It’s time to take control of your hormonal health.

No matter how old you are, what your period is like, if you’re ready for kids now or not, there is no better time to start looking after your hormonal health than right now.

So often I meet clients who are experiencing period pain, painful bloats leading into their periods, headaches, migraines, sore breasts, PMS, mood swings and acne breakouts. We have been conditioned to accept that these symptoms are ‘just’ due to our period and we are conditioned to accept them as normal. These symptoms are very common but they are definitely NOT normal nor should we accept them as normal.

A lot of these symptoms start occurring two weeks out of a period. Which means that for two weeks of the month we feel like crap. Two weeks of the month is half the month, which works out to be six months of the year, which is basically half your life. For half your life you are forced to deal with these horrible symptoms all because at some point or another in your life, your symptoms were dismissed and you were led to believe that it is all a part of being a woman. Well, it’s not. It doesn’t have to be.

Taking charge of your hormonal health means speaking with the right health care practitioners to get you the help you need. Booking into your local GP and being sent away with a script for the pill is not the answer. The pill will only ever mask these symptoms you are feeling and then when the time comes to get off the pill, all of these symptoms will come flooding back, usually worse than before you started the pill. Not only does the pill mask the issues, it supresses your hormones. So if you have a hormonal imbalance and the pill supresses it even more, you may find that you have a tough time falling pregnant when that time comes.

When booking in with your GP or healthcare practitioner, be sure to have an honest conversation with them about your symptoms, what you feel and when. It’s a good idea to keep a log on your period tracker so you’re able to share exact times when certain symptoms occur. The clearer the picture is that you can paint for your GP, the more they will be able to help recommend the right tests and referrals.

Working with a qualified nutritionist is also important when trying to sort out your hormonal health. Having a nutritionist as part of your health care team is important as they are able to help support and manage your symptoms through diet changes, lifestyle modifications and supplement protocols that are suitable to you. They can also help guide you through the process and help you build your healthcare team to help you to start feeling better soon.

Hormonal health is so super important. You should never accept being dismissed based on the fact that you’re a woman and these symptoms are normal period symptoms. They are NOT normal and you do not need to put up with them. If one doctor shuts it down and fobs you off, then it’s time to get a new GP. A GP that specialises in women’s health would be ideal.

To chat more about your hormones and get some help and guidance, reach out via email – latoya@thevirtualnutritionist.com.au.