Maintaining Hormonal Balance: A Guide for Women Over 40

Blogs26 Sep 2024

More often than not, when you read up about a woman’s health issues, one of the many culprits turns out to be hormone imbalance. Responsible for several functions in the body, hormones can help you live your best life, and sometimes, when there’s an excess or an absence of a hormone, it causes several serious issues too.

In this article, we’ll take you through what hormones are, how they affect women’s health and how women over 40 can maintain their hormonal balance.

What are hormones?

Hormones are the messengers of the body. They are chemical molecules that travel via the blood to various important organs and send messages to function. These chemicals are produced by special glands in the body known as the endocrine glands.

The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, gonads, (i.e., testes and ovaries), thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, and pancreas are all endocrine glands responsible for creating several necessary hormones in the body. They control several bodily functions such as metabolism, growth and development, sexual function, mood etc.

Importance of Hormonal Balance for Women Over 40

When your body is going through a shortage or surplus of hormone production, it is called a hormonal imbalance. Such a situation may cause short-term and long-term conditions in the body that can affect the quality of your life. Some common hormone-related conditions are irregular periods, infertility, acne, diabetes, thyroid disease, and obesity.

Women tend to face more hormone imbalances than men. This could be due to menstruation, puberty, pregnancy, and menopause . Conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), birth control medications, etc are also causes of hormonal imbalances in women. Having said that, hormonal imbalances post-40 may be due to perimenopause or menopause as this is the time when the body decreases the production of oestrogen and progesterone hormones. While this is a natural process, the reduction of oestrogen levels has a resounding effect on the body. Hence, it is important for women to take appropriate steps to balance their hormones once they turn 40.

Symptoms of Female Hormonal Imbalance

With nearly 50 hormones produced in your body, you might face a variety of symptoms depending upon the hormones that are causing the imbalance. Some important symptoms women might face are:

• Acne on various body parts such as face, back, chest
• Heavy menstruation
• Excessive unwanted body hair growth
• Irregular period
• Hot flashes
• Infertility
• Vaginal atrophy
• Vaginal dryness
• Weight gain

Natural ways to reduce the symptoms of a hormonal balance

Is there a way to reduce the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance during perimenopause? Technically, no. Hormonal imbalances that occur during menopause are natural and irreversible. Hence, there are no natural remedies for this issue. However, there are a few natural interventions you can try!

1. Engaging in stress-relieving activities
2. Regular exercise
3. Avoiding sugar
4. Getting ample Vitamin D
5. Consuming a balanced and healthy diet
6. Adding hormone-boosting foods
7. Make sure to have enough protein
8. Maintaining a healthy and moderate weight
9. Prioritising gut health
10. Getting 7 hours of sleep daily

Exercises for women post 40

One of the main ways to fight hormonal imbalances is to take control of your lifestyle, particularly your stress levels and exercise. Women over 40 begin to lose bone density and muscle mass. Additionally, they are also at a higher risk of gaining weight, facing metabolic changes and having heart issues.

Some exercises women over 40 can do to prevent or improve hormonal imbalances are:

1. Walking
2. Cycling
3. Swimming
4. Group fitness classes
5. Resistance training

Furthermore, if you’re looking for food recommendations during this period, here’s what you can have:

• Foods that are sources of protein (all essential amino acids) such as dairy, poultry, eggs, and meat, along with plant-based protein sources like soya, quinoa, chickpeas and more.
• Foods that contain healthy fats like avocado, cheese, nuts, seeds etc.
• Carbohydrates that contain high amounts of fibre Foods to stay away from:
  • Sugary drinks, sweets and more
  • Processed foods that might contain additives, resistant starches, oils, sweeteners etc.
  • Refined carbohydrates
  • Caffeine

Conclusion

Women’s bodies are complex and their hormones are even more so! It’s only natural for women to go through a few imbalances in their hormones throughout their lifetimes due to various reasons. Post-40, there are bigger chances of facing this imbalance as the body starts to slow its production of oestrogen and progesterone, which may lead to vaginal dryness, vaginal atrophy, hot flashes, insomnia, mood changes, hair loss and more such symptoms. While this also leads to menopause i.e, the end of menstruation, the imbalance in itself can cause discomfort.

However, it can be treated and managed through leading a healthy lifestyle, undergoing medication or hormone replacement therapy if required and exercising regularly.