Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — hormone balance and metabolism

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.

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.

Imbalances in estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and cortisol — brought on by ageing, diet and modern-day stress — are key drivers of the obesity epidemic. Learn how your hormones influence fat distribution and weight regulation, and how at-home hormone testing can help you take control.

When sex hormone test results show both oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) within normal ranges, yet symptoms persist, the Pg/E2 ratio provides a critical additional layer of clinical insight. A low ratio points to oestrogen dominance; a high ratio to progesterone dominance — each requiring a different therapeutic response. This article explains how the ratio is calculated, when it is clinically relevant, and how a real-world case illustrates its practical value.

Explore why many men on topical testosterone replacement therapy may be unintentionally over-dosed due to outdated serum testing methods and misunderstood dosing principles. Learn how saliva and dried blood spot testing better reflect bioavailable testosterone delivered to tissues, why physiological dosing matters, and how excessive testosterone may suppress natural hormone production, reduce receptor sensitivity, and negatively affect long-term symptom management and hormonal balance.