5 Common Hormonal Fluctuations in Pre-Menopausal Women

If you're a pre-menopausal woman (i.e. NOT yet in menopause), seeking relief from symptoms, it’s imperative that you learn about the key times in your cycle when hormones fluctuate, and begin tracking those symptoms diligently! The more you make this a practice, the more you should start to notice patterns regarding the timing and severity of your symptoms!

For example, you may notice that you get headaches right before your period (when estrogen levels drop), or that you experience anxiety before ovulation (when estrogen is dominant over progesterone, your “calming" hormone).

Here are 5 “classic” times that hormones can fluctuate in pre-menopausal women ➡️

#1: After coming off hormonal birth control, the synthetic hormones in B.C. are no longer suppressing natural hormone production, which can result in either low / depleted hormone levels, OR excesses of hormones like estrogen and/or imbalances like "estrogen dominance "(excess estrogen relative to progesterone - which can happen even with normal or low estrogen levels).

#2: Before ovulation, LH, FSH and estrogen levels rise. After ovulation, progesterone runs the show and estrogen spikes and then dips.

#3: During the luteal phase (approx 10-14 days before your period begins), progesterone and estrogen levels peak and then drop, which can result in multiple PMS symptoms *IF* hormones are imbalanced.

#4: During your period week, all hormone levels are at their lowest which can trigger intense symptoms such as painful cramps and heavy bleeding *IF* hormones are imbalanced.

#5: Estrogen levels can fluctuate dramatically during "perimenopause," i.e. the 8-10 year transition to menopause (which is defined as 12 consecutive months without a period and occurs on average, around age 51). Although we cannot stop these hormonal fluctuations from happening, and we cannot skip the peri-menopause transition all together, there is SO MUCH we can do (holistically) to reduce the severity, including adjustments to your diet and lifestyle and introducing researched supplements and herbs (having high quality, practitioner recommended brands is key as the supplement industry is not well regulated in the U.S.). 

At Your Hormone Balance, we're proponents of testing your hormones to get a baseline understanding of where your hormone levels lie, ideally during the luteal phase, when hormones are surging (for those with a trackable cycle). It’s important to note that “normal” test results aren’t necessarily optimal. Levels that are trending on the LOW or HIGH end of normal (along with relevant symptoms), can be considered warning signs of a developing hormonal imbalance, and should also be addressed (with natural rebalancing techniques) to prevent more severe symptoms from developing down the line! (Click HERE to view our "Build Your Own Testing + Rebalancing" package).

Not sure if your symptoms align with a hormonal imbalance? Take our NEW and improved symptom quiz HERE, which will give you a discount towards any of our rebalancing packages! 

We also suggest checking out THIS episode (from our co-founder’s podcast, “The Solo2.0 Podcast”) for a deeper dive into our master hormones, common hormone imbalances and tips for rebalancing!