Hormonal Alchemy: How Your Body Converts One Hormone Into Another (And Why It Matters)
If you’ve ever had lab work done and been told, “Your estrogen is low,” or “Your testosterone is high,” you might have thought, Great, that means I just need to fix that one hormone, right?
Well… not exactly.
In my experience, so many people come to me hyper-focused on one hormone, trying to “fix” their estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, or thyroid levels in isolation. But the thing is, your hormones don’t operate in isolation, they’re constantly shifting and converting into one another in an internal process that’s happening around the clock.
Yup, testosterone can convert into estrogen, progesterone can turn into cortisol, and your thyroid hormones shift in response to stress levels. So if you’ve ever wondered why hormone balance feels like a moving target, it’s because it is. And understanding how hormones convert into each other is the key to getting a big-picture view of your health, rather than chasing symptoms one hormone at a time.
Testosterone to Estrogen: The Aromatase Effect
So, you probably think of testosterone as the male hormone, while estrogen is the female hormone, right? Wrong! In reality, both men and women have—and need—both. What’s important is the balance between them.
The body naturally converts testosterone into estrogen using an enzyme called aromatase. This process is necessary, but when aromatase activity becomes too high (from factors such as chronic stress, excess body fat, alcohol and sugar consumption, inflammation and insulin resistance), it can lead to hormone imbalances.
In women, excess aromatization can contribute to estrogen dominance, which often leads to symptoms such as: PMID: 29573619
Heavy or painful periods
Bloating and water retention
Breast tenderness
Weight gain, especially around the hips and thighs
Mood swings and irritability
Whereas in men, too much testosterone-to-estrogen conversion can result in:
Fatigue and low motivation
Loss of muscle mass and increased body fat
Low libido
Mood changes, including increased irritability
Hormones don’t “just get out of balance.”
They respond to deeper disruptors—stress, blood sugar swings, inflammation, and more.
Progesterone to Cortisol: When Stress Steals Your Hormones
Progesterone is known for its calming and balancing effects, helping to regulate the menstrual cycle, promote relaxation, and counteract the effects of excess estrogen. But when the body is under chronic stress, it often redirects progesterone to make cortisol, your primary stress hormone.
This is known as the "pregnenolone steal", a process where the body prioritizes cortisol production over reproductive hormone balance. Over time, this leads to low progesterone levels, resulting in:
Shortened or irregular cycles
Difficulty sleeping or frequent nighttime wake-ups
Anxiety, mood swings, and increased PMS symptoms
Increased belly fat due to high cortisol levels
Because progesterone and cortisol share the same precursor hormone, high stress levels will always take priority. The body sees survival as more important than reproductive health, so it diverts hormone production accordingly.
This is why stress management is crucial for hormone balance! Without addressing cortisol levels, supplementing with progesterone or attempting to "boost" it naturally will have limited results.
Thyroid Hormones and the Stress Response
Your thyroid controls metabolism, energy, digestion, and temperature regulation. It produces T4 (inactive thyroid hormone), which must be converted into T3 (active thyroid hormone) for your body to use it efficiently.
Under chronic stress, cortisol inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3, which slows metabolism and energy production. Instead of producing more T3, the body converts T4 into reverse T3 (rT3), an inactive form that essentially "slows down" metabolism as a protective mechanism. Signs that stress is interfering with thyroid function include:
Persistent fatigue, even after sleeping well
Cold hands and feet, feeling cold often
Slow digestion and bloating
Unexplained weight gain, despite a healthy diet and exercise
Hair thinning and dry skin
This process explains why many thyroid issues are actually stress-related, and why focusing solely on thyroid medication or iodine supplementation often fails to fully resolve symptoms.
How to Support Healthy Hormone Conversion
Instead of focusing on a single hormone, the best approach is to support your body's natural hormone conversion pathways so they function optimally.
1. Reduce Aromatase Activity to Prevent Excess Estrogen
If you want to keep testosterone from going rogue and morphing into excess estrogen, a few simple tweaks can help:
Prioritize protein and fiber at each meal to support estrogen detoxification through the liver.
Increase zinc intake (found in oysters, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds) to slow down aromatase.
Limit alcohol and sugar, which can stimulate aromatase and increase estrogen levels.
Incorporate strength training, which naturally supports healthy testosterone levels in both men and women.
2. Support Progesterone Levels by Managing Stress
If stress is eating your progesterone alive, it’s time to fight back:
Practice stress-reducing activities like deep breathing, meditation, or gentle movement.
Get enough healthy fats (avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds), which are necessary for progesterone production.
Limit excessive high-intensity workouts, which can further elevate cortisol and reduce progesterone levels.
Take magnesium and vitamin B6, both of which are essential for progesterone balance.
3. Protect Thyroid Function by Controlling Cortisol
If you’re feeling sluggish, cold all the time, or gaining weight despite eating “right,” your thyroid might need some extra love:
Maintain stable blood sugar by eating balanced meals with protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
Avoid prolonged fasting or extreme calorie restriction, which can signal the body to slow down metabolism.
Prioritize selenium and iodine-rich foods (Brazil nuts, seaweed, wild-caught fish) to support thyroid conversion.
Get enough sleep, as thyroid hormone production is directly tied to your circadian rhythm.
Remember that by giving a little more attention to overall hormone balance rather than trying to fix one number on a lab test, you’ll be able to restore better energy, mood, metabolism, and reproductive health in a more sustainable way, which is always the goal.
Conclusion
If you’ve been frustrated with hormone symptoms and haven’t seen lasting results, it’s time to take a big-picture approach. Focusing on a single hormone in isolation will never lead to lasting balance, because hormones work together in a network, not in straight lines.
Looking for a personalized plan to balance your hormones naturally? Booking a free discovery call with me to get to the root of your symptoms once and for all!