In many cases it’s easy to resolve these imbalances with lifestyle changes," says Burns-Hill. You might need to change things in your diet, factors affecting your stress levels, or even start taking supplements.

It’s not you, it’s YOUR HORMONES! | Lifestyle | Take a Break

Unfortunately our reptile brain hasn’t caught up with our modern lifestyles, which is why now, more than ever before, we’re experiencing a rise in unbalanced hormones and the conditions it can cause, from fatigue and depression to infertility. If you're navigating the midlife or menopause journey, chances are you're not getting enough protein. And that's a bigger deal than you might think. You feel better when you eat chocolate, because your body makes serotonin (your happy hormone) from chocolate, so in a way you’re responding to your hormone needs. It’s just not the best way longterm.

Sound familiar?

Anything that helps move oestrogen through the body and break it down is good," Burns-Hill advises. "Cabbage, Brussel sprouts and spinach, all have something called indoles – they help your body break down oestrogen and process it to softer, safer oestrogens. And add a daily green smoothie to your diet." Supplements

Hormones Podcast on Apple Podcasts ‎Happy Hormones Podcast on Apple Podcasts

We look outwards for a lot of solutions, but we need to get to know ourselves inside out," advises Burns-Hill. "Pay attention to what is going on within and let that be your guide – then recognise when things are changing and resolve to carry on." Supplements aren’t designed to make up for an unhealthy diet or lifestyle, but adding in a few things to help during difficult periods can make a real difference. As well as menopausal hormone changes, there are many factors that could be causing weight loss resistance, and why you may need to look beyond diet and lifestyle to identify what could be hindering your progress.Stress will affect a woman’s ability to ovulate, and ovulation is a key part of your hormonal cycle each month. You will still have a period if you don’t ovulate, it’s called an anovulatory cycle, and it’s normal when it occurs occasionally. But it’s not normal when it’s happening every month." Exercise Few things have the power to restore quite like a brisk walk and a big deep gulp of fresh air. And the health benefits are many, from lowering your overall risk of chronic disease to helping you feel all is well with the world. It’s not just binge drinking that’s a problem either. Regularly consuming alcohol can have serious problems: "Two or three glasses of wine after work is still quite excessive and potentially affecting your health and fertility." Sugar

Hormonal imbalance: What are the signs of - Cosmopolitan Hormonal imbalance: What are the signs of - Cosmopolitan

For both conditions there are mental health symptoms too. Too much oestrogen can cause mood swings and depression, as well as reduced sex drive. She adds: "To break down oestrogen you can get good-quality DIM or I3C supplements which can be beneficial." How will you know if your hormones are balancing out again? It often boils down to a couple of obvious imbalances for younger women," Burns-Hill explains. "One is PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and the other is polycystic ovaries – though not necessarily the full blown polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – just somewhere on that spectrum. We've heard all about the health benefits of cold therapy, but if that's not your thing, did you know that there's a whole host of benefits associated with heat and red light therapy?The science is calling it 'inflammaging' and it's dangerous because it's hidden. You can't see inflammation at work. But it's there! And unfortunately menopause is something that makes it worse (as oestrogen has an anti-inflammatory role). From the other angle, polycystic ovary symptoms include "acne, ongoing skin problems, excess facial or body hair, an irregular period and a different type of irritability. It’s a more aggressive kind, not weepy but more lion-like, from a sense of being frustrated. PCOS sufferers can have diabetes or pre-diabetes (insulin resistance), the condition that is linked to an excess of insulin, our blood sugar regulating hormone," adds the expert.