While changes in hormone levels are a natural part of aging for women, they often come with a range of symptoms that can significantly affect a woman’s quality of life at any age. Many women, at no fault of their own, are told that the challenging symptoms associated with their cycle and menopause are a necessary part of their experience with hormone fluctuations. Most are not told they have options that are both safe and effective to help manage symptoms and live more comfortably throughout all phases of their life. Understanding the root cause of the symptoms of hormone imbalance and decline through a functional medicine lens can help ease discomfort and empower women to seek solutions that go beyond the status quo of women’s healthcare.
The female journey with hormones is lifelong, beginning in early adolescence with the menarche, or the beginning of menstruation, to the fluctuation of monthly hormones during their cycle, and finally the decline of hormones that occur during menopause. These transitions are driven by natural shifts in hormone levels that support specific points leading up to and after a female’s reproductive life cycle. When hormones are balanced and fluctuating normally, women feel vibrant, well-rested, pain-free, clear in mind, and stable in mood. However, when hormones are suboptimal or imbalanced throughout a cycle, symptoms can arise including painful periods, mood swings, breast tenderness, low energy, lack of libido, brain fog, and menstrual irregularities, among others. During perimenopause and menopause, symptoms of declining hormones can be disruptive and often painful. Conventional medicine tells women to believe their symptoms related to hormone imbalances or menopause are a “normal” part of life and there are no solutions that can offer relief. A functional medicine perspective challenges this assumption with evidence-based solutions for helping women manage symptoms and take more control of how they feel throughout life.
Hormone Balance through the Lens of Functional Medicine
Functional medicine focuses on comprehensive, whole-person health, emphasizing individualized health plans based on a person’s unique genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. This can be particularly beneficial for managing hormonal changes, which can vary significantly from person to person. This holistic approach can help identify and address underlying issues that might be contributing to suboptimal hormone levels during a menstrual cycle and help safely supplement declining hormone levels during the transition to menopause.
In addition to supporting sex hormone imbalances and decline, functional medicine takes into account how other hormones contribute to symptoms and affect overall health. These include thyroid hormones, cortisol, insulin and other metabolic hormones, to name a few. This underscores the emphasis on whole-body care by considering how all systems of the body interact.
Support during Puberty & Menstruation
For individuals entering puberty or having menstrual cycles, functional medicine often helps support optimal hormone levels through lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress. It also provides solutions to help maintain healthy cycling through natural supplementation, detoxification and gut health support, and comprehensive testing to monitor hormone levels and other biomarkers.
All people deserve support and education around their changing bodies. However, menstruation is taught to young women as a painful, negative experience they are destined to endure. Lack of meaningful education or support for those experiencing challenging symptoms like PMS, PMDD, painful periods, severe acne, breast tenderness, and other symptoms can significantly affect a young developing person’s daily life. Often, the conventional medicine approach to menstrual concerns is to prescribe birth control pills that can stop the natural production and cycling of hormones and lead to various other side effects.
Functional medicine helps to bring context around symptoms of suboptimal hormone levels throughout a menstrual cycle by providing insight into their root cause. For instance, estrogen dominance may occur when the liver is not functioning optimally to rid the body of excess hormones. This can lead to irregular periods, bloating, increased PMS symptoms, mood changes, breast tenderness, among other symptoms. A functional medicine approach to address the root cause of symptoms would support liver function through strategic supplementation, natural detoxification strategies, and healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Functional medicine also opens doors to young and maturing women for comprehensive testing to help monitor hormone levels to provide further context around symptoms. This not only includes testing of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, but also thyroid and adrenal biomarkers that can contribute to overall health.
Support during Perimenopause & Menopause
Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Menopause typically occurs in a woman’s late 40s or early 50s but can begin as early as the mid-30s, a phase referred to as “perimenopause.” This stage is characterized by a decline in reproductive hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone. Menopause symptoms vary widely among women, but some of the most common include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, mood changes, weight gain, thinning hair, loss of bone density, and a heightened risk for other diseases.
Like young women, mature women have been conditioned to believe these symptoms are inevitable. Conventional medicine typically offers medications to manage symptoms but does not consider their root cause. Functional medicine challenges this notion by assuring women that while natural hormone changes may be inevitable, their experience aging does not have to be a painful, uncomfortable one. Just like its support throughout puberty and menstruation, functional medicine offers a holistic approach to managing menopause symptoms by directly addressing the source of hormone decline.
One strategy a functional medicine provider may recommend is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Unlike conventional HRT, which uses synthetic hormones, BHRT uses hormones that are chemically identical to those produced by the body and are closely dosed and monitored by experts in hormone health. This personalized approach can help restore hormone levels to their optimal levels naturally and alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood changes.
Functional medicine also emphasizes the importance of a lifestyle factors such as a balanced diet and daily movement to support hormonal health in the later years of life. Foods high in phytoestrogens, such as flaxseeds, some soy, and legumes, can help modulate estrogen levels. Additionally, a diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium supports bone health, while omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil or flaxseed oil can reduce inflammation and improve mood. Regular exercise, particularly weight-bearing and strength-training activities, helps maintain bone density, improve mood, and manage weight. Stress-reduction techniques, such as yoga, meditation, and deep-breathing exercises, can also alleviate mood swings and improve sleep quality. In addition to medical and lifestyle interventions, certain supplements have been shown to help balance hormones and reduce menopausal symptoms. These include supplements like vitamin B complex, vitamin E, and probiotics that support overall health and well-being during menopause. Finally, functional medicine can also help address other health issues that may exacerbate menopause symptoms, such as thyroid imbalances, adrenal fatigue, and insulin resistance. By treating these underlying conditions, providers can help improve overall hormone balance and reduce symptoms.
By addressing the root causes of hormonal imbalances and supporting the body’s natural processes, functional medicine can help women navigate the various stages of hormonal transition with greater ease and wellbeing. If you feel overlooked by the conventional approach to hormone imbalance, menstrual concerns, or menopause, speak to our team of hormone health experts today.