Gut Health and Hormone Balance: What’s The Connection?

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I’m sure every woman can relate to occasional hormone symptoms… annoying breakouts, random spotting, and the vicious cycle of mood swings and food cravings. I definitely can, as these things used to happen to me too often. I’m talking spotting throughout the month and the breakouts along my jawline that wouldn’t budge. I wrote it all off as just part of being a woman and my hormones just being “off”.

Weirdly, once I started healing my gut, a lot of my nagging hormone symptoms went away with it. I never would have connected my gut health to my hormone health before, but turns out…it very likely was part of the problem.

If you’ve been trying to figure out your hormones forever with no real answers…same, girl. Keep reading because I’m breaking down exactly how your gut fits into the picture, and what you can actually do about it.

Your Gut Is Kind Of A Big Deal (For More Than Just Digestion)

Most of us probably think of the gut as serving one purpose… to digest our food. While you’re not wrong that digestion is one of the main functions of the gut, it also has so many other functions that go way beyond digestion. But for the sake of this post, I want to focus on one function in particular. Hormone balance.

If you’re thinking “There’s absolutely no way my gut affects my hormones”, trust me, I was shocked too when I learned this. For starters, your gut produces around 20-30 different hormones.

So…How Does Your Gut Actually Affect Your Hormones?

Your gut produces about 90% of your body’s serotonin…let that sink in for a second. That means when your gut is off, likely your mood is off, your stress response is off, and eventually your cortisol can start spiking. And chronically high cortisol is kind of a nightmare for your reproductive hormones, affecting everything from your cycle to your skin to how absolutely unhinged your PMS can feel sometimes.

But the serotonin and cortisol connection is just one piece of the puzzle. Your gut also plays a direct role in how your body manages estrogen…kinda crazy.

Your gut is home to a group of bacteria called the estrobolome. I bet you can guess what hormone these guys are responsible for… estrogen! Basically, their job is to make sure your estrogen levels stay in a good place, not running too high and not dropping too low. When your gut is happy and balanced, your estrobolome is better at doing its job, which can support happier estrogen levels too!

But life happens…I get it. Stress piles up, we don’t always eat perfectly, we may take antibiotics when we need them, and all of that can disrupt the gut in ways that can throw the estrobolome off. When that happens, estrogen may stop being regulated the way it should be, and things can start feeling really out of whack hormonally. This could potentially be associated with frustrating symptoms such as random spotting, hormonal acne, or even mood swings.

Could Your Gut Be Behind Your Hormone Symptoms?

Here’s my favorite question to ask… could this be a gut thing?

Because I spent years writing off my spotting, my jawline acne, and my mood swings as just…”my hormones being my hormones”. It never once occurred to me that my gut might be involved. Looking back, the timing of when those things improved, I realized that maybe my gut was in on it the whole time (and maybe yours is too).

If any of those symptoms sound familiar, (the spotting, the jawline breakouts, the PMS that hits like a truck), it’s at least worth considering whether your gut is part of the picture. Hormones are complicated and there’s never just one answer. But this connection is real, and it’s one worth having a conversation with your doctor if you’ve been searching for answers for a while.

Small Things You Can Do To Support Your Gut and Your Hormones

Okay, so now that I’ve completely changed the way you think about your hormones forever (you’re welcome), let’s talk about what you can actually do with this information.

I have good news! Supporting both doesn’t have to feel like a math equation. You don’t need a 47-step protocol and you definitley don’t need to change up your entire life. Instead, here are just a few simple places to start:

Try Eating More Fiber!

Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut, yes, including the estrobolome. Think of foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and even chia seeds and flaxseeds. The more variety the better. Your gut bacteria love diversity!

Find Movement You Actually Enjoy (And Do it Regularly)

I know that sounds simple but it genuinely makes a difference. Not just for your gut but for your cortisol levels too. And lower cortisol means happier hormones. Even a 20 minute walk counts!

Manage Your Stress…For Real

I know this is so much easier said than done. But because of the gut-brain axis, chronic stress is one of the biggest gut disruptors there is. Small habits go a long way here. Ten minutes outside, a few deep breaths before you start the day, or a journal that you actually write in sometimes…these aren’t just wellness conspiracies, they genuinely make a difference and can help bring your cortisol down!

Prioritize Your Sleep

If you’re like me, this one could use some work. But your gut literally repairs itself while you sleep. So skimping on sleep isn’t just making you tired, it’s also spiking your cortisol, disrupting your microbiome, and making hormone regulation so much harder. Sleep is honestly free medicine, and it’s wildly underrated. Protect your sleep like it matters, because it really does! Try and aim for 7-9 hours each night if you can.

Keep Things Moving… Literally

Okay this one isn’t the most glamorous tip but it’s genuinely important so bear with me. Your body actually eliminates excess hormones through bowel movements, which means if things aren’t moving regularly, those hormones can get reabsorbed back into your system instead of leaving like they’re supposed to. Drinking enough water, eating enough fiber, and keeping stress in check all help keep things moving the way they should. Not sexy…but necessary.

I’ll Leave You With This…

Here’s my unsolicited advice…just start with one thing. he one that feels most doable, or honestly the one that’s been on your mind since you started reading this.

Your gut and your hormones have been working together this whole time; you’re just now learning the language. When you start showing up for one, the other tends to come along for the ride! You got this! Cheers to happy guts and happy hormones!