Have you been struggling with a hormonal imbalance effecting your moods, your energy and your everyday life? If so, read more of my experience below and see why naturally balancing your hormones with maca powder might be just what you need!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional and nothing in this post is meant to be medical advice. Please do your own research and speak with your doctor about any concerns you have about your health or any supplements you consider taking, especially during pregnancy.
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How to Naturally Balance Your Hormones – Using a Vegetable!
If you are a woman, chances are, at several points in your life you will be trying to figure out the best method for balancing hormones. If you are a mom, the chances are even higher that you will need to figure out how to balance hormones … over and over.
The hormonal changes that occur during and after pregnancy, birth, miscarriage, breastfeeding and the normal stresses of motherhood can make balancing hormones a constant challenge for your body.
And let me tell you, I have plenty of experience with hormonal imbalances. It’s a subject I have become reacquainted with many times. And I’m sure you have as well since you are obviously searching Google for a solution.
If you have been googling how to naturally balance hormones for very long, you have likely stumbled across something called maca root. It is literally just a vegetable that mostly only grows in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Maca root powder is the dried, ground up version of that cruciferous vegetable.
Maca is an adaptogen. In layman’s terms, that basically means that rather than altering a specific hormone in your body, it actually helps your body create more of whatever hormone is lacking and balance everything overall. Therefore, it is helpful to a variety of people (men, women, old, young) with a variety of hormonal issues (mood swings, menstrual problems, low libido, fertility struggles, menopause).
For a more in-depth description of what maca is and how it works, check out this article over at naturalfertilityinfo.com.
You can purchase maca powder from Amazon here or from IHerb here.
Now, let me share with you my experience balancing hormones with maca several times in the past few years.
Balancing Hormones After Molar Pregnancy
I first read about maca back when I day-weaned my daughter from breastfeeding and was tempted to use it then to help regulate my wacky hormones. But as the research is minimal and I was still breastfeeding part-time, I was not certain if it was safe to use while breastfeeding my daughter. So I did not end up using it at that time.
My body eventually straightened itself out after nine months of hormonal uncertainty and I got pregnant. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a complete molar pregnancy which required a D&C to remove.
Once the molar pregnancy ended, creating a lot of anger and grief, I was determined to focus on my health and get myself in the best place possible, mentally, physically, and hormonally. So I started using the maca powder two weeks after my surgery.
Within a few weeks, I noticed my energy improving. And over the next few months, both my moods and energy were excellent – I felt better than I ever remembered feeling in my adult life!
I could workout for an hour+ every day and run and play and laugh with my daughter without being exhausted. I could enjoy playing with my daughter better because I had more fun and felt energetic instead of lethargic and moody or irritable.
I liked myself better. I enjoyed life more. It was truly an amazing change and I was preaching the gospel of maca powder to my mom and sister with the enthusiasm of a woman with new life!
I know that sounds like a commercial, but I am being completely real with you. I was actually feeling so good that I began to fear what it would be like to go back to life without my maca powder.
Until a new fear slammed into me as I made a horrific (in my mind) connection. You see, I had quite suddenly and unexplainably gained five pounds inside of a couple of weeks beginning two weeks after my D&C – exactly when I started using the maca.
The extra weight had been a heavy mental burden I could not seem to shake free of despite my improved moods. I could not lose the weight either despite my intense workouts every day.
So when I started googling and discovered that some women actually take maca for the purpose of gaining weight … I decided right then and there to stop using it, despite the positive effects it had on my energy and mental health. Even though I could not be sure whether the weight gain had been caused by the hormonal disturbance of an ended pregnancy or the maca.
I did okay without the maca, although I was not as energetic and perky as before. And I managed to lose the weight and keep it off. But I was not willing to risk gaining that weight back, so I stayed away from maca for a while. I was doing okay and balancing hormones was no longer forefront in my mind.
Balancing Hormones After More Pregnancy Loss
Unfortunately, a few months later, balancing hormones once again became an intense necessity after I experienced two more pregnancy losses within a month of each other. After losing these two very short pregnancies so close together only months after losing my 16-week molar pregnancy, my heart and hormones were both in rough shape.
While it’s always hard to lose a pregnancy, this time was different. The grief was overwhelming – an accumulation of several losses in a short time. And eventually, it became more than grief as I struggled against the quicksand pulling me into a deep depression.
The effect it had on my daughter was the worst part. I could not be the mom she needed at that point. I could barely hold myself together. Rather suddenly, balancing hormones for both my sake and that of my family’s became essential once again. So I started using maca powder again.
It took a couple of weeks of using the maca to really see a significant difference. But once it started working, I was a completely different person. My daughter was a different person. She was her happy self again, feeling secure because mommy was okay again.
No, my heartache and struggles did not disappear into thin air because of using the maca powder. But I was able to feel happiness, have a sense of humor, and enjoy my daughter again. I felt okay again.
Balancing Hormones for Preventing Pregnancy Loss
I continued taking the maca for several months. But once my husband and I decided to try to get pregnant again, I thought I should stop using it. However, after some research, my husband and I both found evidence that taking maca prior to conception and throughout pregnancy can actually improve chances of both conception and a successful pregnancy.
I read in many places that maca can be useful for improving fertility in both men and women. But even more importantly, my husband found the article below describing how the use of several supplements – one of which is maca – may be effective at preventing miscarriage in women with a history of recurrent miscarriage that is due to immunological rejection of the fetus.
So I continued taking my maca through conception and the duration of my pregnancy. I cannot say for sure whether it was because of the maca or not, but what I can tell you is that I did indeed finally have a successful, full-term pregnancy. Almost a year and a half ago, I gave birth to my second daughter who is now a toddler.
I have also read many similar anecdotal stories online from other women with a history of recurrent miscarriage. Once they started using maca before and throughout pregnancy, they were able to carry to full-term.
Of course, this is not a guarantee. But it is certainly worth trying (with approval from your doctor of course) considering it is natural and likely safer than taking medications during pregnancy to prevent miscarriage.
Balancing Hormones for Postpartum Depression
Unfortunately, that last pregnancy with my second daughter was full of turmoil because of the grief and trauma of the previous three failed pregnancies. Even though I was taking the maca, I struggled severely with depression throughout my pregnancy after recurrent loss.
And I was discouraged to discover that my depression only worsened shortly after my daughter was born. I stopped taking the maca sometime in the first few weeks of her life because I was trying to determine what in my diet was upsetting her tummy. That’s when the postpartum depression took a turn for the worse.
I very briefly experienced relief from an anti-depressant medication. But the side effects and my fear over passing it through breastmilk prompted me to stop taking it pretty quickly. Eventually, I started back on the maca which took the edge off of the depression.
And then, my daughter ended up in and out of the hospital with complications from her congenital heart defect. At that point, having to focus all of my attention on caring for her special medical needs day and night lifted the depression entirely.
I have to mention that the results I have experienced from using maca at any given time have been dependent on what dosage I am using. When I use larger amounts, I experience more of the effects – both benefits and side effects.
In order to mitigate side effects (such as weight gain and a bit of trouble sleeping at night), I usually stick with the lower dose. This means the maca is still balancing hormones in my body, but I do not experience the full effects of it’s energy and mood-boosting power.
The Risks and Benefits of Using Maca Powder
Now, as much as I sing the praises of maca for the effects I have experienced from it, I’m not going to try to tell you it’s a miracle supplement that cures all ailments. The fact is, just like with drugs, there can be side effects and different people have different responses to maca.
I originally became interested in maca because I read amazing things about it:
“So much more energy!”
“Mood stabilizer!”
“Balances hormones!”
For a lot of women, maca really does all these amazing things. And it might for you too. However, you also need to know a few things about the possible effects of this vegetable-supplement:
- For some people, it can make them gain weight more easily. For others, it can contribute to weight loss.
- For some people, maca intensifies mood swings or makes them feel “crazy”. For others, it stabilizes moods and makes them feel hormonally balanced.
- Maca can cause digestive discomfort if you purchase the raw powder. It is advisable to purchase the gelatinized maca which has the starch removed to prevent digestive issues.
- Research is limited regarding the safety of using maca while pregnant or breastfeeding. However, some studies have shown maca to increase the survivability of mouse embryos as well as improving overall health outcomes for Peruvian people who had maca in their diet from the time they were young children.
- Using too much maca can have a similar effect as caffeine, making you feel “wired” or making it hard to sleep well. Using it in the morning is best and finding the right dose for you is important.
- The science behind the effectiveness of maca is somewhat limited, although there are plenty of personal experiences online – both good and bad – that will give you a good idea of what kind of results to watch for.
It is best to start at a small dose of maca and work your way up until you feel it is the right amount for you. If you are feeling overly emotional, jittery or are having trouble sleeping, go down on your dose. If you’re not noticing any changes after a few days, increase it a bit.
The first time I started maca, I began by using about a half teaspoon. After a few days I went up to 1 teaspoon, and then 1 1/2 teaspoons. At that dose I had lots of energy but I also felt like it was a little too much and I gained weight that would not come off.
The second time I started using it, I went straight to 1 teaspoon (because I was desperate for immediate relief) and I stayed at that dose for a while. I felt like it was a good dose for the purpose for which I was using it. Although my energy level was not as high as the first time I was taking it, I also felt like I was a little more energy-balanced and able to sleep better at night at this dose.
I did briefly go up closer to 1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons, but I had a similar experience as the first time I took maca. While my energy and moods got even better, I also began to gain weight, so I immediately went back to my lower dose. Since then, I always stick with the lower dose.
You can purchase maca as a powder or as a capsule supplement. Personally, I bought the powder to mix into food as I do not like swallowing pills. Some people hate the taste of the powder, some people like it.
I like the taste maca powder adds to certain foods (such as oatmeal, smoothies, or chocolate peanut butter sandwiches) but would not want to eat it by itself. In my opinion, it goes well with sweeter foods and is not very pleasant with savory foods.
At any rate, deciding whether or not to try maca is completely up to you and your healthcare provider. Please do your research and be aware of side effects to look for along with the benefits. It truly does work magic for a lot of women who are working on balancing hormones naturally. It certainly does for me, and it is a life-saver!
If you have ever used maca, please comment below with your experience – good or bad! And also, if you found this article helpful, please share it via the social share buttons below.
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