Why Hormonal Balance Matters as We Get Older?

One of the most common questions that I get is, “What can I do to look younger and feel better?”  My answer always includes optimizing your hormones if needed. 

For women, our sex hormones include Estrogens, Progesterone and Testosterone.  For men, your sexual health is mostly driven by Testosterone.  Both women and men, may start to see their sex hormones decline in their 30s.  This can happen even earlier if you experienced excessive stress or took hormonal birth control. 

Women’s hormones impact energy, vibrancy, brain clarity, mood, sleep, libido, weight distribution, heart health, menstrual cycles, bone mineral density, breast health, and much more.  If a woman starts to have these symptoms, an integrative and functional medicine doctor can do a comprehensive assessment to determine if hormones are supportive and which ones. 

Many menstruating women are in a state called estrogen dominance which happens as the result of an imbalance between the estrogen and progesterone levels in her body.  This can create PMS symptoms, weight gain (belly, hips and thighs), menstrual headaches or migraines, fertility issues, low sex drive, irritability, sleep disturbance, brain fog, water retention/bloating, increased anxiety/depression, and early osteoporosis or osteopenia.  Estrogen dominance is also likely in women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), fibroids, and endometriosis.  Estrogen Dominance also impacts women’s thyroid health and is associated with premature aging. 

Many perimenopausal also have relative estrogen dominance. Although the levels of estrogen relative to progesterone are lower as women progress toward their last menstrual cycle, they can still experience some of the above symptoms of estrogen dominance. Additionally, as women transition into menopause, the more stress, insulin resistance, and inflammation they are experiencing the more significantly they may experience hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, brain fog, fatigue, and weight gain. 

For women some of the benefits may Include:

• More energy and vitality
• Better menstrual cycles, less PMS
• Improvement in ability to ovulate (may help fertility)
• Improvement in Mood and Anxiety
• Less Brain Fog (if due to low hormones)
• Improved Sleep
• Better Libido
• Less Vasomotor Symptoms when peri- and post-menopausal (hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness)
• Feeling More Vital and Optimal in Menopause
• Improved Bone Mineral Density
• Improved Ability to Improve Muscle Tone

For men, the testosterone begins to decline causing symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, irritability, more anxiety/mood disturbance, erectile dysfunction, few morning erections, lower libido, decreased stamina and motivation, less muscle mass/tone, and increased body fat.  This is more exaggerated in men who are under a lot of stress, eating a poor diet and not sleeping well.

For men, some benefits of testosterone may include:

• Improved Energy and Vitality
• Improved Brain Clarity
• Improved Sleep
• Better Mood, less anxiety
• Improved Erectile Dysfunction
• Improved Libido
• Increased stamina and motivation
• Improved Muscle Tone
• Better Post-Work-Out Recovery 

In both men and women, all of these signs and symptoms are helped by decreasing stress, improving sleep, optimizing diet and exercise. If you still feel like you may benefit from an assessment of your hormones and overall wellness outlook, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Nayo. 

A comprehensive assessment does need to be done to ensure that hormones would be supportive and that you do not have any underlying health concerns that would preclude you from taking hormones.  Dr. Nayo will work to assess and address other relevant areas of your health with a full evaluation to assess insulin/blood sugar regulation, inflammation, thyroid and adrenal imbalance, and gut health to support your optimal health and vitality. 

Be Well,

 Dr. Nayo