Your Gut Might Be the Reason for Your Hormone Imbalance

women's healthhormone balancegut healthwellness
Written By Emily Timm

Your gut and your hormones are constantly communicating through a complex, two-way system. Not only do your gut bacteria help regulate hormone levels, but your hormones also shape your gut microbiome.

One of the most important players in this relationship is the estrobolome—a collection of gut bacteria that specifically helps metabolize estrogen. These bacteria produce an enzyme called β-glucuronidase, which essentially “unlocks” estrogens that your liver packages up for removal, allowing them to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

When your estrobolome is out of balance (due to dysbiosis, inflammation, or poor diet), this process can go haywire. You might reabsorb too much estrogen, leading to estrogen dominance, which is linked to conditions like PMS, fibroids, PCOS, and even breast cancer.

Sex hormones don’t just respond to the gut—they also influence it.

Estrogen and testosterone can shape the types of microbes that thrive in your gut. For example, during different phases of the menstrual cycle or menopause, your gut microbial composition changes. This can affect your digestion, immune function, and inflammation levels—all of which can influence hormone regulation.

In other words: hormone shifts change your gut, and gut shifts change your hormones.

Your gut also interacts with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis—the hormonal pathway that controls your reproductive system. Gut imbalances can create inflammation or nutrient deficiencies that interfere with this axis, potentially disrupting ovulation, menstrual regularity, and fertility.

If you suspect your gut might be impacting your hormones, stool testing can give you a much deeper look. We can assess:

  • Bacterial diversity

  • β-glucuronidase levels

  • Gut pathogens or inflammation

  • Markers of digestion and detox

By healing the gut, we support balanced hormone production, smoother cycles, improved mood, and better metabolism.

Want help figuring out what your gut is trying to tell you? Book your 1:1 Women’s Wellness Package.

Emily Timm