20 Signs You Have a Hormone Imbalance
Might you, unknowingly, be dealing with a hormonal imbalance?
Hormonal imbalances come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they come on quick, other times the imbalance happens slowly, over time…almost un-noticeably. However, an uncorrected hormone imbalance is sure to lead to serious issues sooner or later. But how do we know if we’re dealing with a hormonal imbalance, or something else?
Oftentimes, hormonal imbalances will show up with multiple symptoms. Take a look at the list below, and if you’re dealing with a few (or many) of these, chances are your hormones could use a little love.
- Feeling tired and sluggish (even after a full night’s sleep)
- Waking up during the night, unable to fall back to sleep
- Forgetfulness
- Inability to focus
- Mood or behavior swings
- Irritability
- Depression
- Headaches or migraines
- Constant hunger or cravings
- Digestive issues (gas/bloating/IBS)
- Stubborn weight gain
- Inability to lose weight (despite diet & exercise)
- PMS
- Irregular and/or painful menstrual cycles
- Heavy blood flow during menstruation (called menstrual flooding)
- Miscarriage
- Hot flashes or night sweats
- Vaginal dryness
- Breast changes
- Loss of libido
Do any of these ring true for you? It may be due to a hormonal imbalance!
I dealt with many of these symptoms for years just thinking it was “normal”. In fact, for over two and a half years I lived nearly every day feeling “just OK”. If asked, I would probably even say I felt “good”…but I didn’t feel “great”. I knew I didn’t feel great because I had felt great before, prior to my fourth pregnancy/child. And although, for two years, I was doing everything I knew I should be doing to feel great, my body wasn’t responding.
My Story
As we’ve shared before, our family adheres pretty tightly to the 90/10 rule of following a traditional Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) diet. This means 90% of the time we eat a very traditional diet filled with healthy fats, organic produce, properly prepared grains (such as sourdough), limited sweets and plenty of fermented foods. The other 10% of the time, we allow for “treats” and foods not considered “traditional”. This diet has proved extremely beneficial for our family as we rarely get sick, and when we do, we mend quickly without medication.
However, over the past two years, I began gaining weight despite getting adequate exercise and plenty of sleep. This was post pregnancy, too! The weight should be falling off with ease (it was, after all, my fourth child…and normally my body is eager to resume ideal weight). Two years post delivery of my youngest child, I actually weighed MORE than I did the day he was born. You heard me right! After two years of eating well, exercising 4-6 times per week, tracking calories and keeping my stress in check I had gained 15 pounds. This was on top of the 18 pounds of “baby weight” gained during pregnancy. Not OK in my book!
This, combined with other symptoms such as a heavy and painful cycle, a period every 21 days, hormonal breakouts along my jawline and mild headaches, I knew I was battling an imbalance. Especially since it seemed every time I turned the exercise up a notch and got extra strict with my caloric intake, the scale would hint upward, instead of downward. Again, more frustration. After two and a half years of this, I found out I was pregnant with kiddo number five…SURPRISE! Then, sadly, three months later, we found out I had miscarried.
The Change
Losing a child was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to walk through, and this was the turning point for me where I finally got serious about finding healing from the obvious hormonal imbalances going on inside my body. I adhered to a raw, plant-based, whole-foods diet to jump-start my healing process. In just 14 days, I saw noticeable improvements and, after 28 days, I had remarkable, measurable results!
In just two weeks I noticed my skin was softer than it had ever been and after three weeks my cycle corrected itself to a normal 28 days. I also didn’t have any headaches during that time (other than the initial detox headache the first two days), I had zero hormonal breakouts and I lost 8 pounds.
The Inspiration
After having such dramatic (and quick) results, I had an overwhelming desire to pass along the information I’d learned, and share the healing potential that a raw, plant-based diet can have. Always a believer in addressing ailments through food FIRST, this 14-Day Hormone Balancing & Gut Restoring Meal Plan was born. It’s a compilation of recipes that I have both created, and gleaned from friends who went on this journey with me.
I never knew raw, plant-based foods could be so delicious with so much variety!
14-Day Hormone Balancing & Gut Restoring
Meal Plan
With the $29.99 Meal Plan
- 70 Different Meals
- 14 Breakfasts, Lunches & Dinners
- 28 Snacks
- 50+ Recipes
- Shopping List
- Links to Recommended Products
- Resources for Money Saving Strategies
- Things to Expect
- Important Things to Note
- Daily Product Tips
- Helpful Nutritional Information
BONUS – Join our FREE Facebook Community Group
- Daily Support
- Daily Encouragement
- Answers to Questions
- Read Success Stories
- Share Your Own Success Stories
- Get Advice and Help With Struggles
- Bonus Recipes (not included in the meal plan)
- Lifetime Access to the Private Facebook Group
If you’re one of the thousands dealing with health issues that effect your daily life, then I highly encourage you to join us as we use food to create health and allow our bodies to find the balance they so desire. As listed above, our 14-Day Meal Plan includes a shopping list, 50+ recipes, breakfast/lunch/dinner/plus two snacks daily, tried and true tips and tricks from others who have followed the meal plan, things to expect and so much more!
We’re grateful for the success that we’ve had and want to share this Hormone Balancing & Gut Restoring Meal Plan with you in hopes it will be the jump-start your body needs to find balance and health. For us it has laid foundational ground work to maintaining a healthy balance going forward.
Additional Resources
We’ve already included many helpful resources within the eBook, but if you’d like personal support, we’ve put together a Private Facebook Group where you can ask questions, chat with others going through the meal plan, share your struggles and success stories and get to know others who have found, or are currently finding healing through food. If you’d like to be part of this group, simply request to join over here on the Facebook page. (We can’t wait to get to know you and walk through this journey with you!)
After the 14 day plant based menu, did you go back to eating a Weston price traditional diet, including meat? If so, was there a transition period back into this style of eating? Thanks!
Hi Dana! Great question…I happened to do the raw diet longer than 14 days (two 4 week periods), and yes, there is a definite transition period post meal plan. Since we’re all unique, simply suggesting a WAP diet may not be best for everyone. Rather, we recommend slowly adding in different food groups (cooked veggies, bone broth, grass-fed/pastured meats and raw dairy, etc.) and listening to how your body responds to each one to figure out what “diet” (or way of eating) is best for your best health.
This is also one of the advantages of the additional Facebook community group. Once the 14 days is over, you have lifetime access to the group to discuss foods/meal plans going forward!
I’m so sorry for your loss, and so glad you found such a great solution to what your body needs. <3
Thanks so much, Megan!
I am so glad you were able to cure yourself. I wonder if your program would work on people who went through menopause? All those symptoms are peri and post menopause, except the period part.
Thanks Anna! Yes! This meal plan would be a fantastic accompaniment to women going through peri and post menopause! I think too many people have come to accept the discomforts their bodies experience going through menopause (and many don’t even know about perimenopause), but through dietary and lifestyle changes, many times those discomforts can be manageable if not completely eliminated!
I came a long way from healing with severe hormonal imbalance. So glad there are doctors and resources out there to help with that.
I’m so glad for you Anya! And I agree!
Oh boy, I have a ton of those symptoms! It’s something I’m working on getting to the bottom of right now. It sounds like you’ve got an awesome meal plan.
Thanks Emily! It can be so hard to finally understand what our bodies are telling us…best of luck with your healing!
I used to have so many symptoms on that list! I don’t know how I made it through each day! This is such a great resource that you’re offering!
Thanks Lindsey! So glad you’re not experiencing these things anymore! Hormone imbalances can be super challenging, and leave you feelong like there’s nothing that can help! The power of food (both positively and negatively) is incredible!
Hormones are responsible for managing so many functions in the body! Thank you for this article!
Thanks Hannah! YES! Way more than I even understood about a year ago! Incredible, right?
I had a hormone imbalance for years. Bioindenticals saved me. I used them for almost ten years only recently easing off them. I am so glad there are things we can do, including diet, that help!
So glad you chose bioidenticals, Linda! Those synthetic hormones can do more harm than good. And glad you’re no longer dealing with a pesky imbalance! 🙂