Dearest Reader,

This information is for educational purposes only and not intended to diagnose or highlight imperfections. You've likely landed here following your results of my quiz at YourHormoneQuiz.com. No matter what you discover in these results, you're beautiful and perfect as you are. You're good enough and trying hard enough. We're all unique and will experience hormonal shifts differently. This information is here to highlight that, despite what we've been told, we're not just little men — our bodies work differently — and if our hormones have us feeling less than our best, we absolutely can do something about it. My aim is to support and empower you on your journey, where you need and want it. Take what you need, leave what you don't. No judgement here, just good honest support.

XO, Laurie

Low Testosterone

Fluctuations in testosterone are common but you don’t have to live with it. A drop in testosterone levels could cause you to feel a loss in strength, lethargic, depressed, or lacking in libido. It can cause weight gain, infertility, menstrual irregularities, sleep disturbances and more. Genetics, nutrition and lifestyle could be playing a part. 

Different ways our testosterone hormones go low:

Testosterone imbalance is most often multifactorial. Women arrive at it for multiple reasons, not usually just one. Some of these reasons could be:

• Low cholesterol
• Low fat diet or nutrient deficient diet
• Low body fat
• Chronic stress or HPA axis maladaptation
• High level of SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin)
• High activity of the aromatase enzyme
• Obesity
• Childbirth
• Certain medications, especially birth control pills

Low testosterone might look like:

• Low libido
• Low energy
• Decreased ability to perform sexually
• Sleep disturbances
• Reduced muscle mass
• Diminishing strength
• Pain and achy joints
• Wrinkled skin
• Dry, thinning hair and skin
• Sagging cheeks and lips
• Depressed mood
• Worry, anxiety, fear
• Low motivation
• Trouble to control bladder or urinary leakage
• Reduced bone density or strength
• Struggles with maintaining weight
• Cardiovascular symptoms or heart disease
• Inability to orgasm
• Infertility or miscarriage

Low testosterone will present itself differently in different women. You might find you have a few or many of the above symptoms while someone you know could have completely different symptoms. 

Nutrient deficiencies associated with low testosterone:

• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Vitamins D, C, E, K, B6
• Folate (B9)
• Vitamin A
• Carnitine

Items to limit when there is low testosterone:

• Green tea —​​​​​​​ Can raise SHBG which binds up testosterone and makes it unavailable
• Mint tea —​​​​​​​ Can lower testosterone levels because it can raise SHBG
• Alcohol —​​​​​​​ It raises SHBG which lowers free testosterone and depletes zinc (among other important nutrients), which is needed for testosterone production.
• Avoid fish species highest in mercury
• Avoid aluminum —​​​​​​​ Check your deodorant or antiperspirant
• Avoid personal care products with phthalates, parabens, hydroquinone and synthetic fragrance —​​​​​​​ Assume all fragrance is synthetic, unless it comes from essential oils.

What we can do about low testosterone:

When dealing with hormone imbalance, it’s important to address what’s causing it. Ask yourself: What could be at the root of low testosterone? Dealing with the root cause is essential.

Restoring balance most often requires — first and foremost — reestablishing a strong foundation with a supportive diet and lifestyle. This includes optimizing nutrition and sleep, finding exercise and stress management techniques, reducing toxic exposures, and working on mindset and social support.

Not sure where to start?

Here are 3 easy and free ways you can get started right now:

1. Opt for a nourishing, colorful and nutrient-dense whole-foods diet and be sure to get adequate protein for your activity level.
2. Upgrade your sleep quality and quantity to match your stress levels and lifestyle, as well as syncing up your sleep and light exposure (especially blue light) with the daylight hours.
3. Book a call with me.  See below.

Check out this post for even more ways to get your hormones back in harmony.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, manage, or treat disease or serious conditions. Always check with your doctor before making any changes. It's important to consult a well-informed health practitioner for personal advice about your situation before relying on general information — we're all wonderfully unique.