The Link Between Gut Health & Hormones
When it comes to hormonal health, we often focus on the usual suspects: the ovaries, adrenal glands, and thyroid. However, there's another critical aspect—the gut. There is growing research that highlights the gut's role in regulating hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone. For women with conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, or persistent hormonal imbalances, the gut might be the missing piece of the puzzle.
The gut isn't just about digestion; it's home to many microorganisms that influence various functions in the body, including hormone metabolism. A key player in this process is the estrobolome, a collection of gut bacteria that metabolizes estrogens. An imbalance in these bacteria can disrupt estrogen levels, leading to symptoms such as painful periods, mood swings, and other menstrual irregularities.
When to Consider Taking a Deeper Dive
If you have struggled with hormonal symptoms that haven’t improved with foundational nutrition and lifestyle changes or if you have a diagnosed condition such as PCOS or endometriosis, functional lab testing may be a good next step.
In clinical practice we often use functional lab testing to help uncover hidden drivers of gut and hormone symptoms. The GI-MAP is a comprehensive stool test our team uses regularly with our clients. This stool test can help provide insights into bacteria balance, markers of inflammation and immune dysfunction, digestive capacity, and even hormone detoxification. Two key markers of the GI MAP that help determine underlying causes for hormonal imbalance include commensal bacteria and beta-glucuronidase.
Commensal Bacteria are the beneficial species in the gut that help to support digestion, immune function, regulate inflammation, and you guessed it—hormone metabolism.
Beta-Glucuronidase is an enzyme produced by our gut bacteria. It plays a role in the packaging of estrogens, for its final phase of detoxification. Imbalances in the beneficial gut bacteria can lead to over activation of this enzyme in the gut. When beta-glucuronidase is elevated it can unpackage estrogen leading to estrogen being reabsorbed back into circulation. This can result in symptoms of estrogen dominance (heavy periods, cramping, PMS, breast tenderness).
This is a GI MAP we ran on a client with a diagnosis of endometriosis who was struggling with painful periods, fatigue, and constipation. We can see low beneficial bacteria and the beta-glucuronidase enzyme elevated. It’s worth noting that constipation can be part of the picture contributing to hormonal imbalance because the last phase of hormone detoxification happens at the level of the gut. If you are not pooping daily, those hormones that should have been excreted can get absorbed back into circulation contributing to hormonal symptoms.
Strategies to Support Gut and Hormonal Health
Addressing gut health can be a big needle mover for those who have been working on supporting hormones but haven’t found full resolution. Some key things to consider are:
Increase intake of prebiotic foods like colorful fruits and vegetables.
Incorporate fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi to introduce probiotics.
Manage stress through mindfulness practices, as chronic stress can alter gut permeability and bacteria balance.
Hydrate well and consume fiber rich foods to keep bowel movements regular.
Practice mindfulness during meals to optimize digestion (i.e. sit down, take a few deep breaths, chew food thoroughly).
Check out The Funk’tional Nutritionist podcast for more information about the link between gut health and hormones: Episode 346: How to Balance Your Hormones Through Healing Your Gut & Episode 312: Estrogen Dominance & Detox: What You Need to Know.
If you are ready to understand your gut health on a deeper level, this is the work we do in the 1:1 Functional C.A.R.E Method™. We use functional lab testing (like the GI-MAP) to uncover what’s actually going on in your gut so we can create a personalized treatment plan that supports your hormones, digestion, and overall health.
