The Gut-Hormone Connection: How Digestion Impacts Your Hormonal Balance

Guest post by Dee Davidson, FDN-P

When people think about hormone health, they often focus on the thyroid, ovaries, or adrenal glands. However, one of the most overlooked yet crucial aspects of hormonal balance is gut health. As a Functional Health Practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how digestive imbalances contribute to everything from PMS and infertility to thyroid dysfunction and adrenal fatigue. Understanding the gut-hormone connection is key to unlocking better health, and today, we’ll dive into why your digestive system plays a leading role in your hormone function.

Why Gut Health is Essential for Hormone Balance

Your gut does more than just digest food—it influences hormone production, metabolism, and detoxification. An unhealthy gut can lead to hormonal imbalances that cause a wide range of symptoms, including mood swings, weight gain, and fatigue. Here’s how it all connects:

1. Your Gut Microbiome Regulates Estrogen

Inside your gut, there’s a group of bacteria known as the estrobolome, which helps metabolize and eliminate excess estrogen. If your gut bacteria are imbalanced due to dysbiosis (an overgrowth of harmful bacteria), your body may struggle to process estrogen properly. This can lead to:

Heavy or irregular periods
PMS and mood swings
Weight gain, particularly around the hips and thighs
Increased risk of estrogen-dominant conditions like PCOS and endometriosis

2. Leaky Gut and Chronic Inflammation Disrupt Hormones

A damaged gut lining, often referred to as leaky gut, allows toxins and undigested food particles to enter the bloodstream. This triggers chronic inflammation, which can stress the adrenal glands and throw off cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone levels. Common signs of leaky gut include:

Food sensitivities
Skin issues like acne, eczema, or rosacea
Brain fog and fatigue
Autoimmune conditions

3. Your Gut Produces & Activates Key Hormones

Your gut is directly involved in the production of neurotransmitters and hormones that impact mood, energy, and metabolism. For example:

Serotonin (the "feel-good" hormone) – About 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, impacting mood, sleep, and stress resilience.
Thyroid Hormones – The gut helps convert T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) into T3 (active thyroid hormone), affecting energy and metabolism.

If your gut isn’t functioning well, your thyroid and adrenal health can take a hit, leading to low energy, sluggish metabolism, and difficulty losing weight.

How to Heal Your Gut & Support Your Hormones

Now that we’ve covered how digestion impacts hormones, let’s talk about what you can do to restore balance.

1. Optimize Your Gut Microbiome

Eat a diverse diet with fiber-rich and fermented foods
Get a functional stool test to assess gut imbalances
Cut back on processed foods and refined sugar, which feed bad bacteria

2. Support Estrogen Detoxification

Eat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
Stay hydrated with filtered water to flush out excess hormones
Support your liver with castor oil packs, dandelion tea, and milk thistle

3. Heal Leaky Gut & Reduce Inflammation

Remove inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, and refined sugar
Repair the gut lining with collagen, bone broth, and L-glutamine
Lower stress, since chronic cortisol spikes contribute to gut issues

4. Balance Blood Sugar for Stable Hormones

Prioritize protein, healthy fats, and fiber at each meal
Avoid skipping meals or relying too much on caffeine
Support insulin sensitivity with chromium, magnesium, and cinnamon

If you’re dealing with hormonal imbalances, digestive issues, or unexplained symptoms, functional lab testing can help uncover hidden stressors. Some of the most effective tests include:

GI-MAP Stool Test – Identifies gut infections, parasites, and dysbiosis HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) – Assesses mineral imbalances affecting thyroid and adrenal function DUTCH Hormone Test – Provides a full picture of sex and adrenal hormone levels.

Your gut health is the foundation of your hormonal balance, metabolism, and overall well-being. If you’re feeling off and suspect your digestion may be contributing to hormone issues, addressing the root cause is the key to long-term health. Healing is possible, and by nourishing your gut, you can reclaim balance, energy, and vitality.

You can learn more by listening to my conversation with Dee on the gut-hormone connection on Episode 36 of my podcast, Resolve IBS and IBD Naturally.

About the Author

Dee Davidson, FDN-P, is a Board Certified Functional Health Practitioner specializing in hormone balance, and holistic wellness. Her journey into functional health began with her own struggles with unexplained infertility, which sparked a passion for addressing root causes and restoring balance naturally. Over the years, she has studied ADHD, gut health, and hormonal weight gain while helping her family and clients achieve lasting wellness.