Aside from our strength, resilience, beauty, and ability to multitask, one of the things that makes us uniquely women is our hormonal make-up.

Understanding your hormones means understanding yourself better. Your mood, energy, appetite, sleep, skin, hair, and menstrual cycle can all be influenced by your hormones, which is why today I'm sharing the ultimate hormone cheat sheet. There are several hormones working behind the scenes every day, but for this article, we're focusing on two of the key reproductive hormones: oestrogen and progesterone.

What does oestrogen actually do in your body?

Oestrogen is one of the main reproductive hormones in women. It rises and falls throughout the menstrual cycle and plays a key role in ovulation, the menstrual cycle, and reproductive health. But oestrogen is not just a reproductive hormone. It also has important roles across the body.

It helps maintain bone density and supports healthy bone remodelling, which is one reason the decline in oestrogen around and after menopause can accelerate bone loss. It interacts with neurotransmitter systems including serotonin and dopamine, which can influence mood, cognition, and memory, and it supports collagen production, skin thickness, and hydration. It also has effects on blood vessels and lipid metabolism, part of the complex relationship between reproductive hormones and cardiovascular health.

What are the signs of high or low oestrogen?

Hormone symptoms aren't always straightforward, and experiencing one of these does not automatically mean your oestrogen is "too high" or "too low." When oestrogen is relatively higher, you may notice breast tenderness or swelling, bloating or fluid retention, heavier or more painful periods, headaches, or mood changes. When oestrogen is lower, you may notice hot flushes and night sweats, vaginal dryness, changes to your cycle, reduced libido, sleep disturbance, or changes in mood.

If you're experiencing any of these, don't panic, you're not alone, and don't automatically assume your hormones are "out of balance." There are many reasons these symptoms can occur.

How can you support healthy oestrogen levels?

As your community doctor and women's health specialist, here are some of my go-to ways to support this hormone. Eat enough. Chronic dieting and low energy availability can disrupt the reproductive hormone axis and menstrual cycle, so your body needs adequate energy, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats to function properly. Prioritise fibre and plants, since vegetables, berries, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds support the gut microbiome, which plays a role in oestrogen metabolism. Include phytoestrogen-rich foods such as soya, flaxseeds, chickpeas, and lentils as part of a balanced diet. Exercise, but don't overtrain, since strength training and regular movement support hormonal health, but excessive exercise combined with inadequate nutrition can interfere with reproductive hormone signalling. Prioritise sleep and stress management, aiming for 7 to 9 hours a night with regular rest days, and be mindful of alcohol, which can influence oestrogen metabolism.

What does progesterone do, and what happens when it's low?

If oestrogen gets all the attention, progesterone is often the forgotten hormone. It rises after ovulation, produced mainly by the corpus luteum, and its biggest job is preparing and maintaining the lining of the uterus for a potential pregnancy. It also interacts with the brain and nervous system and can influence mood, body temperature, and sleep.

If ovulation isn't occurring regularly, progesterone may not rise as expected. This can happen for a number of reasons, including PMOS, significant stress, low energy availability, excessive exercise, and perimenopause. You might notice irregular or absent periods, difficulty identifying ovulation, shorter luteal phases, premenstrual symptoms, or difficulty conceiving. These symptoms aren't diagnostic of low progesterone on their own, the underlying cause is what matters.

The answer isn't a progesterone-boosting supplement or hormone detox. It's supporting ovulation by supporting your body: eating enough, getting adequate protein and healthy fats, maintaining a healthy weight without extreme restriction, managing stress, prioritising sleep, and avoiding excessive exercise. If your periods are consistently irregular or absent, don't simply accept it as "just my hormones." Irregular periods are a sign worth investigating.

Alongside these foundations, many women also choose to support their daily nutrition with a supplement like SHREDDY SUPERWOMAN, which brings together Myo-Inositol, Zinc, Chromium, Folate, Selenium, and Vitamin D in one daily formula, to support normal metabolism, fertility, and psychological function.

What's the real takeaway on hormone balance?

Your hormones are not your enemy, and understanding them enables you to understand yourself better. They are messengers, constantly communicating with your brain, ovaries, metabolism, bones, and muscles.

Hormone balance isn't about making every hormone perfectly level all month long. Healthy hormones fluctuate, oestrogen rises and falls, progesterone rises after ovulation and falls before your period. The goal isn't to stop those changes, it's to understand and support them. So instead of asking, "how do I balance my hormones," start asking, "what is my body trying to tell me?"

Your period, energy, mood, appetite, and sleep aren't inconveniences to push through. They are pieces of information about what's going on internally, and the more you understand your body, the better equipped you are to advocate for it.

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