The significance of healthy hormones featuring Catherine Lee, co-founder of Semaine

Hormones play a huge role in our health. Women's hormones play a very critical role in regulating many aspects of health, including reproductive function, bone density, and sexual health. There are even different types of hormones that will fluctuate throughout our lives. 

When there's a hormonal imbalance, this can lead to a range of symptoms and health problems. A great way to maintain equilibrium is supporting hormone health in our day-to-day lives.

Meet Catherine Lee, co-founder of Semaine Health. She was born and raised in Maryland (in the suburbs of D.C.), and graduated from Agnes Scott College and got her MPA at Georgia State University.

Before starting Semaine Health, she worked in municipal economic development for 15 years. She developed Semaine with her twin sister after going undiagnosed with endometriosis and PCOS for over a decade.

As a co-founder and the head of Semaine’s community outreach, she currently splits her time between Atlanta and Detroit. Cath lives with her rescue dog, is an ENFJ, and loves cheddar cheese, Pvolve workouts, Negronis, and talking about women’s health.

Keep reading to learn about Semaine and more on the role hormone health plays.

Q. How does Semaine incorporate both science and wellness for hormone health?

A. I think one of the main reasons there has been an explosion in the wellness industry for women in the past decade is because they feel unheard and ignored by the medical community so they're looking for their own solutions. We want Semaine to be a part of that, offering solutions to issues that are either brushed off as "normal" or too taboo to talk about. And on top of that, we want our customers to know that our products are incredibly effective and contain high quality ingredients.

My sister's husband is a co-founder and scientist, and spends thousands of hours of research on each formulation to figure out how to address the root cause of issues like PMS, hormonal imbalances, UTIs, and menopause symptoms. Even though supplement companies are required to run third-party clinical trials on their products, we do so we can provide our customers with the confidence that they're not just buying a pretty package and false hopes.

Q. How do balanced hormones help overall wellbeing?

A. Our sex hormones fluctuate all the time throughout our cycle so "balancing" your hormones it a bit of a misnomer. What people really mean by that is they're experiencing symptoms like extreme mood swings, hormonal acne, and exhaustion. And everyone's sex hormones differ, so we focus on helping with metabolic hormones.

We don't tend to think about them as much, but our metabolic hormones really affect how we feel and how much energy we have, and when your body is struggling with energy, that affects and can unbalance and put stress on our sex hormones. So, helping get those metabolic hormones back in line then helps everything else.

We created the Daily Hormone Balance to support your metabolic hormones because due to our highly stressful lives, that's something we all universally need for our wellbeing.

PMS and hectic cycles are common, but what are some ways to combat that? Some of the best ways to support your overall health will come as no surprise. Adding more vegetables to our diet, getting some kind of movement in each day — and working on mindfulness, deep breathing, and meditation can all help lower inflammation and reduce stress on your body. However, it's not always easy to incorporate all these things into our very hectic lives every single day. It's so important not to beat yourself up because you're not living this perfect, "healthy" lifestyle.

We created supplements to help do exactly that, supplement and support your health so you can take care of yourself even if you don't have all the time in the world.

Q. How does gut health tie into hormone health? 

A. The state of your gut health affects almost every physiological process in your body. There is a clear link between the health of your gut microbiome and your hormones. If you have an unhealthy gut, it can lead to hormonal imbalance.

There is new research showing that the gut microbiome plays a big role in estrogen regulation. These studies indicate that poor gut health increases the risk of estrogen-related conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, and even breast cancer. If you’re experiencing any of these conditions, or other symptoms of hormonal imbalance, looking at the state of your gut health might be a good place to start. We created our Pre+ Probiotic for women to take either everyday for overall gut health or during certain points in your cycle when you need extra digestive support.

Q. What's your list of Semaine recommendations?

A. Here's a quick breakdown:

* If you experience classic PMS symptoms like cramps, bloating, mood swings and general pelvic pain, take our PMS & Period Support. It's a natural anti-inflammatory so you can take it if you're on birth control.

* If you experience extreme mood swings, sugar crashes, insulin issues and fatigue, take the Daily Hormone Balance. This is the one mentioned above that helps support your metabolic hormones - something pretty much all of us need.

* If you get frequent UTIs or are prone to UTIs after sex, working out and/or swimming, our Urinary Tract Cleanse and Protect is great for preventing and treating UTIs. 

* Our Menopause Essentials is for anyone experiencing perimenopause/menopause systems like hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, hair loss and brain fog. Anyone can take it whether you're just beginning your perimenopause journey, have had a hysterectomy or are post menopause but still experiencing symtoms.

* Unless you have a perfect digestive system, you should add the Pre+ Probiotic to your routine. The Prebiotic is fiber (that we all need more of), which helps feed the probiotic - the good bacteria we want in our gut. We've also included ginger to help sooth your gut. I take it every day, but you can also take it just when you need it.

* Last but not least, all of our supplements work together. So you can mix and match your supplement routine.

You can use code: MICHAELALEUNG__ (two underscores) to save 15% at checkout when you shop Semaine.