Ice Baths and Female Hormones: Is It Right for You?

Ice baths have grown in popularity in many wellness circles, with a variety of health and wellness experts touting their benefits to physical and mental health. In this article we will explore how ice baths specifically affect women’s hormonal balance, as well as the considerations to determine if you are someone who may benefit from this practice, or who may be better off skipping it.

Understanding Hormonal Balance in Women

Hormones are ruled by the endocrine system, a complex body system that involves glands in and around the brain, the thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, and reproductive organs – for women, the ovaries. 

Within the brain sits the hypothalamus, and sitting just at the base of your brain is the pituitary gland. Together with the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys, these glands form the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis. 

The HPA axis serves as a communication highway in charge of our body’s stress response system. This pathway acts on a negative feedback loop. This means that when the pathway is initiated, cortisol, our main stress hormone, is ultimately released to act on the hypothalamus at the top of the hormone cascade and shut off further downstream hormone production.  

While some stress can be beneficial for the body to adapt and become more resilient, chronic or long-term stress can have significant consequences on the HPA axis. Some signs and symptoms that your HPA axis is under stress include:

• Irregular or missing cycles
• Anovulatory cycles (menstruating but not ovulating)
• Thyroid issues (i.e. hypothyroidism, high TSH, low free T3, and/or high reverse T3)

The Science Behind Ice Baths

Ice baths are a form of deliberate cold exposure, which includes any form of short-term exposure to a cold environment. For some this entails immersing the body in cold water, such as in an ice bath, cold plunge, or other cold body of water for a few minutes. This may also entail ending your shower with at least 30 seconds of cold water. 

Ice baths trigger an acute or short-term stress response. This response stimulates a release of glucose from the cells, causing an acute increase in blood sugar levels. It also causes a release of endorphins, growth hormone, as well as stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine. 

Meanwhile, other hormones are suppressed or down-regulated in response, such as follicle stimulating hormone (FHS), luteinizing hormone (LH), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). This down-regulation can impact hormone balance, particularly for women of reproductive age.

Potential Benefits of Ice Baths

Ice baths have been shown to have benefits for muscle soreness and pain management given its vasoconstriction effects, limiting blood flow to particular areas of the body. However, it’s important that these are not done immediately following exercise, as this will limit the body’s  adaptation response to exercise. Studies have also suggested that this cold exposure can have a positive effect on mood and mental health, as well as skin health. 

Some of the hormones released in response to ice baths have the potential to lower inflammation. This can positively impact a variety of body systems. Research suggests that the positive impact on the inflammatory response may be especially beneficial for individuals struggling with autoimmune conditions.

While the science is still developing in regards to the importance of heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of overall health, we do know that a higher HRV is desirable. Chronic stress in general can lower HRV levels. However, acute doses of stress, for example from exercise or ice baths, can have a positive effect on HRV as long as it is followed by a period of rest, relaxation, and recovery. The recovery period is essential in order to reap the benefits of adaptation that come after any type of heat stress, whether hot or cold exposure.

   Another potential benefit of taking ice baths is the increase in metabolic rate, or rate at which you are expending energy, in order to maintain body heat. It does this by activating mitochondria-rich fat tissue to increase metabolism. This suggests that ice baths may be beneficial especially for those carrying excess body weight, a symptom that is common among postmenopausal women.

While the research on ice baths and cold exposure does tout the benefits, it is worth noting that this research has primarily been done on men, and insight on how this can affect women long term in relation to hormone balance is extremely limited. 

Cautions and Considerations

Our bodies have an amazing way of adapting to stress. In cases of acute stress, these adaptations can make us more resilient. In cases of chronic stress, however, adding on acute stressors can exacerbate our HPA axis and contribute to dysregulation of our stress response. 

For many individuals, particularly women of reproductive age, individuals who are currently pregnant, or those dealing with chronic health conditions, adding on additional acute stressors, such as an ice bath, may not be a health-promoting practice. 

It’s been discussed how ice baths and the activation of our stress response impacts production as well as suppression of different hormones. These hormones all deeply influence menstrual cycles, ovulation, and the health of the female reproductive system. Research in animal models has even shown cold exposure from practices like taking ice baths can cause ovulatory dysfunction by inducing cycle irregularity and thinning of the uterine lining. 

Knowing what we do about female hormonal regulation, the potential risk may not outweigh the benefit for many women. As always, when considering both the potential benefits and drawbacks of ice baths, it is essential to put it in the context of your personal health status and goals. 

How to Get Started Safely

If you decide that this is a practice you would like to try, take into account the timing of your menstrual cycle. The week leading up to ovulation is an important time for the body to determine whether or not it is safe to reproduce. Any practices that stimulate a stress response, such as taking an ice bath, can impact whether or not your body considers your current environment “safe,” and may want to be avoided during this time leading up to ovulation. 

Be sure to speak with your doctor about whether or not taking ice baths is an appropriate wellness practice for you. It may not be safe for individuals who are pregnant or who have pre-existing conditions such as heart conditions. If you are new to ice baths, it’s important to build up slowly and listen to your body. This practice typically involves immersing yourself in 50-59°F water for several minutes.

Conclusion

There are a variety of factors to consider before implementing ice baths into your wellness routine. While there are many suggested benefits of this practice, much of the research has been done on men and does not take into account the nuances of hormone regulation in women. Working with a practitioner 1:1 can help you assess your current stress load, health status, and hormone goals in order to determine if ice baths are advised for you.