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When you’re struggling to lose weight, your periods are irregular, your mood is all over the place, your libido disappears, or your energy tanks, the first thing most people think is:
“It must be my hormones.”
But what if it’s not your hormones causing the chaos?
What if the real issue starts in your gut?
When taking a more functional approach to your health, we look upstream. And more often than not, the gut is ground zero for hormone-related symptoms.
The Gut–Hormone Connection: What Most People Overlook
Our gut is so much more than just where food goes. It’s home to:
- 70% of your immune system
- The majority of your serotonin production
- Your body’s main detoxification and elimination systems
When your gut is inflamed, sluggish, or out of balance, it can disrupt how your body produces, metabolizes, and clears hormones.
How the Gut Impacts Hormone Health
One of the gut’s most important (and least talked about) jobs is helping your body eliminate excess estrogen. When digestion is slow or your microbiome is imbalanced, that estrogen doesn’t leave—it gets reabsorbed and recirculated.
The result? Symptoms like:
- PMS
- Acne
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings
- Weight fluctuations
Interestingly, the liver can also be viewed as a hormone filter. It processes and packages up used hormones for elimination and then sends them to the gut to be removed.
But if your gut is inflamed or not functioning properly, it’s like a traffic jam at the end of the freeway. That “waste” has nowhere to go. The liver “backs up” and symptoms can flare up.
Your gut microbiome isn’t just along for the ride—it actively influences your endocrine system. Certain gut bacteria can regulate how much estrogen is produced and reabsorbed. But if harmful bacteria are dominating (a state called dysbiosis), this balance is thrown off, impacting everything from cortisol to thyroid hormones.
What You Can Do: Start with the Basics
Improving your gut health doesn’t have to be complicated—but it does require consistency and strategy. Here’s where to start:
- Eat More Fiber: Aim for 25–35 grams per day. Fiber feeds good gut bacteria, supports healthy bowel movements, and helps eliminate excess estrogen.
- Balance Your Blood Sugar: Prioritize protein, fiber, and healthy fats at every meal. Stable blood sugar = stable hormones.
- Poop Daily: Yes, really. At least one complete bowel movement a day keeps detox pathways open and prevents hormone backup.
- Test, Don’t Guess: If symptoms persist, functional lab testing (like a GI MAP stool test or a DUTCH test) can uncover the root cause and guide your healing plan.
TL;DR
Your symptoms are real—but they aren’t random.
You don’t have to keep spinning your wheels with guesswork and generic hormone supplements. You just need a smarter approach.
At LVLTN Coaching, we have several coaches who specialize in helping women get to the root cause of their hormonal chaos through functional testing, gut-focused protocols, and a sustainable, whole-body strategy.
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