Hormones & Stress

Women report poorer sleep and run an earlier body clock than men, with greater health risks across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause. Here’s why.

‘Adrenal fatigue’ isn’t gland failure — it’s a cortisol-rhythm problem from chronic stress. Symptoms, testing and recovery, from an Adelaide clinician.

The sleep tax of new parenthood By Rohan Smith · Functional & Nutritional Medicine, Adelaide · Published May 19, 2026 Quick Answer Fragmented sleep in parents of young children is a sustained physiological stressor with measurable consequences. It changes hormone output, depletes key nutrients, and shifts mood regulation in both partners at once. In mothers,…

Are Wearables Actually Accurate? What the 2026 HRV and Sleep Data Shows By Rohan Smith · Functional & Nutritional Medicine, Adelaide · Published April 23, 2026 Quick Answer Independent peer-reviewed research in 2025 compared consumer wearables against an ECG-grade reference across 536 nights of sleep data. The Oura Ring 4 matched the medical gold standard…

Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Hormonal symptoms in women during their 30s and 40s may often be linked to a relative imbalance between estrogen and progesterone rather than excess estrogen alone. Declining progesterone, frequently associated with inconsistent ovulation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disruption, can contribute to premenstrual syndrome…

Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Estrogen dominance is a functional hormone pattern in which estrogen activity becomes excessive relative to progesterone or testosterone. Rather than overproduction, this imbalance most commonly results from impaired hepatic estrogen metabolism (via CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and CYP3A4 pathways), reduced gut excretion involving the estrobolome,…

Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Adrenal fatigue is a term used to describe symptoms of chronic stress linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, though it is not a recognised medical diagnosis. Symptoms may include persistent fatigue, brain fog, and mood changes. Natural support strategies focus on stress reduction,…

Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Hormonal imbalances in women may involve dysregulation of oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, and insulin, contributing to symptoms such as irregular periods, fatigue, mood changes, and weight fluctuations. Functional medicine approaches these imbalances by identifying underlying contributors including chronic stress, nutritional deficiencies, gut…

Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone produced via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that regulates the body’s stress response, immune function, and inflammatory balance. When chronic stress disrupts cortisol signalling and metabolism, it may contribute to fatigue, sleep disruption, and low-grade inflammation. DUTCH (Dried Urine…

Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a metabolic-endocrine condition driven by insulin resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation, and disrupted androgen regulation. A functional medicine approach uses targeted testing, including the DUTCH Complete hormone panel, to identify individual drivers such as hyperinsulinaemia, elevated cortisol, and impaired…