The Rise of the Hormone Epidemic
- Brainz Magazine
- May 15
- 4 min read
Morgana Lakatos-Hayward is a health coach and business owner of This Isn't a Diet where the primary focus is to help women lose weight without dieting and balance their hormones, blood sugar and gut health. She is the host of Listen to This When You're Done Dieting on Spotify, with her new book, Read This When You're Done Dieting on the way.
With PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) affecting 6-13% of women in their reproductive years and 70% remaining undiagnosed (World Health Organization, 2025), and endometriosis affecting 10% of women worldwide (World Health Organization, 2023), it’s no wonder we are facing a hormone epidemic. PCOS and endometriosis are two examples of hormonal conditions. However, there are also various thyroid disorders, reproductive cancers, and infertility, which are on the rise. Why are women suffering at an alarming rate?
Endocrine disruptors
When we look at what is in our products, crops, meats, air, tap water, and clothes, it’s no wonder our hormones are suffering. Endocrine disruptors refer to toxins, chemicals, pesticides, fragrances, GMOs, man-made hormones added to livestock, and heavy metals, all found in the majority of things we consume on a day-to-day basis.
Nowadays, we look at a label and can’t pronounce half of the words found in the ingredients list, and we pay extra to get food that has been “untouched by man” (meaning organic). The FDA has approved 6 hormones to be added to the meat and dairy sector, three naturally occurring: estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone, and three man-made: zeranol, trenbolone acetate, and melengesterol (Sex Hormones in Meat and Dairy Products, 2022). How did we get so off track?
While I ask these hard-hitting questions to big corporate companies who have control over what goes into our products and food, here is what we can do as a collective to vote with our dollar and better our hormones:
1. Go low-tox
Low-tox or toxin-free is the ultimate path to hormone health. This simply put means shopping for products with natural ingredients. If the label has words you can’t pronounce or don’t understand, put it back. Or better yet, make it at home if you have the time and resources. This is vital for hormone health as our livers are burdened with filtering toxins out of our bodies, and often our hormones get put on hold and build up in our systems, causing imbalances. While you’re at it, be sure to get yourself a water and air filter to protect your at-home, tox-free environment.
2. Shop organic & grass-fed meats and wild-caught fish only
To avoid those pesky hormone additives and GMOs fed to our livestock, always choose organic and grass-fed meats. You will get a higher quality of meat without sacrificing your health. I also advise against farmed fish as they are often overfed and fatty, are more prone to infections due to open sores and having been swimming around in their feces (You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, 2024). Again, always choose wild-caught fish only.
3. Shop organic fruits & vegetables and wash properly
Organic wholefoods mean they haven’t been sprayed with pesticides and herbicides in the farming process (again going toxin-free). However, you still must wash these properly as there are many toxins and heavy metals which overtime have contaminated our soil. Be sure to use baking soda and apple cider vinegar and rinse thoroughly as you wash them.
4. Detox and eliminate pent-up hormones via your skin and bowels
This is crucial nowadays with the toxic world we live in and can greatly give your liver the support it needs. I recommend dry brushing, exfoliating, infrared saunas and red-light therapy to help your hormones detox via your skin. And to give your bowels the support they need (as our hormones are also eliminated in our stools), be sure to eat adequate fiber and drink plenty of water every day.
5. Test, detox and learn how to balance your hormones naturally
In my “Hormonal Bootcamp” in collaboration with Balanced Friends, we have included an at-home hormone lab testing kit, a 7-day guided liver detox, supplementation support and a complete male and female hormonal guide for long-term natural balancing methods via foods and workouts.
Email me at: morgana@thisisntadiet.com to purchase or head directly here to get your hormones taken care.
Read more from Morgana Lakatos-Hayward
Morgana Lakatos-Hayward, Health Coach, Podcaster, Author
Morgana is a former world champion Latin dancer turned health coach. From making under $25k per year to now owning a thriving health coaching practice called: "This Isn't a Diet", a podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts "Listen to This When You're Done Dieting", and a book on the way entitled "Read This When You're Done Dieting", she has turned her financial situation around to become financially independent and open 6 different income streams. She is currently working on developing two more income streams and claims that her financial shift started with a simple mindset change.
Resources:
“Endometriosis.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 24 Mar. 2023.
Lois , Zoppi. “Sex Hormones in Meat and Dairy Products.” News Medical Life Sciences, 5 Dec. 2022.
“Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 7 Feb. 2025.
Psihoyos, Louie, director. You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment. Netflix, 2024.
