Women’s Health:
Hormonal imbalance for women is misunderstood as an aberrance in measurable levels of particular hormones in the blood, with the range of what constitutes ‘normal’ standardised by Western/allopathic medicine.
A collective group of symptoms is given a diagnosis based on fulfilling certain criteria pertaining to test results. Whilst diagnostic tools are essential and have provided immeasurable advantage in discovering pathology, the same cannot be said for treating it. This is mostly because the body is divided topographically and therefore each area is treated as separate from another. Just as absurd is the separation of the mind and physiology. The folly of such conceptualization of human health is very clearly demonstrated in the most often chronic and untreated hormonal conditions of women.
Unfortunately, the bar for optimal health has sunk significantly, and symptoms are now so common they have become normalised by most women. Here is a list of the most often expressed states of hormonal dysfunction:
- Hair loss, premature greying
- Weight gain, difficulty in losing/maintaining weight
- Scanty, irregular, very painful periods
- Difficult pre-menstrual week psycho-emotionally (tears & tantrums)
- Salt or sweet cravings
- Chronic fatigue, troubles sleeping
- Chronic fatigue, troubles sleeping
- Susceptible to headaches
- Musculoskeletal pains
- Digestive issues
- Dry skin
- Low sex-drive
- Depression, anxiety
You may have seen a mind-boggling list online of 300 symptoms associated with just hypothyroidism. This is because hormonal harmony is dependent on the functional relationships and communication between several hormone systems.
The ovarian-adrenal-thyroid axis (OAT axis), a term coined by Dr. Michael Lam, is what I will be addressing here. Again this is connected with the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA axis) as all hormones have a neurological feedback loop, as well as their dependence on digestion and organs belonging to the same meridians, but all that is a bit much to get into at once. I point all this out as a reminder of the holistic machinations of our physiology. Within the overlapping systems I will explain some basics regarding one of the central aspects, as an introduction to understanding the complexity of hormonal health.
The adrenal glands are extremely important for hormonal balance because that is where pregnenolone is produced. Pregnenolone is called the ‘mother hormone’ and is what estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and DHEA are derived from.
These hormones’ regulative responsibilities include metabolism, energy levels, the menstrual cycle, vaginal health, sleep cycles, blood pressure, libido, immunity, skin and hair health, bone health, and brain function.
Prolonged states of stress caused by overwork, poor nutrition, little sleep, chronic disease, or psychological/emotional trauma, can literally fatigue the adrenals. Cortisol is meant to energise us when the days begins and aid us in handling high energy requiring situations efficiently. It shows up in response to anything we perceive as stress, and if this is a continued response to life, the adrenals will eventually be unable to sustain the production of cortisol to meet continued demands.
Also, cortisol is built from progesterone. When the adrenals cannot keep up with cortisol demands of the body, they begin to steal progesterone in order to keep producing enough cortisol.
The two central hormones of a woman’s menstrual cycle, created in the ovaries, are progesterone and estrogen. When progesterone is low, estrogen begins to dominate, causing symptoms of estrogen dominance. When in excess, estrogen interferes with the function of thyroid hormones and the adrenals.
Thyroid hormone is produced in the thyroid gland, and is responsible for our metabolism, making energy available to our cells. It is mostly stored in the form of an inactive hormone called T4, which is converted into its active form T3 by various cells in the body.
Estrogen excess prevents the conversion of T4 into T3, causing more thyroid hormone to be bound in the tissues instead of free and active. This can lead to fatigue and sluggishness since active metabolism slows down.
Too much estrogen also disrupts communication from the brain to the adrenals, resulting in a lack of the required cortisol (adrenals’ domain) in response to the continuing stress.
Meanwhile, sensing the lowered adrenal function to indicate long term stress such as famine or chronic illness, the body begins to convert the limited supply of active T3 into something called Reverse T3. This is in order to conserve energy (aiding the woman endure the non-existent famine or the real chronic illness). As a result of reduced metabolism, the body begins to store fat, especially around the middle.
Finally, the lowered thyroid function goes on to further suppress the already lowered progesterone, completing the vicious cycle and ensuring that women remain in hormonal disarray.
Usually, doctors untrained in a functional medical approach do not treat the OAT axis as a whole and fix the root cause, leading to temporary relief at best.
This is because when the OAT axis is off, women will often present with a combination of symptoms of hypothyroidism, estrogen dominance, and adrenal fatigue. Therefore, prescribing thyroxine for hypothyroidism or oral contraceptives for menstrual issues for example cannot solve the problem.
In medical astrology the connections between the mind, body, and soul’s evolutionary purpose are understood. The signs of the planets and their placements indicate which areas of the body may be affected, and this naturally corresponds to tendencies of the mind, and how those mental patterns result in emotional responses and interactions with the environment. By transferring for example the OAT axis onto the natal chart, the interconnection of the experiences pertaining to the houses, planets, and signs which rule the corresponding organs/glands provides profound insight into the source and remedy of the overarching condition. The transit and progressive charts illuminate when a condition would have commenced, and point to the type of energies and experiences that trigger and sustain pathologies.
Our thoughts and feeling are the most healing or destructive resources we have access to, especially for women, whose internal landscape runs wide and deep. Employing consciousness and harnessing the power of feelings alongside potentially necessary medication, nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle practices is the only way to protect and sustain hormonal harmony.