Postpartum Hormones: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions

A woman goes through a lot of emotions after she gives birth.
“Postpartum” means the time after childbirth, and for some women, this period can come with a cluster of symptoms including mental health changes, brain fog, hair loss, sadness, fatigue, and even loneliness. Some stats show that about 40% of women report changes in their mental health.

Did you know that when a woman becomes pregnant, she can produce up to 100 times more progesterone than normal? Progesterone is a hormone that supports pregnancy and has a very protective role in the body. As an anti-stress and protective hormone, progesterone levels rise to protect the baby. It’s also considered a “feel-good hormone” and may be responsible for the “glow” seen in pregnant women. After pregnancy, progesterone levels can drop significantly, causing mixed emotions such as depression and anxiety.

Hormones are made all over the body — in the skin, ovaries, fat cells, and the brain! Dr. Chandler Marrs, Ph.D., notes:
“Since the brain is the control center for mental health, cognition and indeed, everything, it stands to reason that because hormone activity is integral to brain chemistry, hormones are involved in mental health. The brain is going to get used to having certain concentrations of chemicals floating around and adapt accordingly. When those chemicals are removed, especially abruptly, there will be hell to pay in the withdrawal syndrome. How that withdrawal syndrome manifests will be contingent on the degree and pattern of biochemical change – which hormones or drug(s) are creating the problems, where and to what degree.”

The postpartum hormone crash is something many women face, but clinical experience shows it can be treated effectively.

The first step is measuring your hormones with Raena. Without measuring the actual hormone changes associated with pregnancy and postpartum — and the behavioral symptoms that follow — there is no way to recognize or treat postpartum withdrawal syndrome. Measuring your hormones is an important step in understanding your body and should not be ignored.

Here are a few other tips that may help with postpartum changes:

• Bioidentical progesterone supplementation may help. Many women benefit from 100 mg twice a day, taken at times that correlate with the menstrual cycle (i.e., after ovulation).

• Eating enough calories.

• Eating nutrient-dense foods.

• Targeted supplementation like zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D. Zinc deficiency and high copper levels are commonly associated with postpartum depression, leading to anxiety, emotional instability, racing mind, insomnia, low libido, blood sugar dysregulation, difficulty engaging in relationships, and blunted emotions and perception.

• Daily and normal sun exposure for mood elevation.

Get started on solving postpartum symptoms at www.raena.com.