When Hormones Feel Off

by Diane McLaren May 6, 2026

Hormones and what Your Body May Actually Be Trying to Tell You

“A woman’s health is her capital.” ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

I have always loved that quote because it feels especially relevant today. And as Mother’s Day approaches, I’ve been thinking not only about mothers, but about women as a whole.

The women supporting families, friendships, and communities
The women building businesses and careers
The women caring for aging parents
The women nurturing children
The women rebuilding their health
And the women quietly carrying responsibilities no one fully sees

And somewhere in the middle of caring for so much — and so many — our own health often gets pushed aside.

Every woman’s path looks different, yet one thing we all share is that our bodies move through natural seasons of change. Yet many women are never truly taught how normal these changes can be.

Instead, we often feel confused when our bodies begin shifting:

Fatigue
Mood swings
Sleep struggles
Weight gain
Cravings
Brain fog
PMS
Hot flashes
Feeling unlike yourself

And many women quietly wonder: What is happening to my body?

While hormones may absolutely be involved … they are often not the true starting point.

After more than 30 years in natural health including my own health challenges decades ago, I’ve learned something powerful: Hormones do not work in isolation. They often reflect what is happening throughout the rest of the body.

A Woman’s Body Was Designed To Change

This is something I wish more women were taught earlier. Our bodies are not meant to stay static. We move through natural transitions:

Girlhood
Puberty
Menstruation
Early adult years
Midlife transitions
Perimenopause
Menopause
And what I like to call our wisdom years

Each season asks something different of us including:

Different nutritional needs
Different emotional needs
Different rhythms
Different support

And yet many women expect their body at 50 to respond the same way it did at 25. That expectation alone creates unnecessary frustration. These changes are not failures, they are part of being a woman.

Hormones Are Part Of A Bigger Conversation

Hormones are influenced by multiple glands and organs working together every single day. For example:

Your thyroid helps regulate metabolism, temperature, and energy
Your adrenal glands help your body respond to stress
Your liver helps process and clear “used up” hormones
Your digestive and intestinal systems influence nutrient absorption, elimination, and even estrogen balance

These are deeply interconnected and often interdependent. And when one area becomes overworked … the others often feel it too.

This is why many women are frustrated. They focus on one hormone, one symptom, one lab marker – and unknowingly miss the bigger picture. The body was designed to work together – not in isolated compartments.

This is one of the reasons I created my BODiWELL framework many years ago—to help simplify health by showing people how the pieces connect. Because when we understand the connections … health becomes far less overwhelming.

Common Hidden Disruptors I Often See

Poor Sleep

Sleep is when many important hormones reset and regulate.

Melatonin rises
Cortisol should lower
Growth hormone helps repair tissues

When sleep becomes disrupted, women often notice more cravings, irritability, weight changes, and difficulty managing stress.

Blood Sugar Instability

Skipping meals, eating too little protein, relying on processed foods, or going long hours without eating can create blood sugar highs and crashes. This affects insulin, cortisol, mood, cravings, and energy. It’s one reason I often talk about having quality protein earlier in the day.

Chronic Stress

When stress stays high for long periods, the body prioritizes survival. Cortisol remains elevated. Sleep becomes lighter. Digestion slows. Thyroid function may become sluggish. Reproductive hormones often become lower priority.

Poor Elimination

This may be one of the most overlooked disruptors. Your liver helps process hormones. Your colon helps remove what the liver packages. If elimination is sluggish, used-up hormones may not leave efficiently. This is often one of the very first places I look.

Your Body Is Not Working Against You

This is perhaps the most important message I want women to hear.

Your body is not failing. It is always changing and THAT IS NORMAL. It is adapting. It is responding. It is communicating.

And to improve conditions around the body, I often recommend beginning with better elimination plus one of the following areas that you feel is the weaker for you:

better nourishment
better sleep
better digestion
better stress support
better movement

I have come to deeply trust that our body will often respond beautifully, and naturally.

Start With A Simple Plan

If your hormones feel “off,” begin by asking:

Am I sleeping enough?
Am I eating enough quality protein?
Am I supporting digestion?
Am I managing stress?
How well am I eliminating?
Am I listening when my body asks for rest?

Simple questions. Powerful answers.

Because health was never meant to feel this complicated and and once you begin answering those questions, you often gain clarity on where your body may need the most support.

To support your foundational daily habits, gentle herbal support can really help your body navigate these seasons more gracefully. Some of my personal favourites include:

Herbal Calm → to support deeper, more restorative sleep

Garden Essence → to help optimize digestion and nutrient absorption

Adrenal Support → to help the body better adapt to daily or chronic stress

Women’s Formula → to help support hormonal balance during various transitions

BWL-BLD or Body Detox → to support what I often call “great elimination”

Liver Support → to help support one of the body’s most important hormone-processing organs.

These are not about forcing the body unnaturally, rather, they are about creating better conditions for the body to do what it was designed to do.

And your hormones? They may simply be asking you to listen more closely.

-----

Take a deeper dive into women's health

If women’s health, perimenopause, menopause, thyroid health, energy, sleep, and hormones are topics you want to better understand,

I created an 8-part Women’s Health & Hormonal Balance podcast series to help simplify these conversations. You can explore it here: Season 1: Women’s Health & Hormonal Balance + and an episode on the five stages of women’s health https://dianemclaren.com/pages/ep-14-seasons-of-change-exploring-the-five-stages-of-women-s-health - to help simplify these conversations.