Chapter 1

Hormone Balance for Life

IN THIS CHAPTER

Finding out what hormone balance means

Understanding how to detect when your hormones need attention

Appreciating why maintaining healthy hormones is important

Clarifying the unique risks of imbalance for men and women across life stages

For thousands of years, Homo sapiens (that’s us!) thrived through movement, deep social connections, and striking a delicate balance between short-term survival needs and long-term rewards. Our bodies evolved under conditions of high physical activity, close-knit communities, and a natural rhythm that ebbed and flowed between periods of work and rest. In this environment, our hormones were perfectly tuned to keep us functioning at our best.

Today, our lifestyle looks drastically different, even though our hormonal machinery remains unchanged. Instead of working with the land and moving under the sun, we order groceries online, sit for hours glued to screens, and have traded active, community-centered lives for a world driven by instant gratification and digital connectivity. While these conveniences have certainly made life easier, they’ve also disrupted the natural rhythms our hormones depend on, leading to imbalances that show up in our energy, mood, fertility, metabolism, and so much more.

This chapter dives into the essentials of hormone balance and why it’s vital at every stage of life. You find out how these chemical messengers influence your mind and body, identify signs of imbalance, and discover why investing in your hormonal health is one of the most rewarding choices you can make — helping you feel, look, and live at your absolute best.

Defining Hormone Balance

Hormone balance is a dynamic concept that intertwines both the body’s natural functions and social or cultural expectations. Physiologically, it refers to a state where hormones covered in this book, such as insulin, cortisol, testosterone, dopamine, and estrogen interact smoothly, supporting mental clarity, energy, stable mood, fertility, metabolic health, and many other processes.

However, because of the public’s growing awareness of the power of hormones and the pressure that modern life is putting them under, the concept of “hormone balance” has been shaped over the past decade or so by societal ideals of wellness.

Real hormone balance is less about achieving the fantasy of a flawless biological state and more about building mind and body resilience. Real balance is a flexible, evolving foundation that supports you through life’s demands, pressures, and natural hormonal shifts as you age. Each person’s hormonal profile is as unique as a snowflake, with no two exactly alike. This means that what balance looks and feels like for you may be entirely different from someone else because it’s shaped by your lifestyle, genetics, personal rhythms, and preferences.

Honoring all experiences

This book specifically focuses on hormone health for cisgender male and female bodies. Hormone health is deeply individual, and the experiences of transgender and nonbinary individuals are unique and complex, each deserving thoughtful, dedicated exploration. While covering all identities in detail is beyond the scope of this book — which already ambitiously spans the full range of two genders across their lifetimes — my hope is that you’ll still find valuable insights and guidance here to support you on your health journey.

Therefore, when I refer to male bodies, I mean AMAB (assigned male at birth), and I mean AFAB (assigned female at birth) when referring to female bodies. These terms help us consider biological aspects while honoring all gender identities. This book has been written with the hope that everyone feels welcome and empowered to explore their unique relationship with their body and its health. For example, some transwomen engage in practices covered in the following chapters, such as “cycle syncing,” to connect with feminine energy and honor their gender identity — an inspiring illustration of how public conversations about gender are becoming more sophisticated and inclusive.

Introducing your hormones

Everyone has a miraculous, self-governing endocrine (hormone) system that is focused 24 hours a day and 365 days a year with helping your body function properly. The endocrine system (which Chapter 2 describes in more depth) produces and releases over 50 different hormones — the body’s chemical messengers.

Each hormone has a unique role and works to keep you feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically balanced. From insulin managing your blood sugar levels, to cortisol helping the body respond to stress (physical or psychological), hormones are at the heart of how we experience our health, energy, and resilience daily. They even impact your senses!

While measuring and tracking hormones has been historically challenging due to their fluctuating and often subtle nature, innovations covered in Chapter 14 are now emerging that could transform the way we test and monitor them, offering relief to millions struggling with symptoms and hard-to-diagnose conditions. With these advancements, our understanding of these powerful substances continues to grow, shedding light on their complex roles and methods of communication.

Clarifying the components of balance

In our younger years, a balanced hormone profile supports growth, development, and healthy reproductive capabilities. As we age, our hormonal needs evolve, and balance means preserving energy, muscle mass, bone health and overall wellness to keep us feeling healthy and happy. Key indicators of this balance include stable energy, a positive and adaptable mood, restful sleep, clear skin, and a sense of calm and fulfilment.

Hormone health at any stage is the result of a complex interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors — a dynamic bio-psycho-social system. Therefore, true hormone balance requires a holistic approach that recognizes the intricate connections between your biology, mindset, and social environment.

Biological factors

Hormone health is driven by a complex network of biological processes, including genetics, which can set the stage for specific hormonal patterns or conditions. However, genes alone don’t tell the whole story. Lifestyle and environmental factors can alter gene expression through epigenetics, a dynamic process explored throughout this book.

Our hormones also follow natural biological rhythms, which are easily disrupted by poor sleep, excessive screen time, shift work, or chronic stress. These disruptions can lead to metabolic issues, inflammation, and reproductive challenges. For a deeper dive, check out Chapter 2 on hormonal “clocks,” Chapter 8 on genetic influences, and Chapter 14 on testing options. Additionally, the body needs to efficiently process and eliminate hormones once they've done their job. Chapter 3 covers this detox process and offers practical ways to support your body’s natural cleansing systems.

Psychological factors

Chronic stress, unprocessed emotions, and unresolved trauma can lead to long-term issues such as fatigue, irregular or painful periods, mood disorders, and even hormone-driven diseases. Our sense of purpose and self-worth also play crucial roles in modulating hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin — the “happy hormones” that contribute to our resilience and sense of fulfilment.

Additionally, the addictive pull of short-term rewards from social media, gaming, endless news cycles, or pornography creates dopamine-driven feedback loops that amplify stress and disrupt hormone regulation, particularly in young adults. Chapter 9 explores the critical link between the nervous system and hormone regulation, and Chapter 17 offers practical strategies for managing stress and building long-term resilience.

Social (and environmental) factors

Strong social connections can buffer stress and boost oxytocin release, fostering a sense of safety and belonging. However, the modern epidemic of loneliness is driving up levels of cortisol, undermining our immune function, depleting energy, and eroding overall resilience. At the same time, our environment presents new challenges to hormonal balance; toxic diet and comparison culture, sedentary lifestyles, and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals all contribute to a disrupted hormonal landscape. For instance, urban living often limits access to green spaces and nature, which are essential for supporting mood-regulating hormones and promoting a sense of well-being.

My point here is that biology, mental health, and environment are deeply interconnected; they form a dynamic system where each part influences the others. Chapters 6, 7, and 11 explore the rising rates of hormone imbalances and delve into how these bio-psycho-social shifts are impacting our hormonal health in profound ways.

A root-cause revolution

Western medicine, as valuable and miraculous as it is, is focused on treating symptoms and disease rather than preventing them. It’s mostly curative in focus, rather than preventative, and therefore, often fails to recognize this intricate bio-psycho-social interplay, address the root causes of...