How to Balance Hormones Naturally

Last Updated on March 2, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP

Hormone imbalance is something so many women and men are dealing with today. The good news? There are real, natural steps you can take to balance hormones naturally. Let’s dive in!

What Do Hormones Do in the Body? A 30,000-Foot View

Your hormonal system has a special name: the endocrine system. This system is made up of a group of glands that make chemical substances called hormones. These glands release hormones into the body, and then organs and tissues respond to them. Scientists have found over 50 different hormones in the human body!

Think of hormones as tiny chemical messengers. They travel through the body to carry out countless processes. We’re talking about everything from mood and blood sugar to reproduction and blood pressure. Hormones are truly running the show behind the scenes.

What Is Hormonal Imbalance?

When your body is healthy, it carefully controls how much of each hormone gets released. But when hormone levels go too high or too low, things can start to go sideways. You may notice all kinds of symptoms that feel “off.”

For example, estrogen dominance happens when there is too much estrogen in the body. This can cause things like abnormal periods, headaches, painful cycles, and even conditions like endometriosis or fibroids.

On the flip side, too little estrogen can lead to insomnia, fatigue, missed periods, or bone loss. As you can see, keeping hormones in their proper range is so important for how we feel every single day.

What Are Some of the More Common Hormones, and What Happens When They Are Out of Range?

Sex Hormones: Estrogens, Progesterone, and Androgens

Estrogens
Estrogens are a group of hormones that play a big role in sexual and reproductive development in women (men make small amounts too). There are three types of estrogens: estradiol, estrone, and estriol.

Once estrogen has done its job, the liver converts estradiol and estrone into a weaker form called estriol. If the liver is sluggish or congested, it can’t clear out those excess estrogens. This leads to estrogen dominance, which is an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone.

Progesterone
Progesterone is another hormone that plays a key role in sexual regulation, especially for women and pregnancy. Like all steroid hormones, it is made from pregnenolone, which comes from cholesterol.

Progesterone supports fertility, menstrual regularity, and embryo development. Low progesterone (sometimes caused by estrogen dominance or adrenal imbalance) can lead to irregular cycles, mood issues, and difficulty maintaining a pregnancy.

Androgens
Androgens are the third group of sex hormones. They kick off puberty and support reproductive health and body development. Both men and women make androgens, but men make more. Testosterone is the most well-known androgen. DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) is another type, produced in the adrenal glands. It acts as a building block for other sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen.

Too many androgens (hyperandrogenism) is more common in women and is linked to conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Too few androgens is more common in men and can cause symptoms like low muscle tone, breast tissue growth, infertility, and low sex drive.

Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone made in the adrenal glands. You may know it as the “stress hormone,” but it does so much more. Cortisol helps regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, and metabolism. It also plays a role in your sleep-wake cycle and helps keep inflammation in check.

Chronically high cortisol can lead to weight gain, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and for women, excessive hair growth. Chronically low cortisol (often from adrenal insufficiency) can show up as fatigue, unintentional weight loss, poor appetite, and low blood pressure.

Thyroid Hormones
The thyroid makes many hormones, with fT3 and fT4 being two of the main ones.

Here is how the process works: the hypothalamus releases thyroid-releasing hormone (TRH), which signals the pituitary gland, which then releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then tells the thyroid to produce and release fT4 and then most of the fT4 is converted in the liver into fT3. You can see how these hormones work in a careful domino cascade, each one depending on the others.

Hypothyroidism is most often diagnosed when TSH is high and free T4 or T3 levels are low. Symptoms can include fatigue, muscle weakness, hair loss, weight gain, high cholesterol, infertility, anemia, and mood changes.

Hyperthyroidism is when TSH is low and free T4 and T3 are high, meaning the thyroid is making too many hormones. Symptoms can include irritability, tremors, anxiety, poor sleep, thinning hair, muscle weakness, fatigue, and irregular periods.

Insulin and Glucagon
Insulin and glucagon are two hormones made by the pancreas, and their job is to keep blood sugar steady. Glucagon keeps blood sugar from dropping too low, while insulin keeps it from rising too high. Together, they work as a team to keep things balanced.

When the pancreas does not make enough insulin, or when the body does not use it well (insulin resistance), metabolic disorders like diabetes can develop.

What Are the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance?

Most of the time, we do not see just one hormonal imbalance. Because all of these hormones are so connected, when one gets out of range, others often follow. 

Here are some of the most common symptoms people notice when hormones are off:

• Fatigue
• Poor sleep or insomnia
• Heavy, painful periods
• Irregular periods
• Missed periods
• Depression, anxiety, and mood changes
• Low libido
• Poor blood sugar regulation
• Difficulty losing weight
• Poor temperature regulation
• Autoimmunity
• Cravings
• Hair loss or thinning
• Blood pressure problems
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Digestive issues
• Acne, eczema, hives, and other skin problems
• Food sensitivities and allergies

How Do I Fix My Hormone Imbalance?

The key to balancing hormones naturally is getting to the root causes. The body never does anything without a reason. This is true even when we are going through perimenopause, menopause, puberty, or pregnancy!

The 2 Most Common Root Causes of Hormone Imbalance (From a Functional Perspective)

1. An imbalance in the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis)

The hypothalamus is a master gland in the brain that controls and coordinates much of the hormonal cascade in the body. It talks directly to the pituitary gland, which sits just below it. Together, they control all kinds of hormone creation and release.

The adrenal glands, which sit just above the kidneys, communicate with the pituitary and the liver to make hormones that regulate metabolism, immunity, blood pressure, stress response, blood sugar, and more. When this axis is out of balance, it ripples out into all other hormones.

2. Poor blood sugar regulation

Blood sugar problems are another big root cause of hormonal imbalance because they wreak havoc on one of the body’s most powerful hormones: insulin. And insulin is closely connected to all other hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.

Insulin spikes can lower levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which is responsible for binding and removing excess estrogen and testosterone from the blood. When SHBG drops, it throws off the ratio of estrogen to progesterone and can lead to estrogen dominance as well as high testosterone levels.

Supporting the adrenals and balancing blood sugar, along with gently supporting the liver, is the first place to start when working to re-balance hormones. Skipping these foundational steps often leads to less effective results and keeps you feeling stuck.

My Top Tips to Balance Hormones Naturally

Keeping in mind that the two key root causes are adrenal imbalance and blood sugar imbalance, here are the best ways to address both so your hormones can find their natural balance:

1. Eat a low-sugar, nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet. This is the foundation of hormonal health. If you are wondering where to begin, read my article “What Is a Nutrient Dense Diet?” for a great starting point.
2. Get 8 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night. Sleep is when your body repairs and resets. If you struggle with insomnia, I have some helpful tips that can make a big difference.
3. Skip the strict intermittent fasting. Instead, simply focus on a natural overnight fast of about 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. Eat breakfast within one hour of waking. This helps prime your metabolism, syncs your circadian rhythm, and keeps cortisol from spiking too high, which can raise blood glucose and create downstream hormone imbalance.
4. Eat regular meals and include protein, complex carbs, and healthy fat at each one. This one step alone can do wonders for keeping blood sugar steady and keeping the stress response calmer throughout the day.
5. Eat plenty of healthy saturated fats. Cholesterol is a building block for all steroid hormones, including cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, aldosterone, and more. We need to give our bodies the raw materials to make these hormones! For more on which saturated fats to use for cooking and baking, I have a helpful guide.
6. Get outside in fresh air as often as you can. It is especially helpful to get natural sunlight during the sunrise and sunset hours to reset your body’s circadian rhythm. For a deeper dive into sleep, natural light, and circadian syncing, I have a great video resource for you. 
7. Move your body daily, but do not overdo it. Movement and exercise are important for health, but when your adrenals are out of balance, too much exercise can actually stress the body further. Yoga, walking, Pilates, and light resistance training are all great options. A recent study even showed that just a 2 to 3 minute walk after meals can help balance blood sugar, which in turn helps your hormones!
8. Drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered water daily. Your hormones can’t get to where they need to go without proper hydration, so this isn’t a step to skip.Add a pinch of Celtic sea salt to each glass. Celtic sea salt acts as a natural electrolyte and is especially nourishing to the adrenals. And remember, supporting the adrenals helps keep the HPA axis in better balance, which supports hormones overall!
9. Take Epsom salt baths. This is one of my favorite gentle detox tools. Just fill your tub with warm water, add one to two cups of Epsom salts, and soak. It is a simple and relaxing way to help your body release toxins and calm down.
10. Actively work on reducing stress and moving into a parasympathetic state. I truly cannot stress this point enough. It is very hard to fully heal and re-balance hormones when the body is stuck in fight-or-flight mode. Prayer, meditation, deep breathing, reading, journaling, and counseling are all wonderful tools for actively managing stress.
11. Drink beet kvass daily. This is a fantastic tonic that supports gentle liver detoxification. Since excess estrogen is processed and removed through the liver, keeping the liver healthy is key for preventing estrogen overload and dominance.
12. Cut back on caffeine. I know this one can feel tough! But caffeine acts like liquid stress for the body, making it very hard for the adrenals to heal. If you need help quitting caffeine without feeling awful, I have a great article to walk you through it step by step.

Putting It All Together

The endocrine system is a beautifully complex network of glands that send chemical messages all throughout your body. These messengers are deeply connected to one another, each one relying on the others to stay in balance. There are many reasons the hormonal balance in our bodies can get thrown off, and it is rarely just one thing.

When it comes to addressing hormonal imbalance, the best place to start is supporting the adrenals, balancing blood sugar, and gently helping the liver. These three steps lay the foundation for everything else.

I know it might feel like a lot to take in. But here is what I want you to know: small, consistent steps can have a huge impact on your hormonal health and your overall well-being over time. You do not have to do everything at once.

Pick a couple of steps from the list above and start there. As those become habits, add a few more. It is absolutely possible to restore your body’s balance, energy, and vitality. I am cheering you on every step of the way!