By Candace Burch, ZRT Laboratory
Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch hosted an informational webinar explaining how hormones affect our weight — specifically, how they inhibit our ability to lose weight and keep the pounds off. During the webinar, many great questions were received from the audience. Candace answers them below.
Q&A: Hormones, Weight Gain and What to Do About It
I’ve reduced my stress and eat well, but still have high cortisol levels. What else can I do?
It sounds like you are making progress, but as someone once said — “it’s not always what you’re eating, but what’s eating you that is the real problem.” You may need to dig a little deeper to tackle some of the thornier issues that may still remain unresolved in your life — particularly unresolved anger or frustration. Nothing keeps those cortisol fires burning better than a sense of feeling overwhelmed by life.
Keep in mind there is good stress (weddings, Christmas, newborns) and bad stress (injury, accident, loss). Stress comes in many forms: the physical stress of an injury or chronic pain; the mental stress of job strain or performance anxiety; or the emotional stress of an abusive relationship or unmet personal needs. Extremes of anything — relentless exercise, junk food diets, or an overbooked lifestyle — wreak havoc on cortisol levels. Eventually, the adrenal glands become fatigued and fail to keep pace with demand. Whether we’re talking about a divorce or doughnuts, once you determine where the constant demand for stress hormones is coming from, you can develop strategies to cut it off at the source.
If you suspect your cortisol rhythm may be dysregulated, our Adrenal Function Saliva Test Kit (LCMS) measures cortisol at four time points across the day alongside DHEA-S — revealing whether your adrenal rhythm is contributing to weight gain, fatigue and an inability to lose weight despite doing everything right.
I’m on BHRT but am still gaining weight. What more can I do?
Bioidentical hormones are an excellent way to get healthy again, due to their capacity to duplicate the body’s natural physiology with few side effects if used appropriately. However, hormones are potent substances — even very small amounts can be very powerful. Too much of a good thing, even a hormone derived from plants and made to mimic Mother Nature, can pose a problem.
Anyone supplementing with hormones needs to periodically monitor their impact — just as those taking thyroid or insulin hormones routinely test their levels. With BHRT, or any type of hormone therapy, re-testing within three months of beginning a regimen is suggested to track progress and determine the need to make adjustments to the dose. You and your provider always want to make sure you are using hormones in the correct “Goldilocks” amounts — not too much, not too little, but just right.
Our Comprehensive Female Saliva Hormone Profile (LCMS) measures the free, bioavailable fraction of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA using gold-standard LCMS analysis — the most clinically relevant method for monitoring BHRT and ensuring your dose is in the optimal range.
How long will it be before I see results after starting hormone therapy?
The short answer is that it depends on how long you have been suffering from a hormone imbalance. Re-balancing is doable and life-changing. But just as each of us are unique in hormone levels and body chemistry, our individual response to hormone therapy will differ. Some people feel better overnight or within days; for others it takes longer.
The results depend on pursuing a lifestyle that supports your programme: reducing unnecessary stress, practising optimal nutrition, getting regular exercise and enough sleep, reducing toxic chemicals that disrupt hormone function (xenoestrogens) and cultivating a satisfactory work/life balance. If you have been burning the candle at both ends for a prolonged period of time, it may take a while for hormone therapy to kick in. But stay the course, be consistent, and allow treatment to take effect. Hormones are potent substances and when used in the proper amounts at the proper times, and monitored accordingly, they can be our greatest secret weapon against chronic symptoms, rapid ageing and disease.
I’m struggling with weight gain and don’t know where to start with testing. What do you recommend?
For women experiencing unexplained weight gain, abdominal fat, fatigue or metabolic changes, our Female Weight Management Profile Test measures the key hormones linked to fat storage and metabolism — including cortisol, estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, DHEA and thyroid markers — in a single at-home kit. It is the ideal starting point for understanding the hormonal drivers behind weight that won’t shift.
Can you help me find a doctor to test my levels?
Your doctor can work with our doctors on staff to review and discuss test results and considerations for natural treatments. All our test kits come with clear instructions for at-home collection, and our specialist interpretation reports provide actionable guidance for you and your healthcare provider.
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Originally by Candace Burch, ZRT Laboratory. Reproduced with permission. Last reviewed: May 2026.