Signs of hormone imbalance after pregnancy

Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby! Now is the perfect time for you to start getting to know them! Things can feel a little strange after giving birth, but there’s no need to worry! In this article, we’re looking at the signs of hormone imbalance after pregnancy.

This article includes:

• What is a hormonal imbalance?
• What happens to your body after giving birth?
• Postpartum hormones timeline
• When do postpartum hormones go back to normal?
• Signs of hormone imbalance after pregnancy
• Natural ways to balance hormones postpartum

It’s totally normal to feel emotional after birth. Regardless of your story, you’ve just been through something huge! There are lots of people around that you can talk to and lots of support should you need it. Remember that however you’re feeling, you’re not alone.

What is a hormonal imbalance?

A hormonal imbalance is simply when you have too much or too little of a specific hormone. Your hormones play an important role in travelling around the body and telling things what to do. This means that if there’s too much or too little of a hormone, things may feel different.

Your body has so many naturally occurring hormones. In pregnancy, you will experience new hormones, such as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is responsible for telling you that you’re pregnant!

Several factors, including stress or medication, can trigger hormonal imbalances. They may also go on to develop into other health conditions.

There are many reproductive hormones that exist within the body. This means that pregnancy and labour are common reasons why you might experience a postpartum hormone imbalance.

What happens to your body after giving birth?

As soon as you become pregnant, your body starts to change. These changes continue throughout pregnancy and even after birth. After you’ve given birth, it’s all about getting your body back to how it was before.

You’ll notice changes in many areas of your body. These may vary based on the type of labour you experienced. Your breasts will supply colostrum which is more yellow in colour than breast milk.

Your tummy muscles have been working very hard over the last nine months. This means it may take some time for your tummy to return to its pre-pregnancy appearance. You should eat a balanced diet and follow the guidance from your doctor.

Your body will be naturally seeking a break after giving birth. It’s important to listen to your body and rest when you can. It’s a good idea to accept help from others when they offer it.

Postpartum hormones timeline

When you first see your baby, you will feel so excited, giving you a huge adrenaline rush! It’s incredible to learn how fast your body starts working after birth. As soon as your little one is born, your body starts working on the next stage, postpartum!

Many of the pregnancy hormones will remain in the body in order to complete their job. Here’s our postpartum hormones timeline.

Postpartum hormones straight after birth

Oxytocin

This is the love hormone! Unsurprisingly, this bonding hormone increases when your baby is first born. Oxytocin drops after a few days postpartum, which can cause you to feel some baby blues.

Prolactin

This hormone is responsible for your breast milk production. Prolactin also affects your ovulation, which is how LAM works. LAM is only effective when all the criteria are followed correctly. You should consider birth control if you don’t want to become pregnant.

LAM criteria include exclusively breastfeeding, being less than six months postpartum and having feeding gaps no longer than 4 – 6 hours.

Estrogen and progesterone

Your progesterone and estrogen levels rise to their highest during the third trimester. Your estrogen and progesterone levels drop dramatically as soon as you give birth.

3 months postpartum hormones

Between labour and the three-month mark, you may experience more signs of a postpartum hormonal imbalance. During this time, your body is working hard to keep you and your baby going while also returning to normal.

Estrogen and progesterone

At three months postpartum, your progesterone and estrogen levels will have pretty much returned to normal.

The lower levels of estrogen can cause hair loss in women postpartum. This can be normal, so try not to be hard on yourself. You can always chat with a healthcare provider to see if they have any suggestions.

6 months postpartum hormones

Wow, your little one has grown up a lot! We’re sure that you’re loving getting to know them! The six-month mark is important as it signifies when to start baby weaning. Weaning your baby and learning what they like can be very exciting.

Due to the beginning of baby weaning, your body’s prolactin levels will naturally decrease.

Your hormone levels change quickly, which makes a postpartum hormone imbalance quite common. The important thing to remember is to seek advice when you need it. There is always someone to talk to, and you’re not alone.

When do postpartum hormones go back to normal?

At around six months postpartum, your hormones will likely be similar to pre-pregnancy levels. This can vary based on several factors. At six months, you may experience your first period postpartum.

Many women will experience a postpartum period sooner and others later. There is no way of knowing when your menstrual period will return to normal. Some women experience changes in their menstrual cycle length.

Signs of hormone imbalance after pregnancy

After giving birth, it’s normal to focus all of your attention on your new baby. This means it can be tricky to spot how you’re feeling. It’s only when you take a step back that you might think something doesn’t feel quite right.

It’s important to keep talking about how you feel and to care for your mental health. This advice applies all the time, not just when you are postpartum.

Signs can include:

• Feelings of anxiety and depression (frequent low mood)
• Mood swings
• Chronic tiredness
• Weight gain
• Low sex drive & vaginal dryness
• Cysts

If you are experiencing symptoms like these, you should seek medical advice. A professional will be able to offer you support and advice on how to deal with your feelings.

Many women experience these feelings more than others, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek advice if you have them slightly less.

A hormone imbalance may be more common than you may think. This is because many don’t feel comfortable talking about the topic.

You may have heard people refer to ‘baby blues’, which can happen around three days after birth. This happens because of your hormones and how your body is responding to the changes.

A hormonal imbalance can be checked using a blood test. Blood tests can be used to assess thyroid levels, cortisol levels and more. This will give you a good indication of your hormonal health. A professional may suggest ways to deal with postpartum hormone changes.

 

Natural ways to balance hormones postpartum

Rest

Resting is often much easier said than done when you have a newborn. However, it’s important to try your best. The general advice is to sleep when your baby does, but that doesn’t give you much time for anything else. Resting is essential as it helps to support your health and well-being.

Eat a healthy diet

A balanced diet is always a good idea, but even more so when you’re building yourself back up. Healthy foods are full of amazing nutrients that can really benefit you. It doesn’t mean you need to cut out everything bad, but have those things in small portions and not too often.

Gentle exercise

You should chat with your doctor about the amount of physical activity that is safe for you. In the first few weeks, you’ll likely be told to rest.

For example, women who have c-sections may be advised not to exercise for a while. When you have the go-ahead, walking is a great way to get some fresh air and get some steps in!

Seek support

No one needs to suffer alone. Being a new parent is amazing, but it can be overwhelming. It’s important to remember that there is support available. You will have regular health visits where you can talk about your feelings.

You can also confide in family members and friends, who can offer you support. Feeling a little off is normal; the best thing to do is seek support. It’s very important to seek support if you have signs of postpartum depression.

We hope this article has been useful on the signs of hormone imbalance after pregnancy. Enjoy getting to know your little one, and don’t forget that support is available.