This post has been a long time coming.
We’ve talked about it in detail on the podcast, but I also wanted to write a blog post about it.
It’s a subject so many of you have asked about. Hormones, thyroid & insulin resistance.
Yes, I did an entire solo podcast episode which you should definitely listen to but I also wanted to summarize all the takeaways here.
It goes without saying that I am not a doctor. I am just sharing my experience with hormones & what I’ve discovered post-birth. So obviously check with the doctor, do your own research.
In fact, I got a hormone specialist involved, and that was very helpful. So be your own guru & advocate for yourself.
One of The Best Things I Ever Did Was Get My Hormones Checked
The Skinny Confidential Talks Hormones:
♡ I had such an easy, magical pregnancy & an insane birth, it couldn’t have gone better. And so I just thought my recovery is going to be easy. SHOCKER: it wasn’t.
♡ Right after the baby came I felt like I was wearing a costume. I go into my entire body image experience, but I also felt tired, anxious ( like the sound of the doorbell sent me over the edge ), & just real fucking shitty. Turns out it was more than just a little postpartum anxiety.
♡ My neck was swollen & that’s why I got my hormones checked. Someone at Pilates pointed this out to me & I just brushed it off. This woman kept pestering me to go get my levels checked ( thank god ) & so I finally did. This is when my life changed & I became so relieved to find out that I was low in thyroid, progesterone & estrogen.
♡ For a 2-pronged approach, I also started seeing a Chinese medicine doctor. This has stocked my toolbox with all the tools I need to balance my hormones & get back to being a happy, clear-headed person with energy. In fact, I go into the supplements I was given by this doctor & my hormone specialst.
♡ Keep getting them checked because a lot of things can affect your hormones. You want to go back every 2-3 months. It’s not a one & done type thing. Even the environment also affects our hormones.
Be sure to listen to the podcast because I dive way deeper into all the points above.
The point is, after getting my hormones checked, I went from crying & feeling anxious every day while also looking like a slob with a rat’s nest on her head to feeling 100%.
Sure, a lot of women describe a type of ‘fog’ that comes over you after having a baby, but it’s not always normal. To talk about this now with some much clarity makes me realize that I was NOT OKAY.
So if you’re out there, reading or listening, & feeling depressed, anxious, tired AF & just not yourself, I want you to know that it’s normal that you aren’t feeling normal – but you can totally get help. It will also change your life, I promise.
If you guys listen to the podcast, please take 5 seconds to rate, review & subscribe. You’ll also be updated every time we release a new episode!
x, lauryn
+ if you’re interested in the postpartum journey you have to check out Dr. Alyssa Berlin.
++ real deal tips on keeping it together in motherhood.
SHOP THE POST:
Oh I would love to visit a hormone specialist and know more about it !
xo, Shannen
http://shannenadeline.com/
Highly reccommend!
A very much needed post. Thanks for shedding light on such an important, yet often neglected topic. Hormones are important people! They are often the root of many things.
~ Sara
https://thecliqueblog.com
Agreed! xx
This is great advice. I’m 42 and I’ve been feeling so off with irritability, mood swings, hot all the time, tired AF, dry skin and just overall not myself. I figured it was perimenopause (a bit young, but didn’t seem unreasonable). I mentioned it to my Dr and he wanted to do a blood test. Turns out it’s actually hyperactive thyroid. This just happened this week, so I haven’t started treatment yet but I’m so relieved to know what’s going on and that it will get better.
Kelly, thank you so much for sharing! We are so happy that you are getting help <3 Keep us updated 🙂
Thank you so much Lauryn for educating us on these important matters when life keeps on! I love you soo soo sooooooooo much!
Thank you for reading <3
How long after you gave birth do you recommend getting checked? I imagine you need a little time to let hormones level out on their own?
About 6 months!
Any tips on actually finding a hormone specialist? Most PCPs brush these concerns off and it seems like a lot of endocrinologists aren’t actually very well-versed in hormones. Help!
Word of mouth!! Or you could try yelp or your provider’s website if you are insured 🙂
Just listed to the episode and so grateful. I’m 6 months post baby and feeling all of these things. I’m in LA too – would you be open to recommending the doctor you went to? I trust all your recs so much xx
So happy it brought you value 🙂 xoxo
I’m 22 and I just got my thyroid profile done. Turns out I have hypothyroidism. I wanted to ask if you went on thyroid medication (thyroxine) right away or did you try controlling it with a diet and supplements first?
Went on meds!
What type of treatment did the hormone specialist provide you? Medication? Injections? BHRT? Thanks for the help!
Hey Lauryn, are you open to sharing which doctor you saw?
Exactly what tests should we ask for? Just the Thyroid profile (TSH, T4, T3ru, t3)? Anything else?
This is so interesting! Although I have never been pregnant as of yet, I do struggle with hormonal acne and therefore have been on birth control for about 10 years because of it. I am keen on finding a more natural way to deal with my acne as I don’t particularly enjoy being on the pill, but I never thought to get my hormone levels tested! I have DONE everything to try and get rid of it (besides acutane) so it would be really interesting to see my results. Thanks for the post!