The Gut-Hormone Connection: Why Your Cycle Feels Like a Rollercoaster

You’re moody, bloated, craving chocolate, and wondering if you’re going mad—or just about to get your period.
If your cycle feels like a chaotic ride each month, you’re not imagining it—and the root of the problem might not be your hormones. It might be your gut.

At Legacy Nutrition, we see this pattern over and over again: women experiencing heavy periods, intense PMS, hormonal acne, and fatigue, despite doing all the right things. And often, the gut is the missing piece no one’s talking about.

Let’s unpack the gut-hormone connection and how rebalancing your digestion can completely transform your cycle.

Hormones Don’t Work Alone—Your Gut Is on the Team

Think of your gut as mission control for your hormones. It’s not just about digestion—it’s where key hormones are activated, regulated, and cleared from the body.

One major player is the estrobolome: a group of gut bacteria that helps process and eliminate oestrogen. When your gut bacteria are in balance, they help your body get rid of used-up hormones safely. But when your gut is out of balance?

Oestrogen can recirculate in the body, building up to excess levels and triggering symptoms like:

• Breast tenderness

• Bloating

• Mood swings

• Heavy or painful periods

• Hormonal acne

This is known as oestrogen dominance, and your gut might be fuelling it.

Signs Your Gut Is Wrecking Your Hormonal Balance

You don’t have to have major digestive issues to have a gut problem. Subtle signs often show up before your period does.

Here’s what we look for:

• You’re constipated or skipping days without a bowel movement

• You’re bloated, especially after eating

• You get skin breakouts around your chin or jawline

• You crave sugar or carbs around your period

• You’ve taken antibiotics, birth control, or antacids in the past

• You feel foggy, flat, or irritable during PMS

If two or more of these are true, your gut may be disrupting your hormone clearance, and your cycle is paying the price.

Why Is This Happening?

Several modern lifestyle factors impact the gut-hormone axis:

1. Antibiotics and Hormonal Contraceptives

These can disrupt the microbiome and reduce oestrogen-clearing bacteria.

2. Low-Fibre Diets

Fibre helps bind to excess hormones and carry them out of the body. Without enough oestrogen, it may re-enter circulation.

3. Chronic Stress

Cortisol (your stress hormone) affects gut motility, nutrient absorption, and microbial balance—all of which impact hormone detox.

4. Alcohol and Processed Foods

Both increase intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) and inflammation, making it harder to eliminate hormones cleanly.

5 Ways to Heal Your Gut and Calm Your Hormones

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to see improvements. Start with these powerful but simple steps:

1. Support Daily Bowel Movements

Aim for at least one full bowel movement a day. If you’re not going regularly, hormones are likely backing up.

* Try: ground flaxseed, magnesium citrate, and lots of water

2. Eat Cruciferous Veggies Daily

Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts help your liver and gut metabolise excess oestrogen.

*Tip: steam them for easier digestion if you’re bloated

3. Increase Prebiotic Fibre

Fibre feeds beneficial bacteria that clear hormones efficiently.

*Try: oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, asparagus, onions, and green bananas

4. Add Fermented Foods

Natural probiotics like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and coconut yoghurt support a diverse microbiome.

5. Ditch the Toxins

Avoid synthetic fragrances, plastics, and alcohol—these stress your liver and add more hormonal burden.

Functional Testing Can Help

If you’ve been dealing with these issues long-term or suspect more complex imbalances, we often recommend:

• Comprehensive stool testing

• DUTCH hormone testing

• Thyroid and oestrogen metabolism markers

These can uncover the deeper drivers behind your symptoms—and help us build a plan based on your biology.

Ready to Reset?

You don’t have to suffer through another month of mood swings, bloating, or bleeding through your sheets.

When we rebalance the gut, the hormones follow. That’s the power of personalised nutrition—and that’s what we do at Legacy Nutrition.