Why So Many Women Feel Confused About Their Hormones — And What’s Really Going On

As a Functional Hormone Health Coach, Roshani helps women decode the messages

their bodies are sending, turning everyday symptoms like fatigue, heavy periods,

mood swings, or skin changes into meaningful insights for better health.

Her approach is all about tuning in, understanding your body’s signals, and giving

women the tools to feel empowered through every hormonal shift, whether that’s

menstrual irregularities, postpartum, perimenopause, or beyond.

Why Are We So Confused About Our Hormones?

Hormonal shifts don’t suddenly appear in your 30s, they start whispering much

earlier.

If you’re over 30 (or creeping close), you’ve probably noticed the signals: weird

cycles, mood swings, headaches, heavy periods, fatigue, irritability. Maybe these

started in your 20s, subtle at first, but now they’re louder, harder to ignore.

Your body is sending you messages and understanding them changes everything.

Hormones Talk Early: You Just Have to Listen

It might show up as skin issues, random food intolerances, stubborn weight gain, or

fatigue that feels deeper than “just tired.” Your cycle might shift too; heavier, longer,

or more painful.

That pain, called dysmenorrhea, isn’t “just part of being a woman”, it’s the cramping,

aching, or pelvic discomfort that appears before or during your period. Sometimes

it’s driven by inflammation, prostaglandins, or nutrient gaps like low iron and

magnesium. Other times it signals something deeper, endometriosis, fibroids, or

pelvic inflammation. Either way, it’s your body saying: pay attention.

Other early signals include acne, bloating, excess hair growth, often linked to

androgens and insulin resistance, or fibroids developing from a mix of estrogen

dominance, uterine trauma, or metabolic stress. Fatigue, mood swings, and

headaches may trace back to gut inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, or detox issues.

The thing is, there is no one size fits all approach to hormonal health. It is often a

downstream impact of something deeper going on with your body. Think of your

cycle as a monthly hormonal scorecard.

As we age, hormonal resilience naturally dips, so what you used to shrug off starts to

feel heavier and harder to recover from.

Your body is always giving you clues, pain, skin changes, energy shifts, mood swings,

cycle patterns. They’re not random. They’re information.

The earlier you start listening, the better your hormones can work with you, not

against you.

The Pill Isn’t Always the Answer, And Here’s Why

I’ve seen this in my own life. Hormonal contraception gave me convenience and

control early on, but it also created blind spots. The pill works by suppressing your

natural cycle, creating a “pill bleed” is not an ovulation bleed. That means your

hormones aren’t cycling naturally, and your system isn’t calibrating the way it’s

meant to. It’s absolutely your choice to take whatever you need for contraception

purposes, however being informed before you decide is important, especially if your

doctor uses the pill as a solution for a hormonal issue, and you’re considering having

children one day.

When I stopped the pill in my early 30s, my body’s return to natural cycles was messy

and loud: heavy bleeding, PMS, and fatigue. I’m fairly certain some of the issues I

experienced during pregnancy in my mid-30s were linked to a combination of uterine

trauma and hormonal imbalance from stopping contraception given I had to

supplement progesterone via a daily pessary during my pregnancy. Let me just say,

inserting a daily pessary for six months is not exactly comfortable, but it was

necessary to support my body and pregnancy during the time.

The pill can also deplete key nutrients: magnesium, B-vitamins, zinc, folate, which

can make your hormones take longer to rebalance after stopping it. These nutrients

support optimal hormone function. For example, vitamin D plays a key role in thyroid

health, so low levels could be a hidden factor in hormonal imbalance. One thing I see

in women’s blood work all the time is low Vitamin D, even in hot countries like, Dubai

or Australia. That’s why understanding your natural rhythm is so important: the

patterns your body gives you while off contraception are the best window into your

true hormonal health and fertility.

Hormonal Health Isn’t Well Understood, And That’s Not Your Fault

Here’s the inconvenient truth: women’s hormonal health is massively under-

researched.

Until 1993 in the U.S., women of childbearing age were largely excluded from

clinical trials. Most interventions were tested on men, then assumed to work

for women.

Even today, many supplements, medications, and protocols are based on male

biology, and research rarely accounts for menstrual cycles, reproductive

stages, or menopause transitions.

The system isn’t broken because of your doctor, it’s just that conventional

medicine excels at crisis management and chronic disease, not personalised

female hormone care.

This is why I started VitalWoman Wellness. While previously working as Head of

Health Policy in the UK, I collaborated with large corporates and the government to

shape the UK Government’s ‘prevention is better than cure’ agenda. Let’s just say,

there’s plenty of talk about supporting women’s reproductive health, but very little

practical intervention.

The lack of up-to-date scientific research on women’s reproductive health is one of

the main reasons why women are told: “It’s normal,” or “take the pill,” or even

offered a hysterectomy when bleeding is heavy, while the root drivers of hormonal

imbalance are often ignored.

Common Female Hormonal Imbalances: What to Watch For

Hormonal issues don’t start overnight. They often begin in your 20s and quietly

escalate. Some examples:

• PCOS: signs include acne, hair growth, weight gain, irregular cycles. It can

often be driven by insulin resistance, post-pill rebound, chronic stress, and

circadian disruption.

• Endometriosis: pain, heavy bleeding, or fatigue may point to gut dysbiosis,

chronic inflammation, and poor estrogen detoxification.

• Fibroids: often linked to estrogen dominance, uterine trauma, vitamin D deficiency, and chronic exposure to environmental toxins like phthalates in plastics and fragrances or dioxins from industrial pollution.

These are signals, not isolated ‘female problems’. They get louder with age as

hormonal resilience dips and ignoring them only makes recalibration harder as we

head through perimenopause (with hormonal shifts beginning as early as age 35).

Herbal and Nutrient Allies

Some of the simplest, evidenced and most effective herbs and nutrients to support

your hormonal rhythm:

• Chamomile: Reduces PMS symptoms and period pain, sometimes

outperforming NSAIDs (ibuprofen) and may have longer lasting effects.

• Ginger root: Helps reduce inflammatory prostaglandins, easing uterine

cramping naturally.

• Magnesium: Supports menstrual comfort, mood regulation, and muscle

relaxation.

• Iron: Essential for post-period fatigue and to prevent headaches from low

ferritin.

• B vitamins, zinc, omega-3s: Support hormone metabolism, mood, and

inflammation.

Lifestyle Support That Actually Works

As a woman, what you really need is simple resistance as part of your movement

goals. How that looks will depend on your training history, past or current injuries,

and overall health, but it can be as straightforward as bodyweight exercises,

dumbbells, barbells, or machines. You don’t have to go to a fancy gym; you can do it

at home. That’s what I personally recommend for most of my clients who are busy

and need something simple and effective.

I know so many women are already resistant to strength training and building muscle

with so much misinformation out there, and we don’t need to add fancy hormone-

balancing workouts to complicate things. I am stronger at 40 than I ever was in my

20’s, and it’s because I spent most of my 20’s doing cardio and very little resistance

training. The obsession with trends over fundamentals is where I see most women go

wrong, and unfortunately, women often get targeted by some new weight loss or

hormone balancing craze that promises more than it can deliver. Consistency and listening to your body will always outperform any fad, because fads

are always temporary.

Hormonal Health Tips You Can Use Today

• Track your monthly cycle and symptoms: mood, energy, flow, pain. Patterns are powerful information.

• Support nutrient status: don’t just take random supplements, understand what your body truly needs by looking at your labs from a root cause lens.

• Use gentle herbal allies: chamomile, ginger, and adaptogenic support when needed.

• Stabilise blood sugar: with protein rich meals and limit processed / refined carbs.

• Move daily: it doesn’t have to be a marathon. Dance, walk, stretch. Anything helps.

• Prioritise sleep and recovery: this is non-negotiable. Poor sleep is one of the biggest drivers of inflammation.

• Check environmental exposures: plastics, fragrances, and toxins can impact

hormones.

• Listen to pain, bloating, mood shifts, and flow changes: they are not “normal,”

they’re data.

• Advocate for yourself with your doctor: bring questions, patterns, and

research to support your symptoms.

The Takeaway

Hormonal health isn’t mysterious, but the conventional system often makes it seem

that way.

Your hormones start talking in your 20s, become louder in your 30s and 40s, and can

escalate if ignored. Listening early, supporting your body with nutrients, herbs, and

lifestyle based on your unique biochemistry, and understanding the signals your

body gives you is the ultimate form of prevention and empowerment.

Your hormones aren’t the problem - misunderstanding, under-research, and

systemic gaps are. Tune in, read the signals, and let your body work with you, not

against you.