You’ve cleaned up your diet, dragged yourself to workouts, even sacrificed late-night doom scrolling to get more sleep, but you still feel off. The bloat won’t quit. You’re snapping at your partner for breathing too loudly. Your sex drive? MIA. And the scale? Don’t even go there.
Before you blame age, bad luck, or your favorite oat milk latte, take a pause. There’s a good chance your sex hormones are running the show… and not in a good way.
Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone aren’t just about your period or fertility; they influence your mood, metabolism, sleep, skin, and yes, whether you feel like getting busy (or not). When they’re off, your whole system can feel out of whack.
Hormonal Chaos? Here’s How to Know If Your Sex Hormones Are Out of Balance (and What Will Help)
This free guide will include must-have kitchen tools that speed up meal prep, nutritional shifts that women must make, a clear explanation on how real food helps manage hormonal changes, and a grocery shopping plan that is easy, and a meal that is the most important — it will leave you shocked!
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What Are Sex Hormones (and Why Should You Care)?
Think of sex hormones as chemical messengers that whisper (or shout) instructions to the rest of your body and they’re not just chatting about your cycle.
- Estrogen: Supports mood, metabolism, bone health, and energy. When it’s too high? Say hello to bloating, mood swings, and breast tenderness.
- Progesterone: Your calming queen. Helps you sleep, reduces anxiety, and balances estrogen. Low levels = you feel tense.
- Testosterone: Not just for the guys. It boosts your libido, drive, motivation, and muscle tone.
When even one of these goes sideways, you feel it emotionally, physically, mentally.
7 Easy-to-Spot Signs of Hormonal Imbalance in Women
So how do we know if our sex hormones are behind the chaos? Here are signs most women brush off as “just getting older” (spoiler: they’re not).
1. PMS That Feels Like You’ve Been Possessed
Sure, a little irritability or craving a chocolate bar isn’t shocking. But if the two weeks before your period feel like an emotional rollercoaster you can’t get off (rage, tears, and crushing fatigue) it could be an indication of low progesterone or even estrogen dominance doing the damage. Don’t worry, normal PMS symptoms can be alleviated by natural remedies.
2. Your Period is All Over The Place
Longer cycles, shorter cycles, spotting randomly, or going MIA altogether? Your cycle is like your monthly progress report from your body. If it’s weird, it’s worth investigating.
3. Weight Gain or Bloating
Hormonal imbalance can slow metabolism, increase fat storage, and lead to bloating, especially when estrogen, cortisol, and insulin are out of sync.
4. Libido Has Left the Chat
If your sex drive has flatlined and all natural ways to increase female libido don’t work. That’s a strong sign that your hormones, especially testosterone and estrogen, need attention.
5. Mood Swings or Anxiety
Sudden mood changes, anxiety, or feeling emotionally fragile can stem from hormone fluctuations, especially before your period or during major life shifts like postpartum or perimenopause.
6. Sleep is a Hot Mess
If you’re tired but wired, or struggling to stay asleep, low progesterone or stress-induced hormone imbalance could be behind it.
7. Skin and Hair Chaos
Acne (especially around your jaw), hair thinning, or excess hair growth are often signs of hormone-driven conditions like estrogen dominance or androgen imbalance.
What’s Messing With Your Hormones?
Common root causes of sex hormone imbalance:
- Chronic stress: Your body can’t make enough progesterone if you’re constantly in survival mode.
- Blood sugar swings: That up-down rollercoaster affects cortisol, insulin, and yep… sex hormones.
- Gut imbalances: If your gut’s a mess, estrogen can’t detox properly.
- Nutrient deficiencies: Magnesium, B vitamins, zinc, omega-3s? All are essential for hormone production.
- Hormonal birth control: Can suppress your body’s natural hormone rhythms.
- Toxins in plastic, skincare, makeup, cleaning supplies
- Overtraining or under-eating: Even “healthy stress” is still stress if your body isn’t fueled.
Hormones are highly sensitive. When your body feels undernourished or unsafe, sex hormone production gets affected negatively.
How to Support Your Sex Hormones Naturally
You don’t need a drastic detox or a complete life overhaul. Small shifts can make a big impact in getting your hormones back into balance..
1. Balance Your Blood Sugar First
If your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster, your hormones are holding on for dear life. When your blood sugar spikes and crashes all day, your stress and sex hormones scramble to keep up. Start your meals with protein, eat real food, and don’t let yourself run on caffeine
2. Choose the Right Kind of Movement
More is not always better. If you’re already stressed, long HIIT sessions could be backfiring. Try strength training, walking, or lower-impact movement that your hormones love. Not all workouts support hormones, especially if you’re already burned out. Your body may be reading your workout sessions as stress,s not strength.
3. Support Deep, Restorative Sleep
Hormones reset overnight, but only if you’re sleeping. If you miss out on deep rest, and you miss out on the repair your body needs to stay balanced. Aim for 7–9 hours, and make your bedroom a no-stimulation zone. Uh huh, that includes scrolling TikTok at 11 PM.Set boundaries with your phone.
4. Reduce Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors
Every day, products from your water bottle to your moisturizer can contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mess with your hormones. Swap plastics for glass, clean up your personal care products, and check ingredient lists like your health depends on it (because it does).
5. Track Your Menstrual Cycle
Your period is a powerful signal, not a monthly inconvenience.
The Bottom Line: Your Hormones Are Talking, But Are You Listening
When sex hormones go out of balance, your body will tell you through mood, sleep, libido, skin, and your cycle.
The good news? You can absolutely support your hormones naturally with consistent, doable shifts. Your body isn’t broken. It’s just asking for support.
Get Yourself The Support You Need for Your Hormone Health
If you’re nodding along to every symptom and wondering where to even begin, this is your sign to take the first step towards a healthier endocrine system. Check out the resources below for everything you need to get started.
Resources and Links Mentioned:
VIP Email List | Join the email list to get early access to challenges, fitness tips, RECIPES, and must-have fitness items.
Meal Prep Guide For Busy Women | This free guide will include must-have kitchen tools that speed up meal prep, nutritional shifts that women must make after 35, a clear explanation on how real food helps manage hormonal changes, and a grocery shopping plan that is easy, and a meal that is the most important — it will leave you shocked!
Wholly Fueled’s Fit Foodie | A monthly subscription & Meal Plan that puts you back in control of your health. This subscription will help you balance your hormones, burn fat, stay energized all day, and save over 8 hours a week in cooking & food planning. It will include a weekly food plan, weekly grocery list, weekly step-by-step 90-minute prep, weekly macronutrient map, and weekly Live Q&A.
All the Things Women Want | This book was written to eliminate confusion around nutrition. It will give you (easy) tools you need to be your best, to glow from the inside out with healthy skin & hair, and to feel sexy and confident in your skin. Most importantly, it will allow you to experience freedom and power with your nutrition experience.
How To Reset Your Stress Hormones | Learn to implement quick, easy strategies to reset your stress hormones so you can show up as a happier and healthier person.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Hormonal Imbalance in Women
- Aviva Romm, MD: Hormone Intelligence
- Lara Briden, ND: Period Repair Manual
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Healthline: Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance
- Frontiers in Public Health: Estrogen and Brain Health
- NIH: Hormones and Metabolic Regulation