Here’s Why Looking After Your Hormone Health Is The Key To Feeling Your Best

Most of us probably don’t know the first thing about our hormones, but they underpin just about everything going on in our bodies, from our menstrual cycle to our skin to our mood. If you’re suffering from tiredness or fatigue, problematic periods, or skin issues, it’s important to understand what’s going on in your body so you can take control of your hormone health.

Before we get into it, let’s learn a bit more about the four main sex hormones in the female menstrual cycle. These hormones are at work across all stages in a woman’s life, from puberty to pregnancy, perimenopause to menopause.

• Oestrogen is the main female hormone produced by the ovaries from days five to seven of the menstrual cycle. It peaks at day 14 when it initiates ovulation, then falls throughout the second half of the cycle, triggering the period. Oestrogen has a few jobs – it’s important for heart health, stimulates collagen production, and influences our metabolism.
• Progesterone is the hormone produced after ovulation to help the body prepare for pregnancy. This hormone can have a ‘calming’ effect on the body, relaxing the mind, mood and nervous system, along with the muscles.
• Testosterone is a male hormone that women produce in small quantities. Testosterone powers our sex drive, body hair, and metabolism, but if our body produces too much it can lead to unwanted body and facial hair as well as acne.
• Follicle stimulating hormone (FHS) is the hormone produced by the pituitary glands, promoting puberty and kickstarting the monthly female hormone cycle. FHS stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles each month so a health egg can be released at ovulation time.

These hormones should work together in harmony, but many things can cause them to run less smoothly, including stress and nutrient deficiencies due to poor diet. When this happens, you can find yourself with the aforementioned skin issues, low energy, mood swings and problematic periods.

Dr Mary Ryan

So what can you do to keep things ticking over naturally? Consultant endocrinologist Dr Mary Ryan says the key to balanced hormones is a healthy lifestyle.

“There is a lot of education we can do around hormone health, but the key is lifestyle. Putting yourself first, listening to your body (which women just don’t do) and getting your diet healthy, but also giving yourself the time to do these things,” she advises.

“Vitamin B6 is important, it contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity. Omega 3 and vitamin D are also beneficial, but many people unfortunately don’t necessarily get these in their diet. That can be a problem,” says Dr Ryan. “I would always suggest starting with diet first and getting that as healthy as possible, but we have to be realistic. We’re in a very busy time, people are working and have young families, so it’s not always easy to do that.”

This is where Cleanmarine For Women can help. The supplement contains a number of key ingredients including Omega 3, vitamin B6, which contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity and supports energy production, and vitamin B2, which helps maintain normal skin – ideal for women who want to feel and look good every day.

Available from health stores and pharmacies nationwide, priced €22.99 for 60 capsules

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