Signs Your Hormones Are Imbalanced (That No One Tells You About)

Hormones: tiny chemical messengers running the whole show in your body. When they’re balanced, you feel like Beyoncé on a good hair day. When they’re not… well, let’s just say things can get messy.

Most of us think hormone imbalance = irregular periods or hot flushes. But here’s the tea: there are plenty of sneaky, non-obvious signs your hormones might be out of whack, especially in different phases of your cycle. Let’s break it down.

Follicular Phase (Day 1–14, aka new beginnings)

Your body’s meant to feel fresh, energetic, and full of possibility here. But if your hormones are off, you might notice:

• Brain fog when you should feel sharp

• Low motivation (like you want to stay in bed instead of taking on the world)

• Skin changes, hello breakouts just when you’re supposed to be glowing

• Digestive weirdness (bloated even on salads)

  
  

Ovulation Phase (Around Day 14, the Beyoncé moment)

This is peak fertile energy, when your body usually turns up the volume. But hormone imbalance can flip the script:

• No libido (yep, hormones should make you feel a little extra here)

• Anxiety or mood dips instead of feeling social and sparkly

• Headaches or migraines right in the middle of your cycle

• Tender breasts beyond a minor twinge

  
  

Luteal Phase (Day 15–28, the build-up before your period)

Normally you should feel grounded and reflective. But when progesterone or oestrogen are out of balance, you might spot:

• Intense sugar or carb cravings (not just the odd chocolate bar)

• Insomnia or restless sleep

• Feeling super sensitive to noise or light

• Low resilience: things that wouldn’t normally bother you suddenly do

• Fluid retention (rings don’t fit, jeans too tight by evening)

  
  

Menstrual Phase (Bleed time)

Your period is meant to be a release, not a full-scale battle. If hormones are imbalanced, you might notice:

• Exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix

• Mood swings that feel out of character

• Clots or very heavy bleeding

• Cramping that has you curled up with a heat pack for hours

• Weird digestion shifts (constipation or diarrhoea at the same time every cycle)

  
  

The Non-Obvious Red Flags

Beyond your cycle phases, keep an eye out for:

• Hair changes (thinning, shedding, or hair where you don’t want it)

• Skin dryness or itchiness for no clear reason

• Always cold or always hot regardless of weather

• Random anxiety or low mood that seems unlinked to what’s happening in your life

• Low recovery from exercise (your body feels sore for days)

  
  

The Bottom Line

Hormone imbalance doesn’t always scream at you with the obvious symptoms. Sometimes it whispers through your skin, sleep, mood, or energy. If you’re noticing these patterns month to month, your body’s asking for support not just more coffee or another “push through it” pep talk.

Balancing hormones isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about listening to your body, nourishing it through food, rest, stress management, and sometimes with a little help from therapies like acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and energy work (our bread and butter at Meraki).