7 Hormone Imbalances That Fuel Fatigue, Weight Gain, & Moodiness - Dr. Will Cole

17/04/2019 7 Hormone Imbalances That Fuel Fatigue, Weight Gain, & Moodiness | Dr.
Will Cole
7 Hormone Imbalances That Fuel Fatigue, Weight Gain, &

Moodiness
February 15, 2016 // by Dr. Will Cole (https://drwillcole.com/author/drwillcolegmail-com/)
by Dr. Will Cole
Think of your hormones like chemical messengers of your body. Each hormone sends speci c
instructions to every organ, making hormones responsible for just about everything your body does –
how it works, how it feels, and how healthy it is. Hormones in uence your mood, energy level, weight,
temperature, digestion, and many other aspects of your health. And yet, we don’t often think about, let
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alone appreciate, our hormones until they stop working the way we want them to. And when that
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Altering Health Tips.
Your hormones are produced in the major endocrine glands – your brain (hypothalamus, pineal, and
pituitary glands), thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pancreas, and reproductive glands (ovaries and testes).
Some hormones are also produced in your gastrointestinal tract. With hormones, it’s all about balance.
As Goldilocks lamented (and I’m paraphrasing here), there can’t be too much or too little. Hormones
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17/04/2019 7 Hormone Imbalances That Fuel Fatigue, Weight Gain, & Moodiness | Dr. Will Cole
have to be just right. Otherwise, a myriad of health issues can happen.
But when you suspect hormone imbalance, mainstream medicine typically runs only basic labs. If your
labs don’t come back “normal,” you’re typically given a synthetic hormone cream or pill that could have
side effects. If those labs come back “normal” and you’re still experiencing symptoms, you may be told
you’re either depressed, just getting older, or need to lose weight.
Functional medicine wants to nd out the root cause of patients’ hormonal symptoms as well as
support the body’s natural mechanisms for healthy hormone balance, and that makes a lot more sense
to me. Let’s go over some of the most common hormone problems that I see in patients, and that you
may be going through right now. I’ll also explain which labs you may want to consider asking your
doctor about.
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1. Cortisol
Our adrenal glands secret several hormones, and one of them is cortisol, your body’s primary stress
hormone. Adrenal fatigue happens when there’s an imbalance in this cortisol rhythm: Cortisol is high
when it should be low, low when it should be high, or always high or always low. Adrenal fatigue
(https://drwillcole.com/constantly-stressed-exhausted-8-ways-to-heal-from-adrenal-fatigue/) is really
a dysfunction of your brain’s communication with your adrenals – not the adrenal glands themselves.
Because adrenal fatigue is mainly a brain stress problem, the functional medicine solution focuses on
minimizing chronic stressors (https://drwillcole.com/12-daily-habits-that-invite-calm-mindfulness/). x
Get FREE access to this exclusive guide + subscriber-only giveaways, recipes + my ebook, 14 Life
What you might experience:
Trouble getting started in the morning
Craving salty or sugary foods
Low sex drive
Fatigued in the afternoon but you get a “second wind” in the evening
Trouble staying asleep at night
Dizziness after standing up too quickly
Afternoon headaches
Blood sugar issues
Chronic in ammation
Weak nails and brittle hair
Moodiness
Trouble losing weight
The Labs: I run a 24-Hour Adrenal Stress Index, a salivary test that tracks your cortisol levels, and an
HPA (brain-adrenal) axis quality lab.
2. Thyroid
Every cell of your body needs thyroid hormones to function optimally. There are many underlying
thyroid problems (https://drwillcole.com/6-thyroid-conditions-that-wont-show-up-on-standard-
tests/) that won’t show up on standard labs. For example: thyroid conversion issues, thyroid resistance,
or autoimmune attacks against the thyroid (Hashimoto’s (https://drwillcole.com/the-leading-cause-of-
hypothyroidism-the-8-tests-your-doctor-hasnt-run/) or Graves’ disease).
Feeling tired
Cold feet, hands, or cold all over
Requiring extra sleep to function properly
Rapid weight gain
Constipation
Depressed or lack of motivation
Plant-Based Keto
Morning headaches Food
that subside Guide
as the day goes on x
Thinning of the outer third of eyebrows
Excessive
Altering Healthhair loss or thinning
Tips.
Dry skin
Brain fog
The Labs: Mainstream medicine typically just runs TSH and T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to determine
thyroid hormone dosage. A functional medicine thyroid panel involves looking at many other labs such3/11
https://drwillcole.com/7-hormone-imbalances-that-could-explain-your-fatigue-moodiness-weight-gain/
as Free and Total T3 (active thyroid hormone), Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies to rule out
autoimmune thyroid problems. For a full list of thyroid labs and how to interpret them, read my
previous article here (https://drwillcole.com/why-your-lab-results-could-be-lying-about-your-thyroid-
health/).
3. Estrogen
The ratio of the three forms of estrogen – estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) – is important for
both women and men. Some research has linked imbalances in estrogens to increased mortality rates in
those with heart disease (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19436016) as well as the progression
of some cancers (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18337090).
What you might experience with low estrogen:
Vaginal dryness
Night sweats
Brain fog
Recurrent bladder infections
Feeling lethargic
Depression
Hot ashes
What you might experience with high estrogen:
Bloating
Rapid weight gain
Breast tenderness
Mood swings
Heavy menstrual bleeding

Plant-Based
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Depression
Altering Healthheadaches
Migraine Tips.
Cervical dysplasia (abnormal pap smear)
Insomnia
Brain fog
Gallbladder problems
The Labs: A full blood and salivary female hormone panel, including all estrogen isomers, can shed light
on the speci c problem.
4. Progesterone
Both men and women need healthy progesterone balance. Progesterone helps balance and neutralize
the effects of too much estrogen. Without proper progesterone levels, estrogen becomes out of
control, also known as estrogen dominance.
PMS
Insomnia
Poor complexion
Painful breasts
Stubborn weight gain
Cyclical headaches
Anxiety
Infertility
The Labs: A full blood and salivary female hormone panel.
5. Testosterone
I often see low testosterone in both men and women in my functional medicine clinic. Studies have
linked low testosterone in women to heart disease (http://www.eje-
online.org/content/156/6/687.full), low sex drive (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21215268),
and breast cancer (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24028858). One study
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19401373) found that men with low testosterone had a great
rate of death. But you can also have too much.
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What women
Get FREE might
access toexperience with
this exclusive excess
guide testosterone: giveaways, recipes + my ebook, 14 Life
+ subscriber-only
Acne
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Excessive hair on the face and arms
Hypoglycemia and/or unstable blood sugar
Thinning hair
Infertility
Ovarian cysts
Mid cycle pain/cramping
Irritability
What women might experience with low testosterone:
Weight gain
Fatigue
Low sex drive
What men might experience:
I often see the over-conversion of testosterone to estrogen in men. Men don’t produce estrogen like
women but convert it through a process called aromatization. Excess activity of the enzyme aromatase
can cause low testosterone and high estrogen in men resulting in:
Erectile dysfunction
Low sex drive
Weight gain
Irritability
Breast enlargement
The Labs: Blood and saliva testosterone and DHEA panel.
6. Leptin
Your fat cells aren’t just some unsightly nuisances that jiggle and make clothes not t; they’re actually
an intelligent part of your endocrine (hormonal) system. Fat cells produce a hormone called leptin.

One of leptin’s jobs is to tell your brain to use the body’s fat stores for energy. Leptin resistance x
(https://drwillcole.com/are-you-resistant-to-weight-loss-it-could-be-this/) occurs when your body –
speci cally
Altering yourTips.
Health hypothalamus in your brain – stops recognizing leptin. This can trick your brain into
thinking you are starving, resulting in excessive and inappropriate fat storage.
Rapid weight gain

Weight loss resistance
Frequent strong food cravings
High stress levels
The Labs: Serum leptin.
7. Insulin
Just like leptin resistance, insulin resistance is not a hormonal de ciency but a hormonal resistance
pattern. Most people know insulin resistance when it comes to type 2 diabetes, but insulin resistance
(https://drwillcole.com/why-diabetes-gets-worse-over-time-in-spite-of-drug-treatments/) can also
happen in those who are pre-diabetic, or have sub-clinical blood sugar imbalance.
This pre-diabetic metabolic syndrome is marked by this resistance to insulin meaning your body is
producing insulin but the insulin is not doing what it should, i.e., shuttling blood sugar into your cells
where you can use it. Instead, this ineffective insulin, through a cascade of reactions, results in
excessive fat storage, making weight loss seem impossible.
Cravings for sweets
Irritability or lightheadedness if you miss a meal
Dependence on coffee
Shaky, jittery, or tremors
Feeling uncharacteristically agitated, upset, or nervous
Poor memory
Blurred vision
Fatigue after eating
Sugar cravings
Waist girth equal to or larger than hip girth

Frequent urination
Increased thirst or appetite
The Labs: Serum insulin, c-peptide, fasting blood sugar, and HgbA1c.
The Bottom Line

Because all the systems in the body are interconnected, if you have one hormone problem, you might
have other ones as well. In other words, to say you have only one of these seven issues might be
oversimpli cation – it could be all of these issues or a combination of some of these. It’s important to
work with your health care provider to nd out what hormone issues might actually be at play.
Recently, I’ve been working on rehabbing my own adrenal fatigue and have shared my journey to
hormonal balance in my 90-day hormone reset (https://drwillcole.com/the-90-day-diet-that-
drastically-improved-my-sleep-energy-anxiety/).
If you want to learn more about your own health case please check out our free health evaluation.
(https://drwillcole.com/consultation/) We offer in person as well as phone and webcam consultations for
people across the country and around the world.
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The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body. We do
not aim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. Information is shared for educational purposes only. You must
consult your doctor before acting on any content on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or
have a medical condition.
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17/04/2019
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Dr. Will Cole on Thyroid Nation Radio: Thyroid Health, Functional Medicine &
« Autoimmune Disease
(https://drwillcole.com/dr-will-cole-on-thyroid-nation-radio-thyroid-health-functional-medicine-
autoimmune-disease/)
Are Your Symptoms A Sign Of Autoimmune Reactivity? »

(https://drwillcole.com/unexplained-health-problems-autoimmune-reactivity/)
DR. WILL COLE, IFMCP, D.C.

COLE NATURAL HEALTH CENTERS
1000 INFINITY DRIVE #230, MONROEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA 15146
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17/04/2019 7 Hormone Imbalances That Fuel Fatigue, Weight Gain, & Moodiness | Dr.

7 Hormone Imbalances That Fuel Fatigue, Weight Gain, &

by Dr. Will Cole

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Free phone or webcam health evaluation

Trouble getting started in the morning

Craving salty or sugary foods

Low sex drive

Dizziness after standing up too quickly

Blood sugar issues

Weak nails and brittle hair

Trouble losing weight

What you might experience:

Cold feet, hands, or cold all over

Requiring extra sleep to function properly

Rapid weight gain

Depressed or lack of motivation

What you might experience with low estrogen:

Recurrent bladder infections

What you might experience with high estrogen:

Rapid weight gain

Heavy menstrual bleeding

Cervical dysplasia (abnormal pap smear)

What you might experience:

Stubborn weight gain

The Labs: A full blood and salivary female hormone panel.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Excessive hair on the face and arms

Hypoglycemia and/or unstable blood sugar

Mid cycle pain/cramping

What women might experience with low testosterone:

Low sex drive

What men might experience:

Low sex drive

The Labs: Blood and saliva testosterone and DHEA panel.

Plant-Based Keto Food Guide

What you might experience:

Rapid weight gain

Frequent strong food cravings

High stress levels

The Labs: Serum leptin.

What you might experience:

Cravings for sweets

Irritability or lightheadedness if you miss a meal

Shaky, jittery, or tremors

Feeling uncharacteristically agitated, upset, or nervous

Fatigue after eating

Waist girth equal to or larger than hip girth

The Bottom Line

Shop This Article

Plant-Based Keto Food Guide x

Explore Next Level Products

Plant-Based Keto Food Guide x

Functional Medicine Video Courses

Are Your Symptoms A Sign Of Autoimmune Reactivity? »

DR. WILL COLE, IFMCP, D.C.

Plant-Based Keto Food Guide

Plant-Based Keto Food Guide x

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