Have you experienced a sudden inability to lose weight, a consistent afternoon crash, or the feeling that your once-reliable mind is now shrouded in a perpetual fog? Maybe you’ve visited your doctor. He gave you a basic blood test and told you that “everything looks normal,” or WORSE that your concerns are just the effects of “aging” or “stress.”

Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. At Primal Wellness Clinic, we reject the idea that these symptoms are inevitable and “normal.” From weight gain and fatigue to anxiety and mood swings, these symptoms are often signs of a deeper issue.

Today we’re going to talk about one of the most common underlying issues I see in patients every day, hormone imbalance. Your hormones act as the master communicators of your body and when they become imbalanced, your entire system suffers. However, there is good news. Through functional medicine we can restore your body’s natural hormonal balance and have you feeling like yourself again!

This guide is intended to empower you with the truth about hormones, why they might be failing you, and the proven steps we take at Primal Wellness Clinic to ensure long-term results.

What are the signs of hormonal imbalance in women?

Think of your endocrine system like a band on stage playing a concert. When the bass player is out of tune or the drummer loses her rhythm, the entire performance suffers. The truth is that hormone imbalance symptoms vary from person to person and often overlap with other conditions. This is why they are unfortunately often missed by conventional medical tests.

Check out our hormone imbalance symptom list below. If you are struggling with two or more of the following symptoms, your body may be crying out for help.

1. Chronic fatigue that does not improve with sleep - This is the most common symptom of hormone imbalance due to thyroid dysfunction or adrenal burnout.

2. Weight gain, especially around the midsection, that does not improve with diet and exercise - This can be caused by cortisol imbalance that makes weight loss impossible or insulin resistance, often linked to PCOS.

3. Drastic emotional and/or mental shifts - Erratic estrogen and progesterone levels can trigger anxiety, irritability, and even panic attacks, while estrogen dominance can cause heavy periods, breast tenderness, and severe PMS.

4. Issues with sleep and inconsistent cycles - for women approaching their 40s and 50s, perimenopause can induce hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, heavy bleeding, and skipped cycles.

Are there hidden root causes of hormone imbalance?

Understanding the reason behind your imbalance is the first toward healing it. And while it’s rarely just one thing, we can focus on the unique combination of stressors sabotaging your endocrine system. Let’s dig into some of the most common root causes.

1. Stress - this is perhaps the single most potent driver of chronic health issues in women today. When you experience stress, daily, your body demands high levels of cortisol at any cost. This means your body steals the precursors needed to make estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in order to meet the cortisol demands. Prolonged cortisol imbalance can lead to adrenal fatigue symptoms, estrogen dominance, and male hormone imbalance in women.

2. Endocrine disruptors (environmental toxins) - From plastics to pesticides, endocrine disrupting chemicals are found everywhere around us. These can overload the liver, preventing it from detoxifying and eliminating used hormones. This recycling failure leads to higher estrogen dominance.

3. Nutrient deficiencies - If your gut microbiome is in dysbiosis, it can produce an enzyme that sends broken down hormones from your gut back into circulation. This exacerbates estrogen dominance. Furthermore, a poor diet can lead to deficiencies that drive severe thyroid dysfunction from a lack of selenium, iodine, and zinc.

How do you test for hormone imbalance?

At Primal Wellness Clinic, we go far beyond standard lab panels. We gather functional, deep, and actionable data in order to build a unique treatment plan for every patient. Starting with comprehensive hormone testing, we assess your sex hormone levels, their metabolites, and the rhythm of your cortisol imbalance throughout the day. Next we process a complete thyroid panel that includes TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and all relevant antibodies, helping us discover any subtle thyroid dysfunction that may be typically missed. Last but not least, we look at fasting insulin and glucose to look for the insulin resistance that often exists with PCOS and chronic weight gain.

Can you fix hormonal imbalance with diet?

Diet and lifestyle are the foundation of natural hormone balance. It is one of the most powerful tools you can use to regulate your endocrine system. Here are some key points to focus on when planning your meals.

• Liver support - Consuming cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts can help the liver detoxify excess estrogen and endocrine disruptors.

• The power of fiber - Flaxseeds and other sources of whole food fiber bind to the used hormones in the gut, ensuring they are properly excreted.

• Blood sugar stability - Getting off the sugar wagon is a difficult step for most people. Remember that a diet low in refined sugar and high in healthy fat and protein is crucial for managing insulin and preventing stubborn weight gain.

• Anti-inflammatory focus - Reducing inflammatory foods like dairy, gluten, and processed sugars, calms the systemic inflammation that both stresses adrenals and interferes with proper thyroid function.

What does functional medicine holistic hormone therapy look like?

You deserve more than a temporary fix. At Primal Wellness Clinic, our hormone therapy model focuses on identifying and removing the root cause of stressors like hidden infections, food sensitivities, and endocrine disruptions. We then support the adrenal system to heal cortisol imbalance. Next, we repair the gut lining to ensure proper hormone elimination. Last, we replenish any nutritional deficiencies and create a targeted plan of action to restore the perfect rhythm between estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This tackles issues like perimenopause and PCOS at their core!

It’s time to take action!

If you’re fed up with exhaustion, weight gain, or mood swings that have stolen your energy and happiness, I’m here to empower you with the knowledge that it does not have to be this way. The sooner you address hormone imbalance, the easier and faster the road to recovery will be.

Don’t spend another year feeling deflated, depleted, or dismissed. If you’re ready for a comprehensive, root-cause solution based on complete function testing, click here to schedule your initial consultation with Primal Wellness Clinic.