Hormonal Health for Everyone: 5 Key Reminders
Hormones shape so much of how we feel, function, and move through the world, regardless of how we identify.
For people with ovaries– even if you don’t explicitly identify as a woman– key sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone are still being produced and working in your body.
Whether you’re a woman, trans man, non-binary, genderfluid, or not sure yet, your health is always a priority and deserves attention.
To reiterate, regardless of your identity, we’re here to remind you to take care of the specific hormones that affect your body. Vira is always advocating for our community to think about their hormones.
We’ve put together five reminders of ways to support your hormonal well-being:
1. Check In With Your Cycle
If you have a menstrual cycle and you don’t currently track it, you might want to consider doing so. It’s a way to stay in tune with your body’s rhythms, such as how certain body parts might change during different times in your cycle. For example, you might experience more migraines on days leading up to your period, or you may experience cramping during ovulation. Having a period does not define anything about you - it’s a natural process, part of your body.
Learn more from Vira: If you’re interested in learning more about the hormones, which are a part of the menstrual cycle, read our Cycle Syncing blog article.
2. Choose Safe Menstrual Products
For anybody who has a menstrual cycle, it is really important to use products that are safe, especially if they’re being inserted inside the body.
So for tampons, discs, and cups, ensure that they are made from organic, fragrance-free and medically-safe materials.
We explore how to find the safest products for you, with tips on how to insert them as well.
3. Don’t Forget about Preventive Care
There are certain diseases which mainly affect people with female reproductive organs. For example, the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine has often been associated with women because some types of HPV can lead to cervical cancer. However, HPV can affect anyone and it can be carried by anyone, regardless of their biological sex.
Therefore, it’s important to be vaccinated against HPV, to avoid the risk of spreading it through sexual intercourse and to reduce the risk of developing associated cancers.
We recommend that everyone—especially individuals with a cervix—receive the HPV vaccine, ideally during the pre-teen years, but at any age up to 26. Preventative care also encompasses regular Pap smear or pelvic examinations when you visit the doctor.
Learn more from Vira: If you still have questions about HPV, read more about the myths and truths from an UNAIDS expert on our blog.
4. Support Your Hormones Holistically
There are many ways to balance your hormones naturally and these activities include eating well, having quality sleep, and exercising regularly. Sometimes our hormones can get disrupted by low blood sugar, stressful situations, and lack of sleep. So, simply recognizing how the environment you’re in makes you feel is the first step to taking care of your hormones.
One simple (and delicious) way to support your hormones through food/drink is to try our natural Cycle Syncing Tea.
5. Surround Yourself with People Who Accept You
Having people around who understand is so important, especially if you’re figuring out your health alongside figuring out other aspects of gender identity and sexuality. You deserve compassion alongside evidence-based care that is based on your individual hormones, body, and health.
Your hormones are part of your unique biology, they are not a statement about who you are or what gender you need to be.
How Vira Can Help: If you have any questions about understanding menstruation, reproduction, or sexual pleasure, let us know. We’d love to hear from you through Instagram DM about how we can best support your journey and provide more resources for people of all identities.
💌 With love,
Vira.
