Your biggest blessing is here, finally! Through the long journey of laughter, smiles, and emotions, your newborn is here, and you can’t wait to give them the world. During pregnancy, a woman’s body can go through many transformations. These can be both physical and mental changes such as an expanded belly, weight gain, and even imbalanced hormones. The most significant change perhaps happens during postpartum.
As you may know, going through pregnancy can have its ups and downs, but perhaps your hormones could have the most significant impact as you could become very emotional and irritable to name a couple.
Well, your not alone, many women have this feeling after childbirth, and it is mostly due to imbalanced hormones. It can be very challenging when dealing with these changes in your body, and it could take a toll on your mental health if not treated properly.
Luckily, I will be sharing some tips that could potentially save you from feeling tired, irritable and emotional. Postpartum symptoms will vary from women to women as each of our body’s is different, and we each experience mixed feelings and changes during pregnancy and after.
How do your hormones change postpartum?
During the formation of the baby, since your body does not produce menstruation and can have a toll on your body chemistry. After the birth of your baby, your hormonal levels can drop which brings in other side effects with it aka the “Baby Blues”. Healthychildren.org estimated that 50% to 80% of all mothers experience hormone imbalance after pregnancy.
Since your progesterone and estrogen levels can increase significantly during pregnancy your progesterone, which is developed by the placenta, decrease dramatically during the delivery of the child. This sudden drop is what can account for many of the symptoms such as depression, fatigue, and irritability.
Then you have estrogen, which acts in the exact opposite as progesterone, this causes what we call estrogen dominance which can alter your menstruation periods in various ways. Since your body has deficient levels of progesterone and high levels of estrogen is what causes the imbalanced hormone levels.
Here are some symptoms of estrogen dominance:
- Fatigue
- Irregular Periods
- Weight Gain
- Depression
- Low Sex-drive
- Anxiety
- Heavy, painful periods
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Mood swings
- Hair Loss
- Headaches
As an integrative & holistic doctor that practices hormone management therapies, I have worked with many women on correcting their lifestyle and nutritional changes first to help improve their hormone levels naturally. Hormone imbalances can be fixed if you look for the root of the problem.
My top 7 tips for managing imbalanced hormones
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Herbal Medicines
Herbal medicines can be a great source of nutrients and minerals for your body to help recover from the postpartum stage. These natural supplements can help with regulating your cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone levels. Along with a balanced diet, they can help improve stable hormone levels and relieve some of the symptoms that can result from postpartum. -
Stress Management
Learning to manage your stress is essential because it is perhaps one of the leading factors to hormonal imbalances. Having high levels of stress could not only lead to hormone changes but also mood swings, anxiety, and even cramps. I recommend my patients to try meditation and yoga to help combat high-stress levels and try to restore their hormone levels. I also advise my patients to add magnesium as it is an essential mineral that minimizes the effects of stress, improve sleep and lower blood pressure. -
Probiotics and Gut Health
This should also be at the top of your list when improving your hormonal imbalances as a poor diet can lead to a variety of mood disorders and irritability. Probiotics are fundamentally good bacteria that help your digestive system and neurotransmitter production. Probiotics help your body’s serotonin production, which can help with depression and anxiety. Probiotics and a nutrition-dense diet should be in your treatment plan when treating symptoms from hormonal imbalances. -
Detox plan
A good detox plan should be part of your treatment plan, since it can be very beneficial to your body to reset your hormone levels and improve many other functions of your body. However, it would help if you did it properly as there are many “miracle detox” plans out there that frankly could do more harm than good such as a low-calorie diet. You should pick high nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats. Not only can these be beneficial to your hormones but also for your blood sugar levels. -
Exercise
Exercise should be part of your daily treatment plan, as many functions of the body can improve simply by getting your blood flowing. Exercising and working out regularly can help with mental clarity, relaxed mood, healthy hormone levels and promote blood circulation. -
Sleep
This is one of the most important parts of restoring your hormone levels after pregnancy. You probably lost a lot of sleep time dealing with pains and headaches from during and after your pregnancy. This is however essential for your body to continue flowing correctly and keeping your hormone levels balances, especially for adults. Sleep helps with maintaining optimal hormone levels and is necessary for growth and tissue repair. So now that you probably have some more time sleep whenever you can manage it and take naps when needed. Figure out a schedule to sleep whenever your baby falls asleep that way, you can get some extra sleeping time during the day. After all, the better you take care of your own body, the better you will be able to care for your little one. -
Get Support from friends & family
You may often try to figure it out yourself but don’t be afraid to reach out to your loved ones and ask for help and advice. Many times some of your friends or family may have already gone through the same feelings and could help guide you in a better direction. So reach out and don’t be afraid to express yourself, as more than likely they will be understanding of your current condition and will be more than glad to help.
If you have tried these methods, and nothing seems to be working, then it should be advised to consult with a local doctor that specializes in hormones and has worked with and treated women just like you.
Here at Splendor of Youth Medical, we treat a variety of hormonal imbalances and even menopause treatment. If you need expert advice, our physician, Dr Quiroz, will be more than glad to help you with any questions or concerns you may be having. So remember your not alone! We understand what your going through, and we are here to help, so give us a call today to schedule a consultation today!
