Decode Your Hormones: Symptoms, Imbalances, and the Power of Tracking
Your Hormone Health Deserves More Attention
Hormones influence nearly every system in a woman’s body—mood, energy, metabolism, sleep, skin, digestion, and fertility. It can be extremely frustrating to be told that your symptoms are normal, related to stress, or indicative of your age. Symptoms are SIGNALS. When you learn how to identify patterns and bring real data to your practitioner’s attention, your hormone health becomes something for you to understand and not guess at.
A Basic Run-Down of the Key Hormone Players
Estrogen — cycles, mood, skin, joints, brain health
Progesterone — calming, sleep, regulates anxiety
Cortisol — stress response, energy, blood sugar
Insulin — blood sugar, fat storage, cravings
Thyroid Hormones — metabolism, body temp, energy
Testosterone — muscle tone, motivation, libido
Common Imbalances and Their Symptoms
Estrogen Dominance (or Poor Estrogen Detox) — heavy periods, bloating/puffiness, rapid weight gain in hips and butt, mood swings, PMS, endometriosis, migraines, brain fog
Low Estrogen — poor memory, depression, wrinkles, hot flashes, overactive/leaky bladder, frequent UTI’s, droopy breasts, sensitive to sun damage on face/chest/shoulders
Low Progesterone — agitation, menstrual migraines, easily disrupted sleep, painful/swollen breasts, heavy periods, itchy/restless legs at night, short cycles, PMS that worsens with age
High or Dysregulated Cortisol — morning fatigue only relieved with caffeine, mid-day energy crashes, salt/sugar cravings, feeling wired and tired, increased belly fat, indigestion/GERD
Low Thyroid — hair loss, dry skin, brittle nails, high cholesterol, difficulty losing weight, muscle aches, always cold, slow heart rate, fatigue, depression, enlarged tongue, enlarged thyroid/goiter
Excess Androgens — excess hair on face/chest/arms, acne, irritability, skin tags, PCOS, unstable blood sugar, darkened/thickened armpits, thinning head hair
Why Labs Aren’t Always Reliable
Hormones fluctuate daily and monthly, and a single snapshot doesn’t look at the whole picture. It’s best to be guided by symptoms, and this is where TRACKING is so vital.
How Hormones Interact
Hormones don’t work in isolation. They function together, meaning when one hormone is out of balance, it often creates a ripple effect throughout your body’s systems. This is why addressing one single hormone can lead to frustration or even temporary results. Here are a few ways that hormones interact:
If you’re chronically stressed or consume large amounts of caffeine, this can increase cortisol production, which in turn robs you of progesterone.
If progesterone is low, estrogen can become dominant, even if your estrogen is somewhat low!
If insulin is chronically elevated, it can suppress ovulation, lower progesterone, increase androgens, and impair estrogen metabolism.
What and When You Should Track
Cycle length
Ovulation signs
Sleep quality
Energy levels
Mood and Cravings
Pain
Weight fluctuations
Record your data for 2-3 cycles so that you can recognize any patterns. Use this data to talk to a trusted healthcare provider. If you are getting tested for hormone levels, It’s important to tell your practitioner where you are on your cycle when the testing is performed.
Download Your Free Symptom Tracker
For women who still have a menstrual cycle (aka “bleeding”), use this tracker. Ideally, you’ll want to start tracking day 1 of your cycle, which is the first day you bleed. The count starts over at 1 again with the start of the next period.
For women who are still cycling but do not have a period (ex: you’ve had a hysterectomy and still have your ovaries), use this tracker. you’ll need to track your basal body temperature each morning to gauge where you are on your cycle. To measure your basal body temperature (BBT), first you must own or purchase a BBT thermometer. Take your temperature each morning before you get out of bed. I keep my thermometer on my nightstand. BBT rises slightly after ovulation and stays elevated until your next period.
A Mini Breakdown of a Woman’s Cycle
Menstrual Phase (Days 1-5ish) — your period; estrogen and progesterone are low
Follicular Phase (Days 1-13ish) — ovaries prep to release an egg; estrogen rises
Ovulatory Phase (Around Day 14) — egg is released
Luteal Phase (Days 15 to 28ish) — egg preps for fertilization; progesterone becomes dominant and both estrogen and progesterone drop if no pregnancy (around day 25)
My Hormone Journey
From raging PMS to cystic breasts, I’ve run the full hormone gamut. I was diagnosed with endometriosis at age 30. In my late 30’s, I struggled with insomnia, migraines, difficulty losing weight, and a host of other health issues—my body was screaming for help.
Over the years, I saw multiple medical practitioners and tried countless therapies, but nothing truly helped until I discovered this tracking method. Once I was able to clearly identify my symptoms and connect them to specific phases of my cycle, everything changed.
After my hysterectomy at age 36, it became even harder to recognize which part of my cycle was causing the most trouble. That’s where BBT tracking came in. It gave me clarity, insight, and—most importantly—relief.
Now, I’m able to get ahead of my body and prepare for the most challenging phases of my cycle. This is where targeted supplementation, supportive nutrition, and the right type of exercise truly matter. At my most recent doctor visit, my practitioner and I were able to clearly assess which hormones needed the most support—something I never would have had the insight to do before. I’ve shed some body fat, sleep better, have more stable moods, and am putting on muscle better in my 40’s than I did in my 30’s.
The Sacred Rhythm of Being a Woman
Being a woman means living in cycles—of energy and rest, clarity and inwardness, creation and release. When we honor these natural rhythms instead of resisting them, we step back into an ancient wisdom our bodies have always carried. Hormone balance isn’t about perfection; it’s about alignment. And alignment begins when we trust the intelligence of our own bodies.
If any part of this resonates with you, you don’t have to figure it out alone. I offer one-on-one consultations to help you understand your unique cycle, symptoms, and hormone patterns so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. You’re welcome to reach out—I’d be honored to support you. You can also email me at emily@balanced-within.com
Emily James CNHP
