormonal imbalance should not be underestimated. Stress affects the body through a complex interplay of physiological and psychological mechanisms, which can lead to disturbances in the hormonal balance. Here's what we mean…
Firstly, a little bit of a biology lesson about cortisol as you will hear it often. Cortisol, often called ‘the stress hormone’ is responsible for a whole host of reactions within the body that are designed to regulate the body in times of stress. Now this “stress” use to be when we were more hunter gatherers and a stressful situation would occur only occasionally - hunting, scary animals, opposing tribes... Unfortunately our modern world puts us under constant levels of stress - work, family, money, anxiety etc, all can keep us at chronic stress levels. This means for some of us we are producing cortisol constantly! This is not good for our body, including our hormones.
Now, stress activates something called the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis, which controls the body’s response to stress. When a person experiences stress, the hypothalamus releases CRH (a hormone), stimulating the pituitary gland to release ACTH (another hormone). This, in turn, stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Now cortisol has an amazing impact on the body when needed. It can:
Change the way we metabolise our food, saving what it can in case our next meal is uncertain
Keep us awake
Suppress bodily functions that aren’t urgent, such as our immune and reproductive system, and even growth
Elevate blood pressure
Pretty cool if your life is in danger. Not so cool on a rainy Thursday afternoon in the office, is it?
Constant release of cortisol on the daily could look like:
Weight gain
Poor sleep or insomnia
High blood pressure
Loss of period or irregular cycle
Poor wound healing or easily bruised
Sickness and/or increased susceptibility to illness
Digestive problems
Headaches
Memory and concentration problems
For women, one of the most alarming changes is the change in menstrual cycle or amenorrhoea (loss of period). There are two reasons for this:
As mentioned above, the body prioritises certain bodily functions when it perceives it’s in danger, and shuts down others that are not vital, the reproductive system being one. The brain will prioritise dealing with the external stressors, so will cease ovulation - as it perceives having a baby at this time is too risky.
Cortisol inhibits the production of specific sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone which are essential for ovulation to occur.
Finding ways to manage stress and alleviate chronic stress is so important for overall health. For women, if you're finding that your menstrual cycle has changed, become irregular or ceased altogether it's so important you seek help from a healthcare professional as the impact of a hormonal imbalance affects all facets of the body, not just reproductive health.
My top tips for de-stressing that I find are manageable and realistic with my clients are:
Breathing exercises
Exercising, even just a walk a few times a week dramatically lowers cortisol and bumps up happy hormones. Bonus points if you exercise amongst nature.
Identifying your stress triggers. You can't have the tough conversations if you don't know exactly what is the trigger - specific aspect of your job, finances, certain family pressures...
Reducing screen time. This is often the hardest one, but even just spending 30 minutes phone free will make a difference.
If you're worried about health, stress levels or menstrual cycle please seek the guidance of a qualified health nutritionist. By choosing the right professional and getting on top of your health, you'll be able to better manage your stress and improve your overall health.
Kelly Mulhall
Registered Nutritional Therapist, Health Coach, Master SIBO Practitioner
Kelly is a Registered Nutritional Therapist who focuses on positive physical and mental wellbeing, achieved through diet, lifestyle, sleep and exercise. Having struggled for years with IBS and hormonal imbalance, and increasingly frustrated with the lack of support and helpful advice from her GP, Kelly began her own journey of healing the body from the inside out. After seeing huge improvements she quit her job to study nutrition and focus on harnessing the healing powers of food to help other people in similar situations.
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