Signs Your Hormones May Be Out of Balance
Mood swings before your period. Acne around your jaw. Painful periods. Cycles that are all over the place.
It’s easy to brush these things off as “just hormones” — especially when you’ve experienced them for years.
But your menstrual cycle can actually tell us a lot about what’s happening in your body.
While these symptoms don’t automatically mean you have a “hormonal imbalance”, changes in your period, skin, mood, energy and cycle can be signs that something deserves a little more attention.
And no, I don’t believe the answer is automatically taking a handful of hormone supplements.
As a herbalist, I want to understand why these changes are happening in the first place.
Your Period Is Like a Monthly Health Report Card
I love looking at the menstrual cycle as another indicator of overall health.
Your cycle doesn’t exist separately from the rest of your body.
Stress, nutrition, sleep, digestive health, exercise, certain medical conditions, medications and many other factors can influence your menstrual cycle and how you feel throughout the month.
That’s why when someone comes to see me for PMS or irregular periods, I’m not only asking about their period.
I’m asking about everything.
Your digestion. Your sleep. Your stress. What you’re eating. Your energy. Your lifestyle. Your health history.
Because your symptoms rarely exist in isolation.
1. Your PMS Is Affecting Your Life
A little change in mood or energy before your period can happen.
But there’s a difference between noticing your period is coming and feeling like a completely different person every month.
Significant irritability, anxiety, low mood, crying, headaches, breast tenderness, cravings or exhaustion before your period are worth paying attention to — particularly if they’re affecting your relationships, work or quality of life.
You don’t necessarily have to accept feeling awful for a week every month as simply part of being a woman.
2. Your Periods Are Irregular
A menstrual cycle doesn’t need to arrive on exactly the same day every month.
Some variation is normal.
But if your cycles are consistently very short, very long, unpredictable, or you’re regularly skipping periods, it’s worth exploring why.
There are many possible reasons for irregular cycles, which is why understanding your individual health history is so important.
3. Your Periods Are Very Painful
Period discomfort and severe period pain aren’t the same thing.
If you’re regularly unable to work, cancelling plans, vomiting, fainting or relying heavily on pain relief because of your period, please don’t assume that’s something you simply have to live with.
Significant or worsening period pain should also be discussed with your GP, as conditions such as endometriosis and adenomyosis can cause painful periods and require appropriate investigation.
Herbal medicine can be a beautiful form of supportive care, but we also need to know when something requires further investigation.
4. Your Skin Changes Throughout Your Cycle
Have you ever noticed you suddenly start breaking out around your chin or jaw before your period?
Skin changes can sometimes follow patterns throughout the menstrual cycle.
But rather than immediately labelling acne as “hormonal”, I like to look at the bigger picture.
When does it appear?
What’s happening with your cycle?
How’s your digestion?
What’s your stress like?
Has anything else changed?
Again — patterns matter.
5. You’re Noticing Changes in Hair Growth or Hair Loss
Changes in hair can also be worth investigating.
This might include increased facial or body hair, changes in the texture of your hair or increased hair shedding.
There are many potential reasons this can occur, including nutritional factors, thyroid conditions and other health concerns, so this is another area where appropriate testing may be helpful rather than simply assuming hormones are responsible.
6. You’re Not Sure If You’re Ovulating
Your period is only one part of your menstrual cycle.
Ovulation matters too.
Some women notice signs around ovulation, such as changes in cervical mucus or other patterns in their cycle, while others may not notice obvious signs at all.
Not seeing obvious signs doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not ovulating, but if your cycles are particularly irregular or there are other concerns, it may be worth exploring further.
Cycle tracking can be a really useful way to start understanding your individual patterns.
7. Your Energy, Sleep or Libido Have Changed
Hormonal health doesn’t only show up through your period.
Changes in energy, sleep or libido can sometimes occur alongside changes in the menstrual cycle.
But these symptoms can also have many other causes.
For example, fatigue may be related to iron levels, nutrition, sleep, stress, thyroid function or other factors.
This is why I don’t like looking at one symptom and immediately declaring that your hormones are “out of balance.”
We need context.
8. Your Digestion Changes Around Your Period
Ever wondered why your bowel movements suddenly change just before or during your period?
You’re definitely not imagining it.
Hormonal changes and compounds involved in menstruation can influence the digestive system, which is why some women notice changes in bloating, bowel habits or digestive comfort around their period.
Tracking these symptoms alongside your menstrual cycle can help reveal patterns you may never have noticed before.
Please Stop Accepting Awful Periods as Normal
This is something I wish more women knew.
Your period doesn’t need to be completely symptom-free every single month.
But there’s also a difference between experiencing some changes around your period and spending a significant portion of every month feeling terrible.
If your period or PMS is interfering with your work, relationships, social life or ability to function normally, it’s worth investigating.
You deserve to understand what’s happening in your body rather than continually being told it’s “just your hormones.”
So… How Do I Support Hormonal Health?
There’s no universal “hormone balancing” protocol that I give everyone.
Because there isn’t one universal reason someone experiences hormonal symptoms.
When I work with a client, I might look at:
🌿 Menstrual cycle history
🌿 PMS and period symptoms
🌿 Stress and nervous system health
🌿 Sleep
🌿 Nutrition
🌿 Digestion and bowel health
🌿 Movement and exercise
🌿 Existing pathology and medical history
🌿 Signs of ovulation
🌿 Lifestyle
From there, herbal medicine, nutrition and lifestyle changes can be personalised to the individual.
Sometimes further testing or investigation with your GP is appropriate too.
The goal isn’t to force your hormones into “balance”. It’s to understand your body and give it the support it needs.
Start Tracking Your Cycle
One of the simplest things you can do is start paying attention.
Track when your period starts, how long it lasts, your mood, energy, skin, digestion, cervical mucus, pain, cravings, sleep and anything else you notice throughout the month.
Over a few cycles, patterns can start becoming much clearer.
This is also one of the reasons I like practices such as seed cycling for some women — beyond the nutritional benefits of the seeds themselves, it can encourage you to become more connected to the different phases of your cycle.
When Should You Seek Medical Advice?
It’s important not to assume every menstrual symptom can or should be managed naturally.
Speak with your GP if you’re experiencing symptoms such as very heavy bleeding, severe or worsening pelvic pain, bleeding between periods or after sex, periods suddenly becoming significantly different, pregnancy concerns, or other new or concerning symptoms.
Herbal medicine can work beautifully alongside conventional healthcare when appropriate.
Ready to Understand Your Cycle?
If your period feels like something that happens to you every month rather than something you understand, this is something we can explore together.
I take the time to look at your menstrual cycle alongside your digestion, stress, sleep, nutrition and overall health to understand the bigger picture.
From there, we can create an individualised herbal medicine and lifestyle plan that actually fits into your life.
