Dr. Mark Hyman: How to Naturally Balance Female Sex Hormones

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Do You Struggle with Out-of-Balance Sex Hormones?

When female patients suspect sex hormones might be out of whack, I ask them to self-evaluate using this quiz:

I have premenstrual syndrome.

I have monthly weight fluctuation.

I have edema, swelling, puffiness, or water retention.

I feel bloated.

I have headaches.

I have mood swings.

I have tender, enlarged breasts.

I am depressed.

I feel unable to cope with ordinary demands.

I have backaches, joint, or muscle pain.

I have premenstrual food cravings (especially sugar or salt).

I have irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, or light bleeding.

I am infertile.

I use birth-control pills or other hormones.

I have premenstrual migraines.

I have breast cysts or lumps or fibrocystic breasts.

I have a family history of breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer.

I have uterine fibroids.

I have peri-menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, mood swings, headaches, irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, fluid retention, breast tenderness, vaginal dryness, brain fog, muscle and joint pain, low sex drive, weight gain).

I have hot flashes.

I feel anxious.

I have night sweats.

I have insomnia.

I have lost my sex drive.

I have dry skin, hair and/or vagina.

I have heart palpitations.

I have trouble with memory or concentration.

I have bloating or weight gain around the middle.

I have facial hair.

I have been exposed to pesticides or heavy metals (in the food, water and/or air).

Score one point for every time you answered “yes” and then check out how you scored using the scale below:

0 to 9—You may have a mild sex hormone imbalance.

10 to 14—You may have a moderate sex hormone imbalance.

15 or more—You may have a severe sex hormone imbalance.

Now that you have determined the severity of your imbalance, let’s talk about the one thing you can do today to begin treating your symptoms.

The Right Diet Becomes Your Number-One Reset Button

Balancing your hormones is a process and sometimes it has little twists and turns. But by sticking with it, you can become vital, happy, alert, brilliant and thriving.

Your diet is the foundation that helps balance your sex hormones.

The first step involves removing the bad stuff. We know that sugar, caffeine, alcohol, stress and lack of exercise all contribute to worsened PMS and all hormonal imbalances—including menopause.

Imbalances in your hormones are triggered by bad food. If you eat sugar, you’ll produce more insulin, more estrogen and more testosterone. Any type of flour and sugar can lead to these imbalances. Dairy and gluten are often triggers for inflammation and hormonal imbalances. Xenobiotics or environmental chemicals like pesticides in our food can act like powerful hormone disruptors and trigger our own hormones to go out of balance. If you are interested to know how these toxins disrupt our hormones then read Our Stolen Future by Theo Colburn.