Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — menopause and weight gain

If you’re doing everything right — eating well, exercising, taking your vitamins — but still can’t shift the weight, a hormone imbalance may be working against you. Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory breaks down the 8 most common hormonal culprits behind unexplained weight gain, from estrogen dominance and high cortisol to low vitamin D, disrupted sleep and a lack of strength training.

Why does weight gain accelerate at menopause? Can estrogen dominance cause low cortisol? Is saliva testing better than blood? Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory answers the most common questions from women struggling with hormone-related weight gain — covering everything from adrenal fatigue and vitamin D deficiency to birth control, bioidentical progesterone and why “your hormones are fine” from a standard blood test may not tell the whole story.

Weight management is a topic that generates a lot of questions — and hormone imbalance is one of the most common but overlooked causes. Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory answers the 10 most frequently asked questions about hormones and weight gain, covering everything from postmenopausal belly fat and estrogen dominance to vitamin D deficiency, thyroid imbalance and why standard blood tests often miss the picture.

Weight loss failure is rarely just about willpower or diet — hormones are almost always involved. In this Q&A, Dr. Alyssa Burns-Hill of ZRT Laboratory tackles the most common questions from people struggling to lose weight despite their best efforts: from thyroid interference by the contraceptive pill and stress-driven cortisol cravings, to estrogen-reducing supplements, natural progesterone for menopause, and why 5-HTP can be a game-changer for mood, sleep and comfort eating.

In perimenopause, falling estradiol doesn’t just trigger hot flashes — it disrupts serotonin production, driving mood swings, brain fog and sleepless nights. Discover the hormonal science behind “the change” and how testing can help.