The Hormone Mystery: Why It’s Rarely One Thing
- Billie Coleman
- Jan 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 3
Perimenopause has a funny way of making you feel like you’re doing something wrong — even when you’re trying to do (almost) everything right.
You watch your diet like a hawk.
You switch to “better” products — or in my case, you make your own hormone-friendly skincare.
You add the supplements. (So. Many. Supplements.)
You drink the gut-supportive drinks.
And yet… your body starts talking back. Using profanity. Acting out.
Hot flashes.
Cystic chin acne makes an appearance after months of clear skin.
Cycles that stretch longer than usual.
Digestion that suddenly feels sluggish and uncooperative.
For me, my instinct is to point to the most recent new addition to my routine and say, “You’re the culprit,” and dispense with extreme prejudice.
But hormonally speaking — especially in perimenopause — it’s rarely one thing.
Perimenopause: A Phase of Signals, Not Failures
Perimenopause is characterized by fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels rather than a simple, predictable decline. These fluctuations are associated with vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes), cycle irregularity, sleep disruption, and mood changes.¹,²
At the same time, the body’s resilience to stressors — dietary, environmental, and emotional — can decrease.³
In other words, our system becomes more sensitive, not broken.
And that distinction matters. If we decide our body is “broken,” it can feel easier to give up on it. But if we understand that our system is delicate and responsive during this phase of life, we treat it with more care — and far more respect.
The Hodgepodge Effect: How Small Inputs Add Up
I avoid caffeine as much as possible because I know how my body responds to it. And yet, there are days I can eat a chocolate chip cookie and my body is completely fine.
Then there are days I smell a chocolate chip cookie and my skin erupts in cystic acne.
Why? Because hormones don’t respond to inputs in isolation. They respond to total physiological load, which includes:
metabolic stress
inflammatory burden
endocrine-active compounds
nervous system activation
Research consistently shows that combined lifestyle factors, rather than single exposures, are associated with hormonal and metabolic dysregulation.⁴,⁵
Something that feels neutral on its own can become problematic when layered with multiple changes at once.
For example, I recently began drinking gut-friendly sodas — you know the kind. And they’re wonderful. Truly. But soon after, hot flashes appeared (which I do not normally experience in perimenopause unless triggered by diet or personal care choices). Then cystic acne. Then my monthly cycle “rebooted” and lingered for a full month, with spotting the last three weeks.
At the same time that I introduced "healthy" beverages into my dietary rotation, I had also added a new protein blend to my diet. In addition, I had made a new body oil infused with fragrance powder.
With that many new variables introduced at once, I knew it was not going to be easy sifting out the cause. I had to go into full-on detective mode.
A Case Study in Observation, Not Blame
Rather than assigning a single cause, I paid attention to patterns:
Slower intestinal motility
Extended menstrual bleeding
Return of inflammatory acne
Increased heat sensitivity
What mattered most wasn’t proving a culprit — it was noticing that simplifying inputs reduced symptom burden, a principle supported in functional and lifestyle-based research.⁶
Correlation is not causation — but correlation is often where useful self-knowledge begins. I asked questions like: Has this happened before? What did I learn last time? Was I overdoing it with a particular food, supplement, or skincare product?
Past experience is incredibly helpful — but we still need to investigate all the players, not just one.
The Hormone Investigation Board
If you’re dealing with unexplained symptoms — or simply want to reduce the frequency or intensity of hot flashes — this is your invitation to investigate your own hormone mystery. But if you're unsure where to start, this framework may be a helpful guide.
A Practical, Evidence-Informed Framework
1. Food & Drink Changes
Dietary shifts — including sweeteners, fiber changes, and “gut-friendly” beverages — can influence gut motility, glucose regulation, and microbial balance.⁷,⁸
The gut microbiome also plays a role in estrogen metabolism via the estrobolome, which affects how estrogen is circulated and eliminated from the body.⁹
2. Topicals & Scent: The Skin as an Endocrine Interface
The skin absorbs certain compounds, including fragrance components and endocrine-active chemicals. While not all exposures are harmful, cumulative exposure matters, particularly during hormonally sensitive periods.¹⁰,¹¹
3. Stress & the Nervous System
Chronic stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which directly interacts with reproductive hormones and can worsen perimenopausal symptoms.¹²,¹³
Stress doesn’t need to be dramatic to be physiologically meaningful.
4. Sleep & Circadian Rhythm
Sleep disruption is both a symptom and a driver of hormonal imbalance. Estrogen influences thermoregulation and sleep architecture, while poor sleep worsens insulin sensitivity and cortisol regulation.¹⁴,¹⁵
5. Gut Function & Elimination
Slowed gut transit time can interfere with hormone clearance, allowing estrogen metabolites to be reabsorbed instead of eliminated.¹⁶
Digestive regularity is an often-overlooked marker of hormonal balance.
When I say these are the areas I evaluate when I feel hormonally off — I mean it. I’ve experienced hormonal chaos from nearly every category listed here over the past five years. These different areas can make up the forest. Don’t fixate on one tree. You navigate the forest more easily when you understand what’s in it and how understanding each 'tree' creates a more complete picture.
The “Simplify & Observe” Method
Research supports short-term simplification as a way to identify triggers without overwhelming the system.¹⁷
For 7–14 days:
Reduce one variable at a time
Keep meals simple and consistent
Maintain consistent topical products
Track a few markers:
temperature regulation
skin inflammation
digestion
cycle changes
This isn’t about restriction. It’s about information.
What Hormonal Balance Often Feels Like
Improvement tends to show up quietly:
fewer heat surges
calmer skin
improved digestion
better sleep continuity
greater emotional steadiness
Research shows that symptom improvement often precedes measurable hormonal changes.¹⁸
Balance usually feels quieter before it looks dramatic.
Please Keep This in Mind
Perimenopause is not your body failing you.
It’s your body asking for different inputs than it once needed.
Healing during this stage is rarely about finding the problem — it’s about reducing noise, noticing patterns, and responding with respect instead of force.
Your symptoms are not the enemy.
They are not unruly teenagers with zero adult supervision and potty mouths.
They are data.
Listen to them.
My blogs are based on my personal experiences surfing this stage in my life. This season has taught me that hormonal balance isn’t about control — it’s about discernment. About choosing wisely, simplifying when needed, and respecting the signals your body is sending instead of overriding them. That philosophy eventually became part of what I now call my L.U.M.I.N.A. Principle™, a framework I’ll be teaching more formally through my coaching studio, which will begin accepting clients in spring 2026.
References
Santoro N, et al. Endocrine Reviews. 2015.Mayo Clinic.
Perimenopause: Symptoms & Causes.
Avis NE, et al. Menopause. 2015.
Ríos JL, et al. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2021.
Esser N, et al. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2014.
Anderson JW, et al. Nutrition Reviews. 2009.
Bornet FRJ. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1994.
Livesey G. Nutrition Research Reviews. 2003.
Plottel CS, Blaser MJ. Cell Host & Microbe. 2011.
Buckley JP, et al. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2016.
Darbre PD. Journal of Applied Toxicology. 2015.
Russell G, Lightman S. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2019.
McEwen BS. Physiological Reviews. 2007.
Baker FC, et al. Sleep Medicine Clinics. 2018.
Spiegel K, et al. The Lancet. 1999.
Flores R, et al. Gut. 2012.K
atz DL, et al. Annual Review of Public Health. 2018.
Freeman EW. Menopause. 2010.
About the Author
I'm an artsy nerd living in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and son. I write about hormones, health, and whole-body wellness from the perspective of lived experience, curiosity, and a desire to feel good for decades to come. My long-term goal? Stay healthy, stay curious, and remain just vain enough to enjoy it. I am the Owner & CEO of LYONYS Beauty Collection LLC.
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