8 min read.

Get ready! In this article we will talk about how adrenal stress might just be the missing link is what is straining your hormone health. 

1. 1. Breaking down the stress response, what is the HPA axis?
   2. What is adrenal stress and why you should care?
   3. How adrenal stress impacts hormone health (PCOS, infertility, period problems).
   4. What does adrenal stress feel like?  What are the symptoms?!
   5. How can you test and assess whether your adrenals are stressed?
   6. What are the next steps in getting adrenal support for your hormone concerns?

 

Adrenal stress is one of the most overlooked areas when addressing hormone health in my opinion.  I see it as a piece of the puzzle in all of my clients with period problems, PCOS, missing periods, and infertility. I mentioned this in my recent instagram post too!

“Avoiding the impact of stress in the journey to fix your hormone problems is like trying to fill water into a bucket full of holes”.

Here we will take a deeper dive into what that stress can really look like.

 

The stress response & the HPA-Axis 

The stress response is NOT intended to be bad!  It is here with purpose to support the body in an acute event of stress and allow it to jump to action as needed.  An example of this could be needing to jump out of the way of a moving car in the street or the ever used example of needing to run from a bear or predator in the wild.  Cortisol, a hormone produced in the stress response, is really a “survival hormone”

Let’s walk quickly through the response together. 

1. 1. The stress response starts with the amygdala, two almond sized regions of the brain that pick up on the tiniest triggers from our environment that appear to be a threat to safety  
   2. The amygdala sends a relay to the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that is regarded as the “emergency response command central” that produces corticotropin -releasing -hormone (CRH), which alerts the pituitary gland 
   3. The pituitary gland secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) that stimulates the adrenal glands to produce the hormone cortisol 
   4. Cortisol enables the body to maintain steady supplies of blood sugar (released from the liver) to help a person to cope with a prolonged stressor, the immune system is also suppressed during this time. 
   5. The adrenal glands then further respond by pumping the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream pushing blood to the muscles, heart, and other vital organs, increasing pulse rate and blood pressure- preparing the body to support the threat
   6. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal.  Cortisol, blood pressure, and adrenaline levels drop and life can resume as was before. 

Well we would hope…

 

Stuck in the “Fight or Flight” – The Adrenal Stress Gas Pedal

When stressors continue to be present, the fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on, stuck like a gas pedal.. there is bound to be a crash.  

The issue here is that many modern experiences for women can also be perceived as a stressful threat when the sympathetic nervous system is on tilt.  Examples of this stress might be:

• • Work deadlines, work culture, perfectionism in the workplace 
  • Emotional stress from family, partners, breakups, self growth 
  • Early morning workouts
  • Chronically disrupted sleep
  • Chronically under-eating
  • Fasting or delayed morning eating 
  • HIIT, overexercising, or exercising when over tired 
  • Excessive caffeine consumption, especially when relying on it to support fatigue 
  • Skipping meals or blood sugar instability 

Just to name a few.. 

Long-term activation of the above stress response system overexposes the body to cortisol.  Chronic high levels of cortisol can be SUPER tough on the body and your hormones, unraveling a collection of other associated symptoms. 

 

What is adrenal stress or fatigue?

Under normal circumstances, cortisol has a flow or curve throughout the day.  Cortisol is higher in the morning to help with waking, and slowly lowers throughout the day. Melatonin, “your sleepy time hormone”, is inversely proportional to cortisol i.e when cortisol is high, melatonin is low and vice versa!

Adrenal stress happens when the stress response gas pedal has been going and there becomes an imbalance in this cortisol rhythm. Cortisol is either low when it should be high, high when it should be low, or always low or always high.  Back to our discussion of the stress response,  the problem isn’t isolated in your adrenals, it is really a dysfunction of your brain’s communication with your adrenals and the perceived threat. 

 

Adrenal Stress and Your Hormones (irregular periods, infertility, PCOS etc.) 

Your adrenal glands regulate many critical hormonal jobs in your body including electrolyte balance, inflammation, sleep and waking cycles (circadian health), blood sugar, body weight regulation of other hormones, and the stress response which we have been speaking of.

When the stress response is activated, the body must prioritize where its resources are going.  Under the impression of a high prolonged stress,  the body is not prioritizing the pathways that would support hormone production for ovulation and becoming pregnant.   

When cortisol and adrenaline are high, the body suppresses gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH),  the hormone that starts the relay of messages that stimulate ovulation and your cycles. Cortisol also inhibits pituitary LH and FSH production, making your ovaries more resistant to these hormones, and blocks maturation of ovarian follicles (hello PCOS!).  That’s not all, cortisol also blocks progesterone receptors so that even if you do ovulate, your body isn’t getting the full caliber of benefits that progesterone provides to the brain or the body. 

Essentially what we see here is a recipe for hormone disaster related to high prolonged stress.  Biochemical changes that could negatively impact cycle symptoms and fertility outcomes as well as be direct contributors to conditions like amenorrhea, PCOS, and dysmenorrhea. 

What does adrenal stress feel like?

There are a collective of typical symptoms associated with being stuck in the stress response.  This is related to that gas pedal presentation and also a strain on sex hormone production. 

• • Fatigue

  • Cravings

  • Waking up in the middle of the night

  • Trouble falling asleep

  • Racing thoughts

  • Frequent urination

  • Brain Fog

  • Headaches

  • Low motivation

  • Low sex drive

 Cycle specific symptoms include 

• • Painful periods 

  • Missing periods 

  • Irregular or skipped periods 

  • Increased cycle length

  • PCOS

  • Acne 

  • Mood Swings

 

In summary & support! 

The stress response is normal, but when it is chronically activated it can cause serious problems for hormone health, resulting in a number of symptoms and conditions like PCOS, amenorrhea, infertility, and period problems. 

When we are looking at hormone conditions, we want to remember that nothing in the body exists in a silo.  Everything in the body is connected and where one domino falls, the others will eventually follow unless something is adjusted. 

If you realize that stress is playing a bigger role in your hormone story than you thought, you are not alone, and I’m here to help!  

If you are struggling with hormone symptoms, TTC, or looking for natural solutions to support  PCOS, understanding how your adrenal function intersects with sex hormone production is essential.  

Remember: 

“ Avoiding the impact of stress in the journey to fix your hormone problems is like trying to fill water into a bucket full of holes”.

 

Where do you start?

In my practice I first recommend diet and lifestyle foundations to build the momentum of re-regulating the HPA and HPO (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian) axis – these are small daily habits that can make  TREMENDOUS strides in your hormone health! 

The next step? Collecting specific data points to help my clients further fine tune their hormone healing journey with the DUTCH Comprehensive Hormone Assessment – this looks at those cortisol (above images)/cortisone curves, melatonin levels, and the intricacies of how your sex hormones (i.e. estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) and their metabolites speak to one another in your body.  This test is THOROUGH and I find it so helpful it up-leveling my clients results!

If you are ready to get 1:1 support and personalized data to support your journey with amenorrhea, TTC, PCOS, or period problems, schedule a Strategy Session with me here and we can chat! 

Stay tuned for next week’s article on foundation diet and lifestyle strategies to support the stress response and improve the health of your sex hormones.