Is Cortisol Disrupting your Hormones?

Cortisol directly impacts how hormones function in your body. This is a huge reason why hundreds of dollars of supplements are doing nothing to support your skin issues, hair loss, weight gain, or painful or irregular periods. How does this happen?

What I see driving chronically high levels of cortisol most often is undernourishment and lack of rest/recovery. This can come from things like

• under eating or skipping meals

• avoiding quality carbs and sugar

• over-exercising, prioritizing cardio or HIIT workouts

• relying on processed convenience foods (even "healthy" ones)

• eating "clean" but lacking vitamin and mineral rich foods

• over consuming anti-nutrient rich foods (nuts/ seeds/ legumes/ grains /raw vegetables)

• lack of sleep with an over use of screen time

When cortisol levels increase, it increases blood levels of endotoxin. Endotoxin can stimulate the production of new estrogen. Furthermore, excess estrogen actually increases cortisol levels even more in the body. This cyclical process keeps you stuck in a place of chronic estrogen and cortisol production.

Progesterone is the hormone that opposes estrogen. However, this hormone is extremely sensitive to cortisol. When there are high levels of cortisol, progesterone production will be suppressed and estrogen will be left unopposed. This is when we see symptoms of estrogen dominance, slowing metabolic function and thyroid health, fertility issues, and inflammation in the body.

So how do we support the balance between estrogen and progesterone?

• Supporting the foundations of a healthy metabolism through consuming a metabolically supportive diet, improving digestion and detox, supporting healthy blood sugar levels, and balancing minerals. I talk about how to do through my IG and website and I share the exact steps that you need to take in Flourish Glow Up and with my 1:1 clients.

• Reduce estrogen drivers and encourage adequate detox

• Support healthy ovulation and progesterone production