Magnesium for Hormonal Harmony

Many women today choose to juggle family life and children with their career, maintaining a dynamic social life, their fitness commitments (did someone say eight week challenge?!) and more. While both inspiring and empowering, this can certainly add an element of stress to day-to-day life, leading to an increased risk of hormonal imbalance¹ and a greater requirement for magnesium.² 

This mineral is necessary for a number of roles in the body including healthy nervous system and muscular function, restorative sleep, energy production, and more (including hormonal balance!). If your busy lifestyle leaves you feeling tired, stressed and out of balance, magnesium could be just the thing your body’s craving.

Do You Need More Magnesium?

While stress is a key culprit in reducing magnesium, there are other factors which can diminish levels of this vital mineral including reproductive hormonal changes (e.g. pregnancy) and  long-term use of the oral contraceptive pill.³

Further, modern food processing techniques can contribute to a reduction of dietary magnesium consumed.⁴ If you are one of the many women with hormonal complaints such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS),⁵ menstrual migraine,⁶ polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)⁷and symptomatic menopause;^8,9 your magnesium levels may be 20-30% lower than those who are symptom free.

That’s not all though. Many women turn to coffee and/or alcohol as a way of raising energy or ‘winding down’; however, research shows an excess intake of these can also deplete magnesium levels.¹⁰ If this is you, it may well be time to explore some new invigorating or stress management strategies, such as swapping out one of your fitness classes for some restorative yoga, or perhaps a regular walk in nature.

How Stress Wields a Hefty Blow

Even if you don’t feel stressed, the persistent busyness of everyday life is still seen as a type of stress which can take its toll on your body. The ‘stress response’ causes the adrenal glands to release hormones (e.g. cortisol) and neurotransmitters (messenger molecules such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and a small amount of dopamine). However, this leads to magnesium being released from your cells, and excreted via the urine, lowering levels and amplifying the stress response.¹¹ Essentially, whilst you have an increased demand for magnesium when you are stressed, your body offloads it when you need it most! This vicious cycle can leave you low in magnesium, with flow-on effects on healthy nervous system function and hormonal balance.

The Magic of Magnesium for Female Health

Whilst the mechanisms impacting magnesium levels may seem complex (and maybe alarming!), the solution is actually very simple – focus on incorporating foods rich in magnesium into your daily diet (e.g. dark green leafy veg, quinoa, almonds, and black beans are all options); plus you can rapidly replenish your magnesium levels through quality supplementation. This way you can support a healthy stress response, but also help tackle any premenstrual migraines, period pains, and/or mood symptoms (e.g. mood swings, irritability, anxiety).¹²

Moreover, magnesium supplementation can help manage conditions such as endometriosis and fibroids, by supporting healthy oestrogen metabolism and clearance,¹³,¹⁴,¹⁵ therefore helping restore balance.

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