Female Hormones
ABOUT
Female Hormones
Hormones to a person are like colours to a painting. In many ways they help to shape the nuances that affect how you feel internally as well as how you appear to the outside world. It follows that maintaining a healthy hormonal balance is extremely important to your overall sense of wellbeing.
There are a various transitional stages that occur throughout a womens life when significant hormonal changes take place. These include: Menarche, puberty, pregnancy, and peri or post-menopause. If a proper balance hasn’t been established prior to entering into these stages, many uncomfortable symptoms may result including mood swings, hot flashes, fatigue, weight gain (especially abdominal), menstrual disturbances and/or fertility issues depending on the situation. If any of these symptoms sound familiar, we can help.
TREATMENTS
HORMONE CONDITIONS TREATED
Menstrual Problems: PMS, PAIN, irregular cycles
Do you dread when “that time of month” comes around?
If so, you may have a hormonal imbalance that is causing unpleasant symptoms during the pre-menstrual or shedding portion of your cycle. Premenstrual syndrome also known as PMS, is a group of symptoms that start one to two weeks before the period. Most women have at least one or two symptoms of PMS which goes away after their period starts. The most common ones are: Irritability, anxiety, depression, headache, fatigue or excessive tiredness, feelings of hostility and anger, and food cravings, especially for chocolate or sweet and salty foods. Breast tenderness and bloating are also common in women during PMS. Though these symptoms are common, that does not make them normal. If you are like many suffers, you have likely surfed the internet, looking for a way to relieve yourself of them and now feel more confused then you did before.
If you experience unpleasant menstrual-related concerns and are unsure of what the right approach or combination of approaches is for you, then let our Naturopathic Doctors help! We have long standing experience treating women with menstrual concerns and can review up-to-date natural treatment options that are effective and gentle to help you to feel your best, all month long.
Peri and post-menopause
Does it seem like ever since you hit your mid-to-late 40s or 50s you just don’t feel the same?
You may be approaching menopause. Peri-menopause is the interval of time when you still have a period, though it may be irregular, and you may notice symptoms such as weight gain, hot flashes, sleep disruption and/or fatigue, just to name a few. Post-menopause is when you haven’t had your period for 12 months, many of the same symptoms may be present during that time. The symptoms result from the many hormonal changes your body experiences during this time of transition. Fortunately, many can be ameliorated by using natural treatments including lifestyle changes, nutrition, natural supplementation and/or bioidentical hormones.
If you are unsure of what approach or combination of approaches is right for you, then let our Naturopathic Doctors help! We have long standing experience treating women with menopausal concerns and can offer you up-to-date information and resources that will help you to feel your best during this beautiful change of life.
fertility
Are you having difficulty conceiving?
To some couples dismay, it is not always as easy to create a new life as they initially think it will be. Did you know that it takes many couples 6 months to 1 year to get pregnant the first time?
What can affect your fertility level? Many factors contribute including genetic disorders, various hormone related conditions (e.g. PCOS) and/or lifestyle factors such as smoking, stress and poor nutrition. However in some cases, it is just a matter of becoming educated about the female cycle, timing, and knowing when ovulation occurs. Keep in mind that depending on the app you use, it may not always be completely accurate!
At KIH we work with couples to help identify the unique factors impacting their ability to conceive and provide gentle, natural treatments to remove any obstacles. Read on below for more information about our approach to fertility care. You can also book an appointment or free consult to ask our Naturopathic Doctors any preliminary questions you may have.
Pregnancy Care
Are you pregnant and seeking holistic care to support you through your exciting journey?
When a women becomes pregnant, her hormone levels rapidly change and this can lead to many pregnancy the symptoms including fatigue, nausea and vomiting, heartburn, back pain, dizziness and more are experienced by many. Moving too fast, being dehydrated or not eating regularly may cause blood pressure to drop causing in dizziness and nausea. Pregnancy hormones slow down digestion which makes it harder to break down food and nutrients and this can result in heartburn and constipation.
No matter if you are lucky enough to be having a healthy and symptom free pregnancy or are experiencing many of the unpleasant symptoms listed above, you can still benefit from Naturopathic care. We have expensive experience supporting women through this special time and can review up-to-date natural treatment options that are effective and gentle to help you to feel your best, all pregnancy long.
uterine fibroids
Uterine fibroids are made up of muscle and other tissues that grow in the uterus. They may develop in the uterine wall, inside the lining of the uterus, or outside of the uterus. Many women with fibroids do not experience any symptoms and are unaware that they have fibroids. However, about one in four women may experience some symptoms such as heavy bleeding, pain, and urinary problems that may require treatment.
If you have uterine fibroids it is important to get to the root of the problem to help prevent further growth and related complications. These may include iron deficiency anemia and/or related pain resulting from mechanical pressure on various surrounding body parts. The Naturopathic Doctors at KIH have long standing experience treating women with uterine fibroids and can review the up-to-date natural treatment options that are gentle and will help to promote positive change.
thyroid issues
Is your thyroid working properly?
Did you know that a tiny, butterfly shaped gland nestled in your throat is responsible for producing and regulating some of the most important hormones in your body? This mighty gland is called the thyroid, and while it’s relatively small in size, it plays a large role in our endocrine (hormone) system.
The thyroid gland produces hormones that interact with many other hormones (like insulin, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone). When considering how intimately all hormones communicate with each other, it’s no wonder so many symptoms and diseases are tied to a poorly performing thyroid!
If you are like many suffers, you have likely surfed the internet looking for more information or an effective yet safe way to correct your thyroid function and and now feel more confused then you did before! Our Naturopathic Doctors have extensive experience treating patients with thyroid concerns and can review up-to-date natural and effective treatment options to help you to feel your best.