The powerful link between gut health and female hormones

By: Jenni Kiddle

5 Min read

The link between hormones and gut health - and why it matters

It might not always get the spotlight, but your gut microbiome plays a starring role in how you feel, from mood and energy to digestion and even your cycle.

In fact, one of the most fascinating exchanges happening inside you is between your gut and your hormones. Your hormones influence gut microbes, and, in turn, your gut microbes can influence hormone levels. More about that in the next section.

The gut–hormone connection explained: Why balance begins in the gut

Let’s take a closer look at the key players in the gut-hormone relationship: oestrogen and the oestrobolome.

Oestrogen: The female sex hormone responsible for reproductive development

The oestrobolome: A community of gut bacteria that process and recycle oestrogen

When your gut health is balanced, your body uses the oestrogen it needs and clears the rest, supporting smooth cycles and stable moods.

However, when gut balance is disrupted, oestrogen can recirculate instead of being excreted, leading to possible signs of hormonal imbalance, including PMS, bloating, hormonal breakouts, or heavy periods (1)(2)

By nurturing your microbiome, you’re also caring for the intricate hormonal rhythms that guide how you feel, function, and flow through each month.

The hormones-gut-connection. When hormones talk back

Your hormones also influence your gut. Natural fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause affect gut motility and microbial diversity (3) (4).

When this delicate ecosystem becomes unbalanced, the ripple effects can reach far beyond digestion - touching mood, cravings, sleep and energy.

As we age, this gut-hormone connection continues to evolve. Dive into this in more detail as we guide you through how your gut health and hormones interact over the course of the female lifespan.

Gut health through every stage of womanhood

Early years gut health

Your gut microbiome is as unique as your fingerprint, shaped from the moment you enter the world. Whether you arrived via vaginal birth or C-section - and whether you were fed breast milk or formula- these early factors influence which microbes take up residence. (5) (6).

By around age three, your microbiome starts to resemble that of an adult. Diet, antibiotics, environment, and lifestyle factors (urban vs. rural living, pets, siblings) all shape microbial diversity, laying the foundation for long-term health outcomes (7).

Gut health and puberty

As oestrogen and progesterone surge and settle through puberty, the link between your gut and your menstrual system becomes even more apparent

The hormonal shifts that take place as you pass through the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase not only prepare your body for ovulation and potential pregnancy, they can also trigger looser stools, cramps, and bloating.

Around ovulation, higher progesterone may slow gut motility (8), leading to constipation or bloating. Over time, these hormonal shifts can also impact gut microbial diversity.

Women with conditions like PCOS or endometriosis often experience lower microbial diversity or gut dysbiosis, further highlighting the relationship between hormones and gut health (9) (10).

Gut health and fertility

For women who want to start a family, having a healthy gut microbiome may help support fertility.

Emerging research suggests that a healthy gut microbiome and gut dysbiosis in both men and women could be linked to fertility challenges (11-15).

While this is a developing field, it is encouraging to know that maintaining gut diversity through nutrition and lifestyle may offer a simple, supportive way to nurture reproductive health.

Gut health and pregnancy

Pregnancy is another time of extraordinary hormonal change. Rising oestrogen and progesterone support the baby, prepare your body for labour, and set the stage for breastfeeding.

These hormones also affect your gut: slowed motility can contribute to constipation, while nausea, heartburn, and even haemorrhoids can pop up as your organs shift (16) (17).

Your microbiome changes, too. By later stages, microbial ratios shift, helping your body store energy for the baby and promoting healthy immune development.

Some beneficial microbes, like Bifidobacterium, become more prominent - they’ll also play a vital role in your baby’s gut when passed on during birth and breastfeeding.

Gut health postpartum

Postpartum life brings another hormonal rollercoaster. Changes in your gut microbiome may influence mood and mental health, including postpartum depression. (PPD).

Observational evidence suggests women with PPD have a distinct gut microbiota profile compared to those without PPD. This connection - via the gut-brain axis, short-chain fatty acids, and tryptophan pathways - shows how gut care remains central even after birth (18) (19).

Caring for your gut through rest and nourishment can be a quiet but powerful act of post-partum recovery.

Gut health and the menopause

Gut research during perimenopause and menopause is limited, but early studies suggest changes in microbial diversity and gut function are common.

One 1998 study found that perimenopausal and postmenopausal women had a high prevalence of self-reported gut function changes (38% vs 14% for premenopausal women). Many women notice shifts in digestion, bloating, and bowel habits during this transition.

Maintaining a diverse, resilient microbiome is particularly important as oestrogen declines, since a healthy gut supports hormone balance, digestion, and overall well-being.

Daily rituals for gut and hormone harmony

While the relationship between gut health and hormonal balance is complex and will change over the course of a lifetime, taking care of your gut doesn’t have to be complicated.

To help your gut and hormone connection thrive, we created the Ancient + Brave Gut Health kit.

Featuring True Biome, our pre and postbiotic gutcare powder, this daily ritual helps feed, protect, and restore the gut, helping to bring balance to gut health and hormones.

Find out how True Biome’s patent-pending formula is setting a new standard for what gut health support can be, or dive into our Gut Health Guide to discover nutrition advice and product recommendations to help your gut flourish.

If you have questions about your gut, cycles, or hormones, our nutrition team is always here to help. Contact us today at hello@ancientandbrave.earth.

This post has been written for educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice. Readers should consult with their healthcare practitioners on any concerns.

Jenni Kiddle

Nutritional Therapist

Jenni trained at The Institute of Optimum Nutrition, one of the UK's leading schools of Nutritional Therapy. She also holds a BsC in Psychology (DipION, mBANT, mCNHC).

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