3 “Facts” This OB/GYN & Reproductive Endocrinologist Corrects All The Time
Social media is riddled with misinformation about women’s health. There are bold claims that one thing [food, supplement, etc.] will cause chaos to your hormones, but when you keep scrolling, someone else says that exact habit will balance it! What’s true?
Thankfully, more and more credentialed experts are breaking through the noise, offering a clear, science-backed perspective. And that’s exactly what Lucky Sekhon, a double board-certified OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist, does. She recently talked to us about 3 hormone “facts” that she corrects all the time. Here’s what she had to say.
True or false: Resistance training can support hormone health ?
“This is somewhat true,” asserts Sekhon. “When you think about resistance training, what you’re allowing your body to do is to build muscle, and muscle directly counteracts insulin resistance1.”
Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat, meaning it helps your body use glucose more efficiently. That improved insulin sensitivity can have a ripple effect on other hormones (including sex, appetite, and stress hormones).
“A lot of us can be a little bit resistant to the effects of insulin,” says Sekhon, and building muscle is an effective way to counter it.
True or false: Stress alone wrecks hormone & reproductive health?
“In extreme cases, stress can impact fertility, ” says Skelhon. “I’m talking about caloric deprivation or expending way more energy than you’re taking in.”
This type of physiological stress can suppress reproductive hormones and lead to irregular or missed periods and impair ovulation.
“But when you think about day-to-day stress like the stuff that we deal with every day in work, in our personal lives, that’s not really going to have a direct effect on your fertility,” says Skelhon. Although this is something you do want to keep an eye on and manage, as chronic stress can snowball into other concerns.
True or false: The right diet is all you need to support fertility?
“This is definitely overstated,” says Skelhon. “I mean, diet is important, and I like to think of food and the things we put in our body as medicine,” she says, but it’s not the only factor that supports fertility.
That said, a nutrient-rich eating pattern can make a big difference. Sekhon points to a Mediterranean-style approach to support fertility. While this eating pattern is most known for its role in heart health, “anything that’s better for heart health tends to be better for fertility,” says Skelhon. “It’s high in antioxidants, you’re avoiding processed foods, you’re eating healthy lean proteins, you're trying to basically eat the rainbow.”
Not sure how to start following a Mediterranean diet? Try this one-day meal plan to kick things off.
The takeaway
Supporting your hormone health and fertility can feel overwhelming. If you found this advice helpful or if you’re looking for more reproductive health support, check out Sekhon’s new book, The Lucky Egg. It provides evidence-based, practical guidance on everything you need to know about your fertility, whether trying now or planning for the future.