07/23/2025
🧬 Your hormones don’t work in isolation — they function like a symphony. When one is out of tune, others try to compensate.
🔁 Thyroid & Cortisol
Stress (high cortisol) slows down your thyroid by reducing TSH and converting T4 to reverse T3 — the inactive form. On the flip side, a low-functioning thyroid stresses your body, pushing cortisol higher.
➡️ It’s a vicious cycle that can leave you tired, wired, and foggy.
💥 Insulin & Testosterone
When insulin is chronically elevated (due to sugar, stress, or inflammation), testosterone levels can drop — especially in men. In women, it can do the opposite and raise testosterone (hello PCOS).
🧠 Insulin control = hormone balance.
⚖️ Estrogen & Progesterone
These two work hand-in-hand to regulate your cycle, mood, and metabolism. But when estrogen dominates and progesterone can’t keep up — anxiety, PMS, and heavy periods take over.
💡 It’s not just about having enough estrogen — it’s about the balance.
🔥 Cortisol & Insulin
Cortisol raises blood sugar to fuel your fight-or-flight response. But if you're always stressed, insulin rises too — leading to crashes, cravings, and eventually resistance.
📉 Calm your cortisol = balance your blood sugar.
🌿 DHEA & Cortisol
Cortisol and DHEA are both made in your adrenals. Chronic stress prioritizes cortisol and depletes DHEA — your feel-good, anti-aging, pro-recovery hormone.
Support adrenal balance = support your vitality.
⚠️ Thyroid & Estrogen
Too much estrogen can reduce thyroid hormone uptake. And a sluggish thyroid reduces liver function — where estrogen is cleared.
It’s a two-way block that can fuel estrogen dominance and hypothyroid symptoms.
🛡️ Testosterone & Progesterone
Progesterone helps keep testosterone in balance, especially in women. When it drops (e.g. in perimenopause), testosterone may dominate — causing moodiness, acne, or low libido.
✨ Progesterone is your calm, steady anchor.
➡Don’t chase one hormone in isolation. Whether you're dealing with fatigue, PMS, weight gain, or brain fog — it’s the hormonal ecosystem that needs attention.
✨ Functional medicine looks at the full picture.
💬 Which hormone pair surprised you the most?
