What You Need to Know About Hormone-Balancing Supplements

As a registered dietitian, I get a lot of questions about how people can balance their hormones with over-the-counter supplements. But I only ever give one answer to that question: It depends.   Plenty of "hormone-balancing" supplements can be helpful, and I do use and recommend them in my practice as needed (in specific, targeted, and usually short-term ways). However, many of the hormone-balancing supplements on the market are nothing but fancy marketing, not right for the condition they're being sold for, or contain subtherapeutic levels of active ingredients. And many of them don't actually do what they promise on the label (or contain what they say they do).    Because of all that, I wanted to do an episode talking about some of the more popular brands of hormone balancing supplements, fertility supplements, and prenatals on the market right now and why you should look beyond the marketing to determine if it's something that is actually going to help YOU or not. And since it's always more fun to rant with a friend, I've invited my dietitian bestie, Lauren Manaker, to join me.     Lauren is a premier researcher when it comes to fertility, pregnancy, and women's health. She's the author of several books including Fueling Male Fertility, Avoiding Allergens While Breastfeeding, and The First Time Mom's Cookbook. Lauren has experience working with several supplement companies and even helping them formulate their products based on the latest research. In fact, we both have experience in marketing in the nutrition products space, so we understand what brands are trying to do with the claims they're making.    In this episode, Lauren and I talk about prenatal vitamins and fertility and hormone balancing supplements, and what these two experts think about some of these products.  This Week We Talk About:  How to look beyond the marketing and determine if a supplement is going to help you or not  What's actually in these supplements and what sets them apart from the other brands Which formulas may actually be beneficial and which ingredients are added in mostly for marketing purposes  What kind of supplements most people can benefit from and which ones should be avoided How to spot supplements made by or endorsed by registered nutritionists to get the most out of your supplement choices  Why you should consult with a registered dietitian when you're trying to decide which supplements might be right for you Mentioned in this episode The Period Problems Root Cause Roadmap - If your periods are sent from hell and you're looking for some relief, check out my new program The Period Root Cause Roadmap™! I'll help you identify and address the root causes of your painful periods, PMS, PMDD, endometriosis, and more. That means no more period zits, blood clots, or cramps, and regaining 2-3 weeks of your life every month!  The VIP tier includes comprehensive functional testing, 2 virtual appointments with me, and your personal, customized nutrition, lifestyle, and supplement plan to help you get the answers you need to get the best results possible. Are you ready to let me help you get rid of your period problems once and for all?  Click here to join!  We're starting March 15th, 2022!   Where to find Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, CLEC   Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Women's Health Expert and Nutrition Communications Website: www.NutritionNowCounseling.com IG: @LaurenLovesNutrition   Published books: The First Time Mom's Pregnancy Cookbook and Fueling Male Fertility   Melissa's Fertility & Pregnancy Supplement Protocol: https://us.fullscript.com/protocols/thehormonedietitian-fertility-pregnancy-protocol