Should I Do Hormone Replacement therapy (HRT)?

This is a question I get all the time from both women and men. And honestly—it’s a great question.

Let’s break it down, because a few things just don’t add up.

✅ The Body Has Intricate Feedback Loops…

Your hormonal system is brilliantly designed.

The brain, pituitary, adrenal glands, thyroid, and sex organs are all in constant communication with each other to maintain precise hormonal balance. These loops are extremely sensitive and self-regulating.

The brain tells a gland to make hormones—and when enough is made, it tells the gland to stop. Simple and elegant.

Your body is designed to produce exactly the amount of hormone it needs, moment to moment.

That balance depends on:

• Enough raw materials (like cholesterol, vitamins, and minerals)

• Proper enzyme function

• Clear signaling between tissues

• A lack of chronic stress, inflammation, or gut dysfunction

  
  

Here’s the catch: most people don’t have all those things in place anymore.

⚠️ So What Happens When the System Breaks Down?

When the body is under chronic stress—whether physical, emotional, or immune—those tight feedback loops don’t work as well as they’re supposed to.

You might see:

• Low progesterone or testosterone

• Estrogen imbalances

• Cortisol highs and crashes

• Thyroid dysfunction

  
  

And that’s when symptoms show up: fatigue, mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, low libido, poor sleep, and more.

🔄 What About After Menopause?

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is this:

“My body doesn’t make enough hormones after menopause, so I have to replace them.”

But here’s the truth: Hormone levels are supposed to drop after menopause. It’s a natural and intentional shift—not a defect.

You’re not supposed to have the hormone levels of a 20-year-old at 50—and that’s exactly why your body isn’t making those levels anymore. And further, you don’t stop making hormones altogether—you just make a little less.

Your body isn’t broken. It’s just entering a new phase where other organs—like the adrenal glands, brain, and even fat cells—take on new roles in maintaining hormonal balance.

The problem is--if you enter this phase already stressed, inflamed, nutrient-depleted, or burned out-- the transition can feel like a train wreck. That’s when symptoms get intense and HRT gets offered as the “solution.”

But treating a transition like a deficiency can backfire if we ignore the root causes underneath.

💊 Enter: Hormone Replacement Therapy

HRT is often used because it can offer quick symptom relief. For some people, it feels like a miracle.

But here’s the issue:

HRT replaces what’s missing—but doesn’t fix why it went missing in the first place.

If the real issues (like inflammation, blood sugar imbalance, gut dysfunction, immune stress, or sluggish detox pathways) aren’t addressed, adding hormones can sometimes make things worse:

• Worsening weight gain

• Breast tenderness

• More fatigue

• Thyroid disruption

• Anxiety or irritability

This is why some people do well on HRT… and others crash and burn.

And yes—there can be serious consequences to overdoing it with hormone replacement:

• Increased risk of estrogen-sensitive cancers (like breast or uterine)

• Endometrial thickening or irregular bleeding

• Liver congestion and sluggish detox

• Suppression of your body's natural hormone production

• Worsened insulin resistance

👉 Side note: Ever notice that when a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, the first thing her doctor does is take her off any hormones?

That should tell you something.

🧠 So Why Is HRT So Popular?

A few reasons:

• It’s quick and easy to prescribe

• It fits the conventional “replace what’s low” medical model

• It’s profitable (let’s be honest)

• And our culture loves fast fixes more than root cause healing

✅ My Perspective?

There is a time and place for hormone therapy—especially in cases like surgical menopause or extreme symptoms (like when you feel like you’re losing your mind).

But too often, it’s being used as a first step, instead of a final tool.

And many women are being prescribed it unnecessarily.

Your body isn’t failing. But if you’re experiencing symptoms, it may be overwhelmed, under-supported, or simply out of balance.

That’s fixable.

If you think you need hormones—and yes, sometimes a temporary “band-aid” is appropriate—maybe the more important question is this:

Why isn’t this delicate and intelligent system working on its own?

It’s kind of like taking thyroid medication or insulin—you wouldn’t jump into those unless you truly needed them, right?

Let’s give your body the support it needs before assuming it needs replacing.