01/18/2026
✨ Why Do Hormones Make You Bloated? ✨
And why DIM — and the right progesterone — can help
By Dr. Courtney Morgan
If you feel puffy, swollen, or tight in your midsection, especially around your cycle, during perimenopause, or on hormone therapy — hormones are often the reason.
Here’s why 👇
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💧 WHY HORMONES CAUSE BLOATING
1️⃣ Estrogen promotes water retention
When estrogen is high or fluctuating, it causes the body to hold onto salt and water, leading to abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, and swelling.
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2️⃣ Low progesterone worsens bloating
Progesterone acts as a natural diuretic.
When progesterone is low (very common in perimenopause), estrogen’s effects go unchecked — resulting in fluid retention and bloating.
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3️⃣ Estrogen dominance slows digestion
Excess estrogen can:
• Slow gut motility
• Increase gas and constipation
• Cause that “hard belly” feeling
A sluggish gut = more bloating.
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4️⃣ Cortisol (stress hormone) contributes
High stress increases cortisol, which:
• Promotes abdominal fat storage
• Disrupts digestion
• Increases inflammation
Stress + hormones = bloating cocktail.
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🌿 HOW DIM HELPS
DIM (Diindolylmethane) is a natural compound from cruciferous vegetables that helps the body process estrogen more efficiently.
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✔️ Improves estrogen metabolism
DIM helps shift estrogen toward healthier pathways, reducing inflammatory estrogen metabolites that contribute to bloating and breast tenderness.
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✔️ Supports liver detoxification
The liver clears estrogen from the body.
DIM helps the liver break down and eliminate excess estrogen more effectively.
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✔️ Reduces estrogen dominance symptoms
Many patients notice improvements in:
• Bloating
• Breast tenderness
• PMS
• Heavy cycles
• Hormonal acne
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🌙 WHY SUBLINGUAL RDT PROGESTERONE IS OFTEN BETTER THAN PROMETRIUM
This is a big one 👇
Why Prometrium can cause breakthrough bleeding
Prometrium (oral progesterone) must pass through the gut and liver before reaching the bloodstream. This can lead to:
• Inconsistent progesterone levels due to variable absorption
• Lower bioavailability at the tissue level
• Fluctuating endometrial exposure, which can fail to adequately stabilize the uterine lining
When progesterone levels are inconsistent, estrogen can intermittently stimulate the uterine lining, resulting in spotting or breakthrough bleeding.
This is especially common in:
• Perimenopause
• Women sensitive to hormone fluctuations
• Those on estrogen therapy
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✨ Why sublingual RDT progesterone reduces breakthrough bleeding
RDT (rapid-dissolve tablet) progesterone dissolves under the tongue and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream, which provides:
✔️ More stable progesterone levels
✔️ Consistent endometrial protection
✔️ Less hormonal fluctuation
✔️ Improved cycle control
✔️ Reduced spotting and breakthrough bleeding
Because progesterone delivery is more predictable, the uterine lining is better supported.
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🌙 Additional benefits of RDT progesterone
✔️ Bypasses the gut → less bloating
✔️ Avoids first-pass liver metabolism
✔️ Less sedation & brain fog
✔️ Better sleep quality without grogginess
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💡 THE TAKEAWAY
Bloating and spotting are often signals of hormone imbalance — not hormone failure.
Supporting:
✔️ Estrogen metabolism (DIM)
✔️ Progesterone balance (delivery method matters)
✔️ Gut health
✔️ Cortisol regulation
can dramatically improve symptoms.
✨ Hormone therapy should be customized, not cookie-cutter.
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⚠️ Important note:
DIM and progesterone therapy are not one-size-fits-all and should always be medically guided.
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📍 Gleaux Rx
Port Allen / Brusly • New Roads • Baton Rouge
💻 Telemedicine available
🌐 www.gleauxrx.com
📞 Call/Text
• Port Allen / Brusly: 225-245-1529
• New Roads: 225-713-3662
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