The Science of Getting Better.
10 Harley Street
London W1G 9PF
Harley Street · London
Hormone Health
Menopause, Perimenopause & Thyroid.
Hormones rarely announce themselves as a hormone problem.
They can appear as fatigue. Poor sleep. Anxiety. Changes in weight. Brain fog. Migraines. Changes in periods. Feeling unusually hot or cold. Changes in digestion, skin, hair, mood, or energy.
Sometimes there is an established hormonal diagnosis.
Sometimes blood tests are within range, yet something has clearly changed.
And sometimes hormones are blamed for symptoms they did not cause at all.
The question is not "Are my hormones out of balance?" It is "What has changed, and what role are hormones actually playing?"
HORMONES ARE MESSENGERS
No hormone works alone.
Hormones are part of an interconnected signalling system.
Thyroid hormones influence metabolism and energy. Oestrogen and progesterone interact with the brain, bones, cardiovascular system, and reproductive tissues. Insulin helps regulate blood glucose and energy storage. Cortisol participates in the body's response to stress and follows a daily rhythm.
These systems also interact with sleep, nutrition, illness, medications, body composition, and different stages of life.
This is why The Sona Method does not begin with a generic programme to "balance your hormones".
First, we establish whether hormones are actually part of the problem.
PERIMENOPAUSE & MENOPAUSE
A transition can affect much more than your periods.
Perimenopause and menopause can bring changes in sleep, temperature regulation, mood, cognition, migraines, body composition, sexual health, energy, and menstrual patterns.
For some women, the transition is relatively straightforward. For others, it coincides with a much broader change in how they feel and function.
The Sona Method looks at menopausal symptoms within the context of the whole health picture rather than assuming every new symptom must be caused by menopause.
Where appropriate, medical options including hormone replacement therapy can be discussed with the clinician responsible for prescribing and managing them.
Menopause may explain part of the picture. It should not automatically be asked to explain all of it.
THYROID HEALTH
The thyroid can affect almost every part of how you feel.
Thyroid disorders can affect energy, temperature regulation, weight, digestion, mood, cognition, heart rate, skin, hair, menstrual function, and other aspects of health.
Appropriate thyroid testing and medical diagnosis matter.
But thyroid symptoms can also overlap with many other conditions, which is why symptoms alone cannot establish that the thyroid is responsible.
In patients with diagnosed thyroid disease, including autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, The Sona Method considers thyroid health within the wider metabolic, nutritional, immune, and clinical picture.
A thyroid diagnosis may be an important piece of the puzzle. It is still a piece.
THE PATTERN
When did things begin to change?
Did symptoms begin after pregnancy? During perimenopause? Following an illness? After changing medication? Alongside weight gain or weight loss? At the same time as sleep, digestive, mood, or energy changes?
The chronology can help distinguish what may be hormonal from what merely happened at the same time.
The Sona Method brings symptoms, medical history, existing diagnoses, medications, previous investigations, lifestyle, and relevant physiological systems together before deciding what deserves further investigation.
Timing can reveal relationships that a list of symptoms cannot.
TESTING WITH A PURPOSE
More hormone tests do not automatically produce more answers.
Hormone testing needs context.
Age, sex, menstrual status, timing within the menstrual cycle, medications, existing diagnoses, and the clinical question being asked can all affect what testing is appropriate and how results should be interpreted.
Where investigation is needed, it should be selected to answer a specific question arising from the assessment.
The purpose of testing is not to find something abnormal. It is to find something useful.
WORKING ALONGSIDE MEDICAL CARE
Hormonal symptoms still deserve appropriate medical assessment.
The Sona Method does not replace GP, endocrinology, gynaecology, or other appropriate specialist care.
Diagnosed thyroid disease, significant menstrual abnormalities, and other endocrine or gynaecological conditions may require medical treatment and monitoring.
Sona's role is complementary: looking at the wider clinical picture and the relationships between hormonal health and other aspects of physiology.
HORMONE HEALTH ON HARLEY STREET, LONDON
When “it's your hormones” is not quite enough of an answer.
Sona works with adults with chronic and complex health concerns from her practice on Harley Street in London, as well as with patients internationally.
The Sona Method may be particularly appropriate when hormonal changes appear alongside symptoms elsewhere in the body, when several systems seem to be involved, or when you have a diagnosis but still do not understand the wider pattern of your health.
Presentations may include perimenopause and menopause, thyroid disorders, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, menstrual and hormonal symptoms, and metabolic or hormonal changes occurring as part of a more complex health picture.
Discuss Your Case
If hormonal changes are affecting how you feel and you would like to understand the wider picture, get in touch to explore whether The Sona Method is appropriate for you.