Menopause Gut and Hormones
- Doc Mac
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The PAUSE
A Hormone, Weight, Health, and Mind Optimization Blog
"Doc, I often hear how the gut is associated with our hormones, therefore, our weight. How is that so?"
More than you can ever imagine.
Your Gut and Hormones
You’ve probably heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” But here’s the truth I’ve seen play out in tens of thousands of patients over my 45 years in practice:
"You are about as happy as your gut is."
Your gut isn’t just a digestion machine. It’s a hormone factory, a nerve center, and—let’s be honest—a bit of a drama queen. When it’s happy, it hums along producing serotonin, balancing cortisol, and helping your thyroid and sex hormones play nicely together.
But when your gut is inflamed or its inhabitants are out of balance, it can throw your entire endocrine system into chaos.
So if you’ve been battling stubborn belly fat, unpredictable moods, or energy that crashes harder than a toddler without a nap, your gut may be the true culprit behind your hormone rollercoaster.
The Microbiome
The Board of Directors for Your Hormones
Inside your digestive tract lives a teeming metropolis of bacteria, yeasts, and microbes—collectively known as your microbiome. These little residents don’t just live rent-free; they’re constantly influencing the messages your hormones send throughout your body.
For example:
Estrogen is partially managed by your gut. Certain bacteria (collectively called the estrobolome) help process and remove excess estrogen from your system. If that balance is off, estrogen can linger, leading to bloating, weight gain around the belly, hips, and breasts, and if you are premenopausal, even PMS symptoms that could make a saint lose patience.
Cortisol, your stress hormone, is affected by gut inflammation. A leaky or imbalanced gut keeps your body in a low-grade fight-or-flight state, keeping cortisol elevated. Translation: stubborn belly fat, sugar cravings, and a brain that feels like it’s stumbling through fog with no idea where you are or where you are going.
Thyroid hormones, your metabolism regulators, depend on gut bacteria to convert inactive T4 into the active T3 your body can actually use. A sluggish gut = a slow metabolism, and that means you can't eat what you want.
Your gut is basically your body’s silent partner in hormone management. When it’s healthy, everything flows. When it’s inflamed, everything slows.
When Gut Health Breaks Down, Hormones Follow
Here’s where things start to unravel.
Modern life doesn’t do your gut any favors. Stress, poor sleep, formulated food, antibiotics, and even artificial sweeteners can strip your microbiome of the diversity it needs to thrive. When that happens, you may notice:
Weight that won’t budge, even with “perfect” eating
Brain fog or mood swings
Sugar and carb cravings
Fatigue that laughs at caffeine
Digestive issues like gas, bloating, or constipation
These aren’t random annoyances. They’re your gut’s way of waving a white flag and yelling, “Hey, your hormones have surrendered to chaos!”
How Healing the Gut Rebalances Hormones
Balancing your hormones isn’t about chasing one lab number at a time—it’s about fixing the ecosystem that supports all of them. That’s where the gut comes in.
Here’s what happens when we rebuild gut health strategically:
Inflammation decreases. Less inflammation means cortisol can calm down, and signals for fat storage start to quieten.
Estrogen detoxification improves. Your liver and gut work in sync to flush out excess estrogen, helping reduce PMS, bloating, and weight retention.
Insulin sensitivity increases. A healthy gut helps stabilize blood sugar, reducing cravings and energy crashes. The longer I practice, the more I have noticed that insulin resistance has become a major culprit in an unhealthy, unhappy life.
Thyroid function perks up. With better nutrient absorption and T4-to-T3 conversion, your metabolism starts acting like it actually wants to work for you again, meaning you can eat lasagna again without all its adverse side effects.
This is why so many of my clients finally lose stubborn weight after we feed the gut correctly—not before.
The Food-Gut-Hormone Triangle
You can’t out-supplement a poor diet, but you can use food strategically to support your hormones through your gut.
Here’s where I usually start:
Feed the good bacteria. Fiber-rich foods like asparagus, garlic, onions, and green bananas help nourish healthy microbes.
Add fermented friends. Sauerkraut, kefir, and kimchi introduce beneficial bacteria to the neighborhood.
Ditch gut irritants. Avoid formulated foods, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners—they’re like throwing gasoline on a microbial bonfire.
Hydrate. Your gut lining depends on water to process waste and maintain the barrier that keeps toxins out of your bloodstream.
But remember: there’s no “one-size-fits-all” gut repair plan. Your gut microbiome is as unique as your fingerprint—and so is your hormonal blueprint.
Why Customization Matters
Over the decades, I’ve learned that optimizing hormones through gut health isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about consistency. The right foods for your gut and hormones depend on your personal balance of estrogen, cortisol, thyroid, and insulin.
That’s why I design customized weight-loss menus tailored to your hormones—menus that work with your biology, not against it. Because when your gut and hormones are in sync, your metabolism doesn’t just speed up… it stabilizes.
Ready to Reset from the Inside Out?
If you’ve been frustrated by no or slow results or a body that seems to have “changed the rules,” your gut may be quietly running the show.
Let’s fix that together.
I’ll personally help you uncover what your gut and hormones need most, and create a customized menu designed to get your metabolism firing again.
I’ve done this for thousands of women over my 45 years of practice. Let’s make you the next success story.
Alisa scheduled and answered when I called (that's an essential component of a consultation), and look what happened.
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This Week's US-IE
This Us-ie is of Vicky and me exploring the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a world-renowned Romanesque cathedral in A Coruña, Spain, and the destination for pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago. Built over the reputed burial site of Saint James the Great, the cathedral is a fusion of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque architecture, reflecting centuries of construction and adaptation. It was consecrated in 1211 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
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🇪🇸 The Macs
Hormone and Weight Optimization Author and Coaches
HOPE isn’t just a feeling. It’s a protocol
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, including zinc, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are taking medications. Individual needs may vary; this content does not replace the advice of a professional medical expert.
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