Whether it’s balancing hormones, decoding the menstrual cycle, or cutting through the noise of quick-fix wellness trends, naturopath Chloe Shaw’s approach is all about finding the root cause. We caught up with her to talk health, hormones, and why period self-care is more than just a buzzword.

 

Name: Chloe Shaw

Pronouns: She

Day job: Naturopath

Location: Victoria (although I offer telehealth consults, so I see clients Aus-wide)

 

Describe your work in one sentence:

Finding the root cause to restore health.

 

And the longer story?

I’ve always been passionate about understanding the "why" behind health issues. My journey into naturopathy began with my curiosity about how the body can heal itself when given the proper support. After experiencing my own health challenges, I realised how disconnected I felt from my body’s signals and was fed up with band-aid solutions. This drove me to become a women’s health naturopath, where I now get to support other women on their health journeys.

 

As a naturopath, what does proper health mean to you?

Proper health means being in tune with your body’s rhythms and balancing physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It’s about embracing hormonal and lifestyle changes, adapting to them, and practising self-care. Rather than striving for perfection, it’s about listening to and supporting your body through life’s natural ebb and flow.

 

How do hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle affect women’s health?

Our bodies go through mini seasons with our menstrual cycle each month. During this change of seasons, our hormones fluctuate, which impacts our emotions, energy, appetite, and other symptoms.

• Menstruation - winter (Day 1-5 approx.) All hormones are at their lowest. Energy is often low, and it’s a time to rest.
• Follicular phase - spring (Day 1-13 approx.) Oestrogen rises, energy increases, skin is glowing! Overall cognitive clarity. This is the time to be productive, active and spontaneous.
• Ovulation - summer (Day 13-15 approx.) Oestrogen peaks, which influence vaginal mucus, can resemble an ‘egg-white’ consistency. Many women feel more social, libido peaks, and have a great time to network and have fun.
• Luteal phase - autumn (Day 14-28 approx.) Progesterone, our feel-good anti-anxiety hormone, rises. Oestrogen has now significantly dropped, but it does rise slightly again. It's time for self-care.

 

What are common signs of hormonal imbalance, and how can lifestyle changes help?

This can look different for each woman, but some common signs include fatigue, weight gain, irregular cycles, acne, headaches or migraines, breast pain, gut complaints, anxiety, depression, insomnia, low libido, and vaginal dryness.

Managing hormonal imbalances depends on the individual and what contributes to their imbalance. Start with the foundations: a good diet, stress management techniques, sleep hygiene, and movement.

 

What lifestyle factors cause hormone imbalances, and how can we best address them?

Poor gut health and diet, such as insufficient protein or healthy fats, can disrupt hormone levels. Protein helps stabilise blood sugar, while healthy fats are essential for hormone production. Additionally, chronic stress and factors like long work hours, inadequate sleep, excessive screen time, and over-exercising can negatively impact our hormones.

Bring it back to basics - focus on a balanced diet with sufficient protein and healthy fats, manage stress through techniques like deep breathing and spending time in nature, and prioritise self-care by scheduling activities that help you relax, such as facials, massages, or acupuncture. Taking control of these factors can significantly improve hormonal health and overall well-being.

 

What supplements, foods, or habits do you recommend for daily hormonal health?

With my clients, I like to get their foundations in order—addressing their diet and supplements when they can’t be obtained from diet alone. [It’s important to] support your blood sugar levels with protein-rich meals. Eat healthy fats for sex hormones. Turn your phone onto “nighttime mode” to reduce blue light exposure, which can disrupt our sleep cycle. Eat cruciferous veggies to help support the liver in detoxifying waste matter and hormones.

 

What are endocrine disruptors, and why are they a concern for hormonal health?

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the body's normal hormone balance. They mimic or block natural hormone signaling, and this disturbance in the body's balance can contribute to disease. The reason for concern is that they can lead to health problems such as thyroid issues, cardiovascular disease, reproductive problems, alterations in sperm quality, hormone-sensitive cancers, obesity, and poor immune function.

How can we minimise exposure to endocrine disruptors?

An excellent place to start is your morning routine: skincare, moisturiser, body washes, toothpaste, perfume, fake tan, and tap water. Other common ones are cookware, laundry detergents, and cleaning products. To make the switch less overwhelming, replace one product with a cleaner option as you run out. Reduce exposure to plastics and make the switch to glass. Never heat your food in the microwave in those takeaway plastic containers. Change to organic menstrual products.

 

What is the vaginal microbiome, and why is pH balance important for women’s health?

Much like the gut, the vagina has a microbiome of its own which can influence the risk of infection, fertility and sexual health. However, unlike the gut, which thrives in a diverse microbiome, the vagina microbiome likes a low diversity of microbes that is dominated by lactobacillus species. A healthy vagina microbiome is acidic and sits around 3.6-4.5pH. An acidic environment protects the vagina from infections and overgrowth. Menstruation, semen, lubricants, smoking, certain intimate washes (not ours! Scarlet Daily Washes are pH-balanced!), and stress can all disrupt the pH.

 

What are the signs of an imbalanced vaginal microbiome, and how can it be restored?

Despite what the internet may tell you, vaginal infections aren’t always fishy, rotten smelling or green-coloured discharge. Yes, all of these signs are indicators for further investigation; however, I think it’s also important to recognise when something changes from your ‘normal’. This could be a slight itch, irritation, pain with intercourse, change in odour, or change in discharge. Not every itch is thrush - work with a naturopath and do some vaginal microbiome testing to know what you're dealing with. Consider changing underwear from synthetic lacy knickers to organic cotton or bamboo and ditch soap.

 

Why should younger women care about hormone health?

I like to think of your period as your monthly report card and a vital sign of our overall health. Listen to your cycle and use it to understand your body.

 

What’s your top health message for all women?

Women are so intuitive; if you think something is wrong, then don’t stop being your own health advocate until you find a practitioner who listens to you. Don’t suffer alone.

 

Should menstrual health be taught more in schools?

Oh, 10000%. I even went to an all-girls school, and all I remember learning was unprotected sex = baby. I think it’s so important to understand a pill bleed is not a real bleed; it’s a withdrawal bleed from the medication, you can’t get pregnant every day of your cycle, and just because a sign or symptom is common doesn’t mean it’s normal.

 

How do we need to change the conversation around menstrual health?

Normalise talking about periods in a positive and empowering way rather than treating them as something to hide or be ashamed of. The conversation should shift toward celebrating our menstrual cycles, educating women about how their hormones impact their lives, and recognising the symptoms that indicate something may be off instead of just “putting up with it.”

 

MY CYCLE

• My period in 3-words: Empowering, reflective, me time!
• Period self-care means: Rest and nourishment - I like to pull meals out of the freezer I have cooked in the weeks before to ensure I still eat well.
• Period self-care toolkit: Scarlet period knickers, loco love chocolate, herbal tea, hot water bottle, tens machine if you experience cramps, magnesium, bathes, gentle movement (yoga, walks, Pilates), early nights.
• Best period hacks: Fill your own cup during this time and do something for yourself—book that massage, facial, acupuncture, sauna, etc.
• Contraception of choice: I love temperature tracking! You can find out more about this through Natural Cycles.
• On day 1, you’ll find me: Taking it slow, sipping on herbal tea, eating chocolate, and frolicking around in my comfy, cute clothes.
• Scarlet pick: Day 1 - the Scarlet High-Waisted Brief is so comfy!!! I also love the Scarlet G-String for my lighter days.