Hormones don’t just affect your period or fertility — they influence everything from your energy, mood, and sleep to how sharp your mind feels.
If something feels off lately, but your test results come back “normal,” your hormones might be quietly trying to tell you something.
What many women don’t realise is that hormone imbalances often begin in the brain, not just the ovaries or thyroid. Your brain regulates your hormonal rhythm, sleep/wake cycles, stress response, and emotional tone. When that internal communication breaks down, the effects ripple through your whole system.
Signs OF Hormone Imbalance in Women
These signs are common — but they’re not something you have to live with. Let’s look at what your body might be trying to say.
You wake up tired — even after a full night’s sleep
Fatigue isn’t always about how long you sleep. It can be a sign of circadian disruption or a dysregulated stress-response system. If your brain isn’t properly signalling your body to produce cortisol in the morning, you stay foggy and flat.
This is why so many women feel tired and wired — exhausted in the morning, and alert when they should be winding down.
I remember this clearly from my own life. I was studying two courses at once, and after a while, I began having trouble waking up in the mornings. I would walk my son to school, come home, and go straight back to bed. After the gym, instead of feeling energised, I felt like I was dragging myself through the day. When I ran a DUTCH hormone test, it confirmed what I suspected: my cortisol was low across the board.
Your mood swings are getting worse — and more frequent
Hormonal mood changes are very real. Your brain is incredibly sensitive to hormonal shifts, especially estrogen and progesterone. When these become imbalanced — often due to stress, inflammation, or sluggish detox pathways — your brain chemistry follows.
If you’re feeling more reactive, anxious, or emotionally flat, your hormones might be behind it — not a character flaw.
Personally, I’ve always been known for being calm and grounded. But after having my son, my sleep became light and broken. I woke up often and felt on edge. When I tested my hormones, my progesterone was much lower than my estrogen — a common postpartum pattern. Even something as simple as waiting for a taxi made me feel anxious, which was totally unlike me.
High estrogen that’s not properly balanced by progesterone can affect your emotional regulation, increase overwhelm, and disrupt sleep — and I experienced all of this firsthand.
You’re bloated all the time — even when you eat well
Bloating isn’t just a gut issue — it’s often a hormonal one too.
Estrogen clearance, liver detox, and gut microbiome health are closely connected. If your digestion feels sluggish, unpredictable, or you’re constantly bloated, it might be hormonal signals interfering with your gut’s rhythm, inflammation levels, or enzyme function.
The estrobolome: your gut’s influence on estrogen
One of the most overlooked parts of hormonal balance is your gut — specifically, your estrobolome.
This is a collection of gut bacteria that helps metabolise and clear estrogen from the body. But when this system isn’t working well — often due to dysbiosis, inflammation, or poor diet — estrogen doesn’t get cleared properly. It can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, even if your body isn’t producing too much.
When estrogen gets recycled like this, it can contribute to symptoms like:
- Heavy or painful periods
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Bloating or water retention
I experienced this myself after I stopped breastfeeding. My periods became extremely heavy, my breasts were sore, and I felt overwhelmed for no clear reason. It wasn’t that I was producing too much estrogen — I just wasn’t clearing it properly. Improving my diet, increasing cruciferous vegetables, and getting back into regular exercise made a big difference.
If your gut isn’t functioning well, it’s hard for your hormones to stay balanced — no matter what else you’re doing.
Your skin is breaking out — again
Hormonal acne — especially around the jawline or chin — is often a sign that androgens (like testosterone) or insulin are out of balance. It’s not about skincare. It’s your endocrine system trying to get your attention.
In my 20s, I had a stressful job and started breaking out with painful spots along my jaw. I even wondered if it was my phone pressing against my face. Eventually, I was put on antibiotics, but no one explained the real cause. Looking back, I can see stress was impacting my hormones and my gut — and that’s what led to those breakouts.
If you notice acne flares around ovulation or before your period, or if you’ve recently come off the pill, your skin might be reflecting your hormones recalibrating.
Don’t feel like yourself anymore
This is the most subtle — and most powerful — symptom of all.
You might feel less sharp, less driven, or just off.
You’re not imagining it. Your motivation, clarity, and mood are all shaped by hormonal signals. When those get disrupted, it’s easy to feel disconnected from your old self.
I went through a time when my period was so heavy I couldn’t leave the house for an hour. My breasts were incredibly tender, and I often felt tearful and overwhelmed. When I tested my hormones, estrogen was dominant and progesterone was too low to buffer it. These are clear signs of internal imbalance — and they’re not “just part of being a woman.”
You don’t have to guess anymore
If any of this sounds familiar, please know it’s not “just stress” or “just life.”
Your hormones may be out of balance — and that imbalance could be affecting your energy, mood, digestion, skin, and sense of self.
In my practice, I help women uncover these root causes using tools like the DUTCH hormone test, alongside nutrition and lifestyle strategies tailored to your body.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Ready to explore your hormones with expert support?
Learn more about hormone testing
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