Woman outside at sunset thinking about estrogen dominance

What Is Estrogen Dominance and Why Should a Woman Care?

Is Your Birth Control Method Making You Estrogen Dominant?

Irritable? No Sex Drive? Sugar Cravings Driving You Crazy? Birth Control Side Effects May Be to Blame

You’re cranky and feel like snapping at everyone around you. 

You’re bloated but can’t stop thinking about that slice of pie or cake you saw at the bakery. It’s screaming for your attention!

Every month, before your period your head feels like someone is pounding it with a hammer. When that time of the month rolls around, you’ve got menstrual cramps like you wouldn’t believe. 

Your libido has ghosted you. Sleep sounds more enticing than sex.

These are just some of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. That’s when your estrogen levels are high in comparison to progesterone. 

Getting rid of estrogen dominance can work wonders on your mental and physical health. Yet, treating estrogen dominance symptoms never works. You’ve got to dig down to the root cause. I’ve had a lot of success with this approach in many patients. 

In a little while I’ll share with you the story of one patient I’ll call Jennifer. By getting at the root cause of estrogen dominance, Jennifer was able to kick estrogen dominance to the curb. The result? Jennifer’s symptoms disappeared. She was happier and more relaxed, lost weight, and her libido was back in action. 

I’ll tell you Jennifer’s story in a little while. But first, let’s talk about what is estrogen dominance. That way you’ll know why Jennifer’s treatment worked so well. And why you might have the same stellar results.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Estrogen isn’t always the villain. In fact, women need estrogen for many different areas of health including happy moods, heart health, and fertility. 

It’s only when estrogen levels become too high in relation to progesterone that hormonal balance gets thrown off. This is what’s known as estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance symptoms include:

  • Acne
  • Breast tenderness or lumps (aka fibrocystic breasts)
  • Breast, ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer
  • Disrupted sleep
  • Endometriosis
  • Fatigue 
  • Fibroids
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Holding on to body fat, especially in hips, thighs, belly, and butt. 
  • Infertility or subfertility
  • Intense sugar cravings
  • Low libido
  • Mood changes: intense irritability, anxiety, devastating depression
  • Stress
  • Water retention
  • Weight gain

Estrogen dominance can be especially nasty if you’re in perimenopause, the time before entering full menopause. If you’re one of the unlucky ones to be going through both at the same time you might have bad mood swings, horrible PMS, weight gain, and depression. And your libido tanks. Not fun!

What Causes Estrogen To Get Out of Whack?

Remember, our number one goal is to reach a healthy balance of both estrogen and progesterone. In a healthy woman, estrogen and progesterone are balanced and work together in harmony. Progesterone is critical because it counteracts the bad effects of too much estrogen. 

There are a number of reasons for too much estrogen or too little progesterone. But hormonal birth control is a very common culprit that most women have never heard about it. A woman might be taking the mini pill or have a hormonal IUD (aka Mirena) and she has no idea it could make her symptoms worse. 

Don’t get me wrong. Hormonal birth control has its time and place, but if you’re going to use it you should know about the risks and limitations. You should especially know it won’t fix a hormone imbalance. The problem will still be there after you start taking the pill.

Ironically, birth control is often used to treat symptoms of estrogen dominance like heavy bleeding and painful periods. However, hormonal birth control only makes the estrogen dominance worse.

How does this happen? Hormonal IUDs block ovulation. Without ovulation, you don’t get a healthy rise in progesterone each month. That’s not good. But it gets worse. Just because ovulation stops, doesn’t mean estrogen production stops. You’re still making estrogens- and you’re getting less and less progesterone.  

How does your hormonal IUD or mini-pill block ovulation, send progesterone into a nosedive, and allow estrogen to rage out of control? It’s all thanks to progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone. 

Doesn’t synthetic progestin work just like natural progesterone? Not at all. In a nutshell, progestin is kind of like progesterone’s evil twin. Progestin doesn’t act like progesterone in the body - it acts more like testosterone, and with none of the benefits of natural progesterone! That’s why it doesn’t improve your PMS, mood, or sleep symptoms. 

Progestin-based birth control spells trouble for your body’s hormonal balance. And it throws your progesterone and estrogen levels out of whack. 

In fact, the whole reason you might have had heavy periods in the first place is because you suffer from progesterone deficiency! 

A Double Whammy

What’s worse, perimenopausal women are often using hormonal IUDs. That’s because several birth control pills’ side effects including risk of stroke, heart attacks, and blood clots, go up after you turn 35. At that time, your doctor may recommend a hormonal IUD. And many women keep using this form of birth control right through the perimenopause period. 

Not only are you in perimenopause, which already makes estrogen dominance worse—but you’re also using a birth control device that can cause progesterone levels to plummet. This causes you to go deeper into estrogen dominance. And your symptoms continue to get worse. How crazy is that?

Other Causes of Too Much Estrogen

It’s bad enough that hormonal birth control like IUDs cause estrogen dominance. But if you’ve got one or more other problems going on, everything just gets worse. It’s like a snowball rolling downhill getting bigger and bigger. 

Things that worsen estrogen dominance include:

  • An overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut (aka dysbiosis). Bad gut bacteria put estrogen back into circulation where it doesn’t belong. 
  • Constipation.
  • Sluggish liver detoxification, which slows the clearance of hormones from your body.  
  • Stress, which hampers your ability to make healthy progesterone levels.
  • Too much body fat.
  • Xenoestrogens accumulate in our bodies and act like estrogens. These chemicals come from plastics, fragrances, pesticides, and processed soy products, to name a few. 

Many doctors go after the symptoms of estrogen dominance rather than tackle the root cause. But symptom relief isn’t the same as hormone balance. In fact, trying to relieve symptoms by inserting a hormonal IUD only leads to more hormonal imbalance. 

Instead, I go after the underlying hormonal imbalance issues such as healing the gut, balancing hormones, relieving stress, detoxification, and nutrient deficiencies. If these aren’t addressed, your whole health will suffer. 

You remember I mentioned my patient Jennifer? Now we’ll get down to the nitty gritty on how I helped her get rid of the root cause of her estrogen dominance. At the same time we switched her over to one of the safest and best birth control methods. 

Jennifer’s Path to Hormone Balance and Better Health

Jennifer was a 34-year-old patient of mine frustrated she couldn’t lose weight. She also had digestive problems. She was constipated and only had a bowel movement every third day. She felt bloated, although this symptom improved after she stopped eating gluten, grains, and dairy. Eating too much fat at one time caused her GI symptoms to act up. 

To make matters worse, Jennifer struggled with severe anxiety, carb cravings, and low libido. 

Sound familiar?

A few years ago, her doctor installed a hormonal IUD. Her periods became light and only lasted three days. This is a common side effect of these devices. In fact, it’s the main reason doctors recommend an IUD, to lighten heavy periods. This is because the progestin in the IUD reduces the thickness of the uterine lining, which in turn leads to lighter bleeding or makes periods go away completely. 

Testing revealed Jennifer was estrogen dominant. No surprise there! Her estrogen levels were actually ideal but her progesterone levels had nearly hit rock bottom. 

She also had low bile flow. Bile is needed to lose weight and detoxify the body. Bile deficiency happens a lot in women with estrogen dominance.

In addition, lab results showed she had a parasite and the harmful bacteria in her gut were growing out of control. 

I felt bad this lovely woman was suffering. I knew we could turn things around for her.

Address Estrogen Dominance and Gut Health to Feel Happier, Sexier, and Lose Extra Pounds 

We started working on the root causes of Jennifer’s problems. First, upon my recommendation, she had the hormonal IUD removed and replaced it with a copper IUD. These aren’t as hard on hormonal health. However, the copper IUD can promote heavier periods and increased cramping, especially in the first several months for certain women. In women like Jennifer, I address heavy menstrual bleeding by using Slow Flow and Chinese herbal formulas for one to three months. I supported Jennifer’s natural ability to make progesterone using vitamin C and Vitex. 

To her surprise, she lost eight pounds! And she did it without doing anything other than just getting the hormonal IUD removed and taking those few supplements. 

At that point I started working on her imbalanced gut bacteria and her sluggish liver, the cause of her low bile flow. The low bile was also the culprit behind her inability to digest fat, which in turn led to bloating and gas, sluggish bowel movements, and low levels of essential fat soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, and K. 

We addressed the gut dysbiosis and the sluggish liver and—Viola!—her constipation and GI symptoms went away. 

Throughout the course of treatment, she also said sayonara to her anxiety, carb cravings, and low libido.

Find Serenity, Boost Your Libido, Cure Carb Cravings, and More

I know how frustrating estrogen dominance symptoms can be. My heart goes out to all women suffering from this condition. I can work with you to pinpoint what’s holding you back from optimum health and turn it around, just like I did with Jennifer. 

Your path to peace, sanity, and your best life ever begins with a free 15-minute troubleshooting call. During this chat, I’ll get to know more about what troubles you. If after the call you come on board as a patient, I’ll work with you on estrogen dominance treatments and run the right tests that can put you on the path to vibrant good health. Book your call today and you can feel younger, happier, and more energetic tomorrow. 


Feet under the sheets of a bed

The Truth About Hormones & Your Sex Drive

Which of these best describes your sex drive?

Want it, need it, gotta have it!

Could take it or leave it...” or

Don’t even think about it!

Whatever you answer, there’s no shame.

Women are pretty reluctant to say our libido (or lack thereof) is one of our top health concerns. But when I dig deep with the women I work one-on-one with in my clinic, I find that almost all of them are struggling with their sex drive.

And personally, when I was struggling with hormone imbalance, my sex drive was non-existent. I thought it was just “normal.” After all, as women we are conditioned to believe we should want sex less than men.

Truth: healthy women have robust sex drives!

Our libido isn’t just dictated by whether our partner brings home flowers or we’ve shaved our legs - it is controlled by a complex group of hormones and neurotransmitters. Too much or too little of one or another can cause our sex drive to dwindle away or get out of hand.

That means that if your libido is lacking, you don’t just need to try lighting candles or new lingerie (although if your sex drive is healthy, that would sound fun instead of like a chore!). Balancing your hormones can restore a healthy libido.

Today, I want to explain how your hormones impact your sex drive. I hope this information empowers you - and if you have more questions or need more support, please reach out to me!

 

What This Article Can’t Do

Before I dig in to all the juicy hormone info, there are a couple other things I want to get out in the open.

First, most of the research on hormones has been done based on cisgender, heterosexual people and in heterosexual relationships. More research on hormones in other populations is long overdue. If you’re outside this group, some of this information will apply to you and some of it won’t - but I’d love to support you in overcoming hormone issues one-on-one until more inclusive research is available.

Secondly - as you're reading this I know symptoms of too much or too little of various hormones are going to jump out at you. But know this: the only way to diagnose hormone imbalances is with proper testing! That means blood, saliva, and/or urine testing.

Treatment for hormone imbalance is highly individualized, and I always recommend anyone who suspects hormone imbalance work one-on-one with a trained practitioner like myself for accurate testing and treatment! At the end of the article, I’ll share about my favorite hormone tests.

OK - disclaimers done - let’s get to the good stuff!

 

Estrogen - “The Feminine Hormone”

Estrogen is the hormone we associate with women. It makes women softer - both emotionally and physically. Estrogen is responsible for women’s curves: breasts, hips, and more fat on the butt! In studies of heterosexual men, women with higher estrogen levels were rated as more attractive.

It also increases a woman’s receptive sex drive—the part that makes her interested and open to penetration. Estrogen says “Take me now!”  Women with higher estrogen levels may have more of a seductive sex drive - they are more likely to be receptive to sex, more likely to flirt and give “I’m available” signals,  than they are likely to initiate it.

 

Testosterone  - “The Masculine Hormone”

What hormone causes horniness? Testosterone is the hormone associated with men - but healthy women have testosterone, too. It helps us build muscle and causes us to feel more competitive and aggressive. In the bedroom, testosterone makes us want to initiate sex and governs the drive for genital sex and orgasms. Women with higher testosterone levels tend to have more of an aggressive sex drive and are more likely to initiate sex than wait for a partner to start things up.  Interestingly, some post menopausal women have relatively higher testosterone levels (as compared to other hormones like estrogen) and may notice more of an interest in initiating at this phase in their lives.

Testosterone makes us less interested in relationships and commitment and more likely to want time alone (that’s what the Man Cave is for!). Women with higher testosterone levels tend to masturbate more, too. Too much testosterone can make us feel irritable - but too little can make us feel depressed.

 

Dopamine  - “The Pleasure Chemical”

Dopamine isn’t exactly a hormone - it’s actually a neurotransmitter. Dopamine helps us anticipate pleasure - therefore having the drive and motivation to take action. It’s dopamine that makes us anticipate that sex = pleasure.

People who are low in dopamine tend to seem “flat” - they lack interest, enthusiasm, and get-up-and-go.

Testosterone increases the activity of dopamine in our brains, so supplementing with testosterone is often prescribed for women with low libido. But in my experience, this rarely works - or at least not without other support - probably because the issue isn’t just low testosterone, but also low dopamine. (Just another reason why you have to test!)

 

DHEA  - “The Master Hormone”

DHEA is our most abundant circulating hormone. It’s produced both in the Adrenal glands and in the brain, and most of our other hormones are derived from it. DHEA levels peak in our 20s and start to decline from there - faster for some than others based on factors like your genetics and stress. Oral contraceptives are also know to lower DHEA levels.

Ideally, I like to see DHEA levels on the higher end of the normal range because DHEA can:

  • Lower risk of depression
  • Provide better function in old age
  • Protect against immune suppression when cortisol levels are high (from stress)
  • Prevent osteoporosis
  • Maintain muscle mass

And of course, DHEA plays a major role in sex drive, orgasms, and sex appeal. Higher levels of DHEA in women correlated with higher rates of sexual desirability in studies. Most of our pheromones are derived from DHEA - scents that in the animal world dictate attraction and mating. Pheromones are often what make us feel an “instant connection” or drawn to someone. When a woman complains of low libido, I always test her DHEA levels first!

In times of stress, DHEA levels decrease significantly -and this can cause a cascade of low hormones throughout your body, since most other hormones are derived from DHEA.

 

Oxytocin  - “The Love Molecule”

Oxytocin is a molecule that is triggered by physical touch. Oxytocin levels increase if you hug, hold hands, have sex, hold a baby - and even if you look at a dog! Levels of oxytocin also spike when you’re aroused and when you orgasm - it’s also what causes the uterus to contract during orgasm. If you’re in love, just thinking about the person can make your oxytocin levels go up.

Oxytocin helps you bond and feel love. It’s especially important for maternal bonding, and oxytocin levels rise during breastfeeding. Higher levels of oxytocin both reduce stress and rational thought - making it easier to “fall in love.”

 

Progesterone  - “The Cock Blocker”

Does progesterone increase libido? In my practice I call progesterone the cock-blocking, (or clam-jamming) hormone. Basically, progesterone stops your sex drive. The effect of progesterone on your sex drive is so powerful, monks used to take the herb Vitex (aka Chaste Tree Berry!) to promote progesterone production and block their sex drive. Progesterone actually numbs the erogenous zones, meaning you’re likely to have dull orgasm with more stimulation - or no orgasm at all.

Many women have high levels of progesterone because they take hormonal contraceptives. The birth control pill contains a synthetic form of progesterone called progestin. Great birth control, right? Just kill your sex drive completely!

Progesterone isn’t all bad though - it promotes maternal behavior and has a mild sedative effect. It can make you feel calm, happy, and that everything is a-okay.

Does ovulation make you horny? In the second half of the menstrual cycle (after ovulation), progesterone is naturally higher. That makes sense biologically - once you’ve ovulated, your body won’t drive you to sex for reproductive reasons. When natural progesterone is balanced with estrogen, the dip in sex drive isn’t as strong and some women don’t notice it at all. Others might just be more interested in cuddling rather than going for an orgasm.

 

Prolactin  - “The Nursing Hormone”

Prolactin is mostly associated with lactating women - it is the hormone that triggers your milk to let down after birth. Prolactin also tends to lower your sex drive - that’s why, in general, women have less sex when they are breastfeeding. Depending on your estrogen levels, you might retain some “receptive” sex drive even when prolactin is higher.

Promoting dopamine opposes prolactin. So if your prolactin levels are high and you’re NOT breastfeeding, using dopamine-promoting herbs can help lower prolactin and improve your sex drive. The only way to accurately gauge your prolactin levels is with testing!

 

Serotonin - “The Happy Chemical”

Serotonin is dopamine’s partner - together they are the two main neurotransmitters in the brain. Serotonin can impact your sex drive whether it’s too high or too low. Certain medications (like SSRIs) can cause high levels of serotonin. Dieting and chronically low calories can cause low serotonin, too.

Very high levels of serotonin dull your sex drive. That's why SSRI antidepressants have lowered sex drive and delayed/weaker orgasms as a side effect.

Conversely, low levels of serotonin can magnify your sex drive. In people with depression, low serotonin levels can even lead to sex addiction. In women with low serotonin, orgasms happen faster and easier. Men with low serotonin ejaculate right away.

 

Your Menstrual Cycle - “The Conductor”

Your menstrual cycle is like the conductor of all these hormones and chemicals. As the cycle progresses, hormone levels naturally rise and fall, leading to a shift in your sex drive.

At the beginning of your cycle, all hormone levels are low. Mid-cycle, estrogen and testosterone both spike - leading to an increase in sex drive (you’ll be both more aggressive and receptive to sex).

Many women also notice their libido peaks right before they start their period, as progesterone is naturally falling relative to testosterone. Your genitals will be more sensitive and it’s easier to orgasm during progesterone withdrawal.

During menses, some women have an increased sex drive - again because progesterone is lower relative to testosterone. But because serotonin levels can also drop during this time you might be grouchy too. Grumpy and horny!

The natural shift in hormones throughout the month can explain why sometimes you want sex more for the cuddling, emotional bonding, and skin-to-skin contact,  - and why other times you just want an orgasm without all the bells and whistles.

 

Your Hormones & Your Libido

Our sex drive is completely dependent on our hormones. And as you’ve learned in this article, it’s not as simple as “more testosterone makes you horny!” Balanced hormones are the key to a healthy sex drive.

If your sex drive isn’t how you’d like it to be - either too much or too little - looking at your hormone balance is a great place to start. I know you’re sick of hearing me say this by now, but the ONLY way to accurately diagnose hormone imbalance is with advanced testing. You never want to “guess and check” by starting treatments or supplements for what you “think” is the problem. This can cause even greater imbalances that take more time and work to resolve.

Over the years I’ve used blood and saliva hormone tests - but now I almost exclusively use the DUTCH hormone test. This test is a kit your practitioner orders and you complete at home. It uses dried urine (that’s what the D and U stand for in DUTCH) to accurately test various hormone levels. It’s more accurate than saliva testing, and much simpler than blood testing. You just pee on a stick, let it dry, and mail it back to the lab.

Once I know a patient’s hormone levels, we can work together to come up with a plan to balance them. I never share exact protocols publicly because I’ve never had 2 patients who needed the exact same treatment! Hormones really are that unique.

If this article has resonated with you and you think hormone imbalances could be at the root of your sex drive struggles, I hope you’ll book a free 20-minute exploration call with my team. There’s zero obligation, but we’ll dive deep into your issues and then share what we can do to help.

Having come out the other side of hormone imbalance, I can tell you - having my sex drive back is great! (And my husband loves it too.) I want the health and radiance that comes from balanced hormones for all women. Book a 20-minute call for free here!


Woman sitting on swing over valley

Why Your Gut Health and Microbiome Make-or-Break Your Hormone Balance

Acne worse than puberty, ten pounds that won’t budge, a period-induced mood swing that turns you into a totally different person-- these are sure signs your hormones are out of whack. The solution to hormone problems like these seems obvious: Fix your hormones.

But what if I told you that the first step to balanced, happy hormones (and clear skin, easy, regular periods, a healthy weight, and even-keeled moods) isn’t about estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone?

I’m going to let you in on a big secret about female hormones: They never break in isolation.

What does that mean? Simply that if something is not right with your hormones, it’s a sure sign that something ELSE is not working right in your body that is causing the hormone problems. If you’re having symptoms caused by imbalanced hormones, we have to do more than just treat the symptoms - and we even have to do more than just treat the hormone imbalance. (Prescribing artificial hormones is NOT the answer).

We have to go back even further and find out: What caused the hormone imbalance in the first place?

Finding and addressing the root cause of your hormone imbalance is the MOST important step to achieving hormone balance for life.

And 9 times out of 10, when we do the careful detective work to find the real root cause behind hormone imbalance, it’s actually related to gut health.

I know it sounds a little odd at first - but the health of our gut is actually closely tied to our hormone health. In this post, I’m going to explain the link between our gut and hormone health, and what you can do to optimize both.

The Gut-Hormone Dream Team

The gut and our hormones are meant to be in communication. They support each other and work together to make our body run smoothly. In fact, our intestinal cells have special receptors for hormones that allow them to detect hormonal shifts.

It’s intuitive that our hormone and gut interact, too - even women with symptom-free periods will report noticing slight changes in their bowel patterns before and during their menstrual cycle.

Both estrogen and progesterone impact gut motility & peristalsis - the rhythmic movement of the intestines that moves food from your stomach down through your intestines and eventually out of your body. Estrogen and progesterone play opposing roles in motility. Progesterone slows down motility in the gut by relaxing smooth muscle and slowing transit time (the time it takes for food to move out of your body). Even women without IBS or other digestive issues are more likely to feel mildly constipated, or just more “full” during the week prior to the period, when progesterone levels peak.

Estrogen, on the other hand, increases contractions of the smooth muscle in the intestines. When estrogen levels are just right, this helps keeps things moving. Estrogen also increases the diversity of your microbiome, which is a good thing for immune health. Estrogen levels drop off suddenly, twice, during a normal menstrual cycle: once right before ovulation, and again just prior to your period starting. This can cause spasm and fast motility in the digestive tract, which can cause diarrhea at these times (even in healthy women). For the same reason (sudden, dramatic drops in estrogen levels), this can also happen during perimenopause and menopause, too.

Pregnant women experience an increase in progesterone in early pregnancy and then again in the third trimester - this is responsible for the constipation so many women experience during pregnancy. The excess progesterone can also cause the sphincter in the upper GI tract to loosen, leading to heartburn and reflux.

When estrogen and progesterone are in balance, you’ll tend to have normal motility most of the time - neither constipation or diarrhea. (Unless you also have some gut infections like SIBO, Candida, or parasites….then you could still have constipation.)

The Estrobolome

Our gut and hormones do more than just “talk”-- your gut microbiome also regulates estrogen. The estrogen-regulating function of specific bacteria in the microbiome is called the “estrobolome.”

The estrobolome is really important to keeping healthy estrogen levels in the body -- but to understand why, you need to know how the estrogen cycle works. Here’s how it happens in a healthy system:

  1. Estrogen is produced in the ovaries (but also in the adrenal glands and adipose tissue to a lesser extent)
  2. Estrogens circulate in the blood, making their way to tissues in the breasts, brain, bones, uterus and elsewhere
  3. Eventually, the estrogens travel to the liver, where they are broken down and deactivated
  4. Detoxified estrogens are deposited in bile which is secreted into the intestines, and exits the body with the stool.  

 

Path of estrogen

So, where does the gut come in? The gut - or more specifically, the estrobolome - regulates the amount of estrogens circulating in the bloodstream through the creation of β-glucuronidase, an enzyme which breaks down estrogen into to its “free”, or biologically active form.  

But that isn’t all the gut does - it can also create its own estrogen, too!

Bacteria can manufacture estrogen-like compounds from foods that we eat. For example, lignans, found in plants like flax seeds, are converted into estrogen-like compounds when acted on by bacteria in the gut. On their own, they don’t have any hormonal properties, but once converted the can either promote uptake of our own more potent estrogens into receptor sites, or can compete for the same receptor sites,.   

Newer research also suggests that the microbiome (and also specific types of probiotics) can produce its own estrogen and also signal glands around the body to produce it. We don’t yet fully understand exactly which strains of bacteria are responsible for all of these hormone modulating roles, but we do know that we want good overall proliferation, and greater species diversity.

When Things Go Wrong

The gut and your hormones are closely linked. You can see that both the gut and the hormone systems depend of each other to work properly - and when something goes wrong with either one, it spells trouble for the other.

Problems in the gut-hormone relationship usually start with the gut - but once the delicate balance is thrown off, it’s hard to know where to pin the blame. Imbalanced hormones cause gut problems, and gut problems cause imbalanced hormones.

Here are just some of the ways gut problems can lead to hormone imbalance:

Leaky Gut Syndrome: Leaky Gut Syndrome (aka Increased Intestinal Permeability) occurs when the tight junctions between cells in the intestine become “leaky” and allow toxins called LPS (which are fragments of dead bacterial cell walls) to pass from the intestine, into the bloodstream, and circulate through the body. It sounds crazy, but it’s actually common and causes a wide range of symptoms.

If you have leaky gut syndrome (with or without symptoms), you are more vulnerable to developing hormonal imbalances. Why? Because leaky gut causes widespread inflammation throughout the body. LPS is known to cause inflammation in any tissue that it comes into contact with, and in the ovaries, the result is suppressed progesterone production. (Women with higher levels of LPS in the blood had elevated markers of inflammation in fluid inside the ovary (follicular IL-6), and correspondingly low progesterone production.)

Studies show that infections, allergic reactions, being born by cesarean section, and even chronic stress can all cause inflammation in the gut, as well. And inflammatory conditions like obesity and inflammatory bowel disease are associated with disrupted menstrual cycles and infertility.

If you’re not having digestive symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, or constipation, you may think you don’t have leaky gut syndrome - but leaky gut may not show up as digestive symptoms, depending on the person. Even without digestive symptoms, the “silent” inflammation caused by leaky gut affects nearly every other aspect of health - especially our hormones.

Gut Dysbiosis: Your intestines are filled with trillions of bacteria, fungi, and even some viruses, that are all collaborating to keep your system running smooth and healthy. These bacterial cells and their genes are called your microbiome, and they live not just inside the intestines, but on every surface of your body, from your skin, to your eyes, your lungs, vaginal walls, and bladder. When the microbiome gets disturbed and the type or number of bacteria is damaged, we call it gut dysbiosis.

Along with your brain, your microbiome regulates the expression of your hormones, and can restrict or promote hormone production elsewhere in the body. The bacteria in your microbiome are like air-traffic control for hormones. In addition to signalling other glands in the body to dial up or down the volume on hormone production, your gut flora regulate hormone metabolism post-production, by either helping (or hindering) detoxification of already-used hormones, when they are being cleared from your system to make way for new fresh hormones.

To work properly, your microbiome needs the right bacteria, in the right amount. When the type or number of bacteria gets messed up (from something like poor diet & stress, an infection or parasite, or even just a course of antibiotics) your gut can no longer perform it’s hormone-regulating functions properly.

Increasing reactions to food, bloating, skin outbreaks, constipation, stubborn weight that won’t budge despite your best efforts, and even heavy periods— can all be signs that your microbiome is compromised and you’re unable to properly metabolize hormones like estrogen in the gut. Ultimately, this causes a build up of hormones in your system, which shows up as worsening of your PMS, period symptoms, or menopausal symptoms, and leaves you bloated and moody.

Estrobolome Dysfunction: Remember, the estrobolome are the specific bacteria in the microbiome responsible for regulating estrogen in the body through the production of the enzyme β-glucuronidase. Disruption of the estrobolome are really a type of dysbiosis. The estrobolome can be damaged in the same way the rest of the microbiome gets hurt: common triggers are stress, poor diet, and especially antibiotic use.

If the estrobolome bacteria become overgrown, the result is too much beta-glucuronidase being made. This causes already-detoxified estrogen to be reabsorbed and recirculated, in really high levels. This leads to a state of estrogen dominance. And estrogen dominance creates all kinds of chaos - PMS, cramps, fibroids and cysts, endometriosis, PCOS, heavy bleeding, infertility, a zapped sex drive, and weight gain. And of course, it can increase the risk of certain types of breast and uterine cancers.

And while it’s clear that we don’t want gut bacteria producing too much  beta-glucuronidase enzyme, we actually don’t want them under-producing it either! When women have extremely low microbial diversity or even just extremely low levels of bacteria in the gut (think: excessive antibiotic use), the decrease in beta-glucuronidase causes a reduction in circulating free estrogens. Excess estrogen isn’t a good thing, but insufficient estrogen levels, especially in post-menopausal women, isn’t good for our health either! Estrogen is critical for maintaining healthy brain cognition, bone density, gut health, and cardiovascular health.

It isn’t just these gut problems that could be causing your hormone issues. The gut-hormone connection is a two-way street: here are some of the ways imbalanced hormones can wreak havoc on your gut health:

  • Gallstones - women get gallstones twice as often as men! Estradiol (one of the types of estrogen) increases cholesterol levels in bile produced in the liver. (Cholesterol is the building block of our reproductive hormones, so when they are detoxified and broken down, cholesterol is released.) This increased saturation slows bile flow, which can lead to more stone formation.
  • Leaky Gut - While inflammation caused by leaky gut can lead to hormone imbalances, low estrogen levels can also contribute to leaky gut. The epithelial layer of the intestinal wall needs estrogen to and keep it healthy and elastic. Leaky gut has been associated  development of food sensitivities, autoimmune diseases, weight gain, acne, depression and anxiety, as well as almost every chronic illness you can think of.
  • IBS - researchers know that estrogen and progesterone levels have an impact on the development of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Symptoms of IBS include diarrhea, constipation, bloating, pain, and food intolerances.

Here’s the bottom line: if you want healthy hormones, you have to fix your gut!

Healthy Gut, Healthy Hormones

We know that we need a healthy gut to get healthy hormones - but what messed up your gut in the first place?

It’s a fair question, and not always easy to unravel. These are the most common causes for gut problems I see in my clinic - but there are many more (and most people have more than one contributing!)

Antibiotics: A single dose of the antibiotic Augmentin can kill off up to 90% of your gut flora - and most people are prescribed a 5-day course! Gut flora will regrow, (although it can take up to a year) but what types take hold and flourish impacts every aspect of our health. Generally we lose lactic-acid-producing species (like L. Acidophilus) first. This causes pH to go up in the intestines. Good colonic bacteria flourish in a more acidic environment, so in a less acidic environment, unfavorable strains can grow.  

Toxins: Pesticides, herbicides, glyphosate from GMO corn and other foods, environmental chemicals, infections, and even stress can negatively shift the microbiome.

Diet: Eating a diet low in fermentable fibers and resistant starches (found in veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains) will also decrease bacterial diversity. Dairy, sugar, and gluten are major culprits in promoting bacterial imbalances.

The Pill: Contraceptive pills damage your microbiome as much as antibiotics do! The pill is known to promote candida overgrowth and SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) as well. Recent research has linked oral contraceptive use to development of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, too.  

The good news is there is a lot we can do to support better gut health - leading to better hormone health.

The best ways to support a healthy microbiome for healthy hormones, is through a diverse whole food diet, optimizing digestion, and taking steps to lower inflammation.

  • Eat fermented foods - Sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, etc.
  • Eat prebiotics/fiber - Found in root vegetables, flax seed, psyllium, beans, seeds, nuts, fruits and veggies. Women who eat more fibers from plants clear greater levels of estrogen in their stool.
  • Take probiotics - In particular, Lactobacillus Acidophilus helps lower beta-glucuronidase!
  • Optimize the environment of your digestive tract so good bacteria flourish there - This is similar to prepping the soil in your garden beds. Digestive secretions like pancreatic enzymes, stomach acid, and bile help optimize the conditions in the gut to promote the desirable bacteria. Taking these supplementally if you are deficient can help prime the gut for healthy colonization.

Get Your Gut & Hormones Humming

Every woman’s health is unique - but if a woman is having hormone symptoms, it almost always comes back to gut health! Heavy periods, adult acne, and PMS may not seem like they are related to your gut, but they so often are! That’s why I always test and treat the gut alongside hormone balance problems in my clinic.

Remember, our hormones don’t break in isolation! It’s almost always a sign of a problem somewhere else in the body. If you are struggling with your hormones, don’t forget to consider your gut health!

I hope this article and my suggestions for optimizing gut health help you. Need more help unraveling the root cause of your hormone issues? Want to run the right testing, so that you can really know for certain, what’s going on with your hormones and gut? I love to help women like you get back to radiant health so they can live big!  If you’re interested in learning more about how I do this, you can book a free 20-minute prospective patient call here.