What are the Root Causes of Hormonal Imbalance? A Functional Medicine Doctor Answers

Many people assume hormone imbalances are just a natural part of aging (hello, menopause). And while age-related hormone shifts are normal, often they’re only one piece of the puzzle. 

Hormones don’t operate in isolation. They affect one another and are influenced by your diet, lifestyle, environment, and other underlying causes. So if you’re dealing with hormonal symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, or mood swings, it may be time to look deeper. 

In this article, I’ll break down some root causes of hormonal imbalance that are easy to miss and how functional medicine can help uncover what’s really going on.

What are Hormones?

Hormones are chemical messengers that play a role in nearly every function in your body. They send signals through your blood to your organs and tissues, and help regulate hundreds of bodily processes, including:

• Metabolism
• Energy
• Growth and development
• Reproduction
• Sexual function
• Mood 
• Stress response
• Sleep cycle

What Is a Hormonal Imbalance?

Simply put, a hormone imbalance is when your body has too much or too little of one or more hormones. 

Now, keep in mind that there are over 50 hormones in the human body.¹ Each hormone serves its own specific roles. So ‘hormone imbalance’ is an umbrella term that can vary a ton from person to person. 

Here’s a peek at a few key hormones and how they help your body:

• Sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect reproduction, fertility, and sexual function
• Cortisol: helps your body respond to stress
• Insulin: regulates blood sugar & metabolism
• Leptin: satiety hormone that signals fullness
• Ghrelin: hunger hormone that stimulates appetite
• Melatonin: helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle
• Serotonin: “happy hormone” that influences mood, digestion, gut health, and sleep

As you may have guessed, when one or more hormones get out of balance, it can disrupt the processes those hormones help regulate. 

The Goal: Hormone Harmony

Hormones are interconnected and work together, much like instruments in an orchestra. Meaning, when one gets “out of tune”, it can trigger imbalances in others. 

Keep in mind that hormones aren’t meant to stay static. They naturally fluctuate during the day, month, and different stages of life. Ups and downs are totally normal. So achieving perfect hormone balance is never the goal. The goal is hormone harmony.

Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance

If hormone levels stay too high or too low for too long, symptoms may start to show up. 

Here are some signs of hormone imbalance to watch for:

Mood and cognitive symptoms

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Insomnia
• Brain fog

Skin and hair changes

• Acne
• Dry skin
• Skin tags
• Darkened skin on your underarms or the back or sides of neck
• Thin, warm, and moist skin
• Hair loss
• Hirsutism (excess body hair)

Reproductive or sexual health changes

• Heavy or irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Loss of libido
• Infertility

Other Body Changes

• Fatigue
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Loss of muscle mass
• Numbness or tingling in the hands
• Intolerance to hot or cold temperatures
• Frequent urination
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats

What are the Root Causes of Hormonal Imbalance?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. Pregnancy, menopause, autoimmune conditions, and certain medications can all contribute to hormonal shifts. But some culprits aren’t as clear.

As a functional medicine doctor in Orland Park, IL, here are some root causes of hormonal imbalance that I often see in patients at Anchored in Health:

Perimenopause

During perimenopause, the transition before menopause, hormone production in the ovaries slows down. This causes reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone to fluctuate and gradually decline.

While these hormonal shifts are totally normal, for many women, they can lead to a slew of symptoms. Hot flashes, weight gain, insomnia, and mood swings are all common. Symptoms tend to be more severe if other root causes are present.

Chronic stress

Chronic stress keeps your body stuck in survival mode. This can elevate levels of cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone. If cortisol stays high, it can lead to weight gain, fatigue, and anxiety, among other things.

Since hormones influence one another, when cortisol remains high, it can disrupt other hormones. Estrogen, progesterone, insulin, thyroid hormones, and melatonin can all get thrown off by chronic stress.

Blood sugar

If your hormones feel off, you may want to check out your blood sugar. Blood sugar swings cause your body to pump out more insulin. This can contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, and lead to a domino effect of other hormone imbalances. 

One of them is high cortisol. Blood sugar crashes spike cortisol because your body sees them as a form of stress. High insulin can also disrupt appetite hormones like ghrelin and leptin, and increase male sex hormones in women.

PMOS

Polyendocrine metabolic ovary syndrome (PMOS) is a hormone and metabolic condition that affects roughly 1 in 8 women. ² Formerly known as PCOS, it’s one of the most common causes of female infertility. 

Women with PMOS have ovaries that produce too many androgens (male sex hormones). This throws off the balance of other reproductive hormones and can lead to symptoms like:

• Insulin resistance 
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Unpredictable ovulation
• Missed periods
• Acne
• Excess body hair

Poor sleep

Erratic bedtimes and lack of sleep confuse your body’s internal clock. This can decrease melatonin production and throw off your body’s natural cortisol patterns. Rather than falling in the evening, cortisol may stay high. This can make it harder to wind down, creating a vicious cycle.

Poor sleep can also increase insulin resistance, raise your blood sugar, and affect your appetite.³ It increases the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases leptin, the hormone that signals you’re full.

Thyroid dysfunction

Your thyroid gland releases hormones that regulate your metabolism and energy. When thyroid hormones are in the sweet spot, it helps your energy, mood, and weight stay steady.

If the thyroid produces too much or too little of these hormones, things can go awry. Common signs include weight changes, fatigue, hair loss, and sensitivity to cold. Thyroid imbalance can also affect the production of reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone.⁴ 

Poor diet

What you put on your plate also affects hormone health. Your body relies on certain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to make and clear hormones. Healthy fats, magnesium, vitamin D, zinc, and B vitamins are some of the most important ones. 

Eating too many processed foods, sugar, or unhealthy fats can make it harder to get your fill of these nutrients. These foods also create chronic inflammation, which can disrupt hormone signaling.

Poor gut health

Gut health also influences hormone balance. Part of your gut microbiome is in charge of metabolizing and regulating estrogen.⁵ Known as your estrobolome, it produces an enzyme that helps keep estrogen in balance. If your estrobolome becomes unhealthy, estrogen levels may get too high or too low.

Poor gut health can also increase intestinal permeability (aka “leaky gut”). This creates chronic inflammation, which can increase cortisol and make it harder to convert thyroid hormones.

Environmental toxins

Many products contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that interfere with hormone balance. These substances mimic or block hormones that your body naturally produces.⁶ 

Common sources include:

• Pesticides
• Plastics
• Fragrances
• Non-stick cookware
• Cosmetics 
• Personal care products
• Cleaning products

EDCs are incredibly common, so avoiding them altogether isn’t realistic. But you can reduce your exposure. 

Consider simple swaps like:

• Replace plastic food storage with glass
• Buy mostly organic foods 
• Switch to natural, non-toxic products 
• Use a reusable stainless steel water bottle

Your hormones will thank you!  

Hidden infections

Chronic infections can also disrupt hormone balance. Pathogens like Epstein-Barr virus, Lyme disease, candida overgrowth, and SIBO can all throw hormones off. 

When these hidden microbes linger, they can overactivate the immune system. This can trigger chronic inflammation, impair detox, and make it harder to metabolize and clear hormones.

How Do I Fix My Hormonal Imbalance?

Lifestyle foundations

Simple habits that help support hormonal balance:

• Practice daily stress relief: Relaxation tools like deep breathing, meditation, or time in nature to help reset your stress response. Even a few minutes can support hormone health.
• Keep blood sugar steady: Eat balanced meals with a mix of protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep glucose stable. 
• Prioritize sleep hygiene: Keep a consistent sleep routine and steer clear of screens 1-2 hours before bed. For a deeper dive, check out my functional medicine sleep guide. 
• Eat mostly whole foods: Limit processed foods, and focus on whole foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and high-quality protein. 
• Move your body: Exercise reduces stress hormones, boosts your mood, and promotes blood sugar balance. Aim for gentle, hormone-friendly movement like walking and yoga.

If these habits are new to you, don’t feel the need to tackle them all at once. That will only lead to more stress! Instead, choose one to focus on, and add another as you feel ready. 

When to dig deeper

If you’ve made healthy lifestyle changes, but are still struggling with hormone-related symptoms, it may be time to investigate further. This is where functional medicine in Orland Park, IL can be valuable.

Many underlying root causes can contribute to hormone imbalances, including:

• Thyroid dysfunction
• Inflammation
• High or low blood sugar 
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Environmental toxins
• Gut imbalances
• Hidden infections

Functional medicine uses advanced testing to uncover what’s driving hormonal imbalances. Depending on your symptoms, this may include comprehensive hormone testing, thyroid panels, or gut testing. 

The goal isn’t to manage symptoms, but to understand why those symptoms are occurring in the first place. This allows treatment to be more personalized and effective.

Find the Root Cause of Hormone Imbalances with Functional Medicine in Orland Park, IL

Hormonal imbalances can affect everything from your weight and sleep to your mood, energy, and skin. If it feels like your hormones are “off,” you don’t have to keep guessing.

At Anchored in Health, our functional medicine doctor looks beyond symptoms to find the root causes of hormonal imbalance. From there, you get a personalized functional medicine plan to help restore harmony to your hormones.

Live in the Orland Park or Chicago area and looking for a root cause approach to hormone health? Here’s how to get started:

1. Contact us with questions.
2. Book your first appointment with a functional medicine doctor in Orland Park.
3. Get personalized, holistic care to support your hormone health.

Other Holistic Health Services Offered at Anchored in Health in Orland Park, IL

Anchored in Health offers a variety of services to support your health and well-being. This includes chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and the Shape ReClaimed program. We also offer genetic testing, thermography, and Vibrant Wellness testing to get to the root of mysterious health symptoms. If you live near the Orland Park area and are looking to take a holistic approach to your health, we’re here to support you. Reach out to us today!

Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.

Reading this blog does not establish a doctor-patient relationship between you and Anchored In Health or any of its practitioners. Reliance on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk.

Sources:

1. Hormonal Imbalance | Cleveland Clinic 
2. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process | The Lancet
3. The Impact of Sleep and Circadian Disturbance on Hormones and Metabolism | PMC
4. A New Perspective on Thyroid Hormones: Crosstalk with Reproductive Hormones in Females | PMC
5. The Gut Microbiome and Sex Hormone-Related Diseases | PMC
6. Environmental toxins and the impact of other endocrine-disrupting chemicals in women’s reproductive health | PMC