5 Essential Remedies for Postpartum Hormone Balance
Postpartum hormone imbalance
Not Sleeping, Rage, Blood Clots? Postpartum Hormones Might Be the Cause.
Understanding Postpartum Hormones
Postpartum is a time of significant hormonal shifts, particularly for estrogen and progesterone. Whether or not you’re breastfeeding impacts these changes; other hormones, like cortisol and thyroid hormones, can also fluctuate, especially if you're sleep-deprived or have genetic predispositions like the MTHFR gene.
Key changes include:
Progesterone: Drops significantly, leading to symptoms like anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Estrogen: Can be too high (estrogen dominance) or too low, causing symptoms such as breast tenderness, mood swings, or vaginal dryness.
Cortisol: Stress hormone levels may rise or drop, leading to exhaustion, sleep disturbances, and other issues.
Thyroid: Can swing from hyperthyroidism (high energy, weight loss) to hypothyroidism (fatigue, weight gain).
Postpartum hormone imbalance symptoms
Symptoms to Watch For
Low Progesterone: Anxiety, PMS, insomnia, heavy periods, and spotting.
High Estrogen: Breast tenderness, migraines, mood swings, and heavy periods.
Low Estrogen: Vaginal dryness, brain fog, and painful sex.
High/Low Cortisol: Sleep issues, brain fog, and extreme exhaustion.
Thyroid Issues: Hair loss, dry skin, weight changes, and changes in energy levels.
Steps to Balance Your Hormones
Clean Up Your Diet: Focus on whole foods, healthy proteins, vegetables, and grains. Minimize processed foods, dairy, and soy if you're experiencing high estrogen symptoms.
Improve Gut Health: Support elimination by eating fiber-rich foods like ground flaxseeds and hydrating well. Aim for regular bowel movements.
Address Your Environment: Reduce exposure to toxins in cleaning products, makeup, and food. Use air and water filters if possible.
Herbal Support:
For low progesterone: Consider Vitex (with caution) or Shatavari.
For high estrogen: Support the liver with juices made of carrots, beets, celery, and lemon.
For thyroid issues: Adaptogens like ashwagandha (for hypothyroidism) or motherwort (for hyperthyroidism).
For cortisol imbalances: Use adaptogens like rhodiola or calming herbs like passionflower.
5. Lifestyle Changes: Prioritize sleep, minimize caffeine on an empty stomach, and manage stress.
Helpful Resources
Download the Postpartum Recovery Roadmap for actionable steps to improve your health naturally.
Explore The Present Momma Online Course, where I guide you through postpartum healing.
Your body is going through immense changes, but with the right tools and support, you can feel like yourself again. Don’t forget to tune in next week, where we’ll discuss the hormone most responsible for insomnia and how to start sleeping naturally again.
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