Alcohol has a significant impact on hormones, especially for women in perimenopause and post menopause, when hormone levels are already fluctuating alcohol can throw fuel on the fire. Here’s how it affects key hormones:

1. Estrogen (One of The Stress Hormones)

• Increases estrogen levels: Alcohol can raise estrogen levels by affecting the liver, which is responsible for breaking down excess estrogen. This cause estrogen to accumulate and stay in your body for longer wreaking havoc – feeding bad bacteria and yeast, increasing inflammation, worsening PMS and perimenopause symptoms, and destroying your sleep to name a few.
• Worsens estrogen dominance: High estrogen relative to progesterone can lead to weight gain, mood swings, heavy periods, and breast tenderness.
• Increases breast cancer risk: Higher estrogen levels from alcohol consumption have been linked to an increased risk of hormone-related cancers, especially breast cancer.

2. Progesterone (The Calming Hormone)

• Lowers progesterone: Alcohol inhibits progesterone production, which is responsible for calmness, SANITY, and sleep regulation. Low progesterone can lead to anxiety, insomnia, low thyroid function, infertility, mood swings, and more.

3. Cortisol (Another Stress Hormone)

• Raises cortisol levels: Alcohol is a stress trigger for the body, increasing cortisol levels. This can lead to:
  • Increased belly fat storage
  • Higher stress and anxiety
  • Poor sleep quality
  • Increased cravings
  • Issues losing weight

4. Insulin (Blood Sugar Regulator)

• Causes blood sugar spikes and crashes: Alcohol increases insulin resistance, making it harder to regulate blood sugar. This can result in:
  • Sugar cravings
  • Energy crashes
  • Increased risk of weight gain and Type 2 diabetes
  • Night sweats

5. Melatonin (The Sleep Hormone)

• Disrupts melatonin production: Alcohol lowers melatonin levels, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Even if you sleep after drinking, the quality is poor. Research shows that although many people believe having a glass of wine or a drink in the evening before bed, it actually impairs REM sleep – which is where we do memory consolidation and emotional therapy.

6. Testosterone (The Libido & Muscle Hormone)

• Lowers testosterone levels: This can reduce muscle tone, energy, and libido in both men and women.

7. Thyroid hormone (The Metabolism Hormone)

• Alcohol can slow down the thyroid gland, reducing levels of T3 (active thyroid hormone) and T4 (thyroxine).
• This can contribute to fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, and cold intolerance, especially in hypothyroidism.
• Alcohol can trigger inflammation in the thyroid and gut, worsening conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (autoimmune hypothyroidism) and Graves’ disease (autoimmune hyperthyroidism).
• It may also contribute to leaky gut, which has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disorders.
• The liver plays a major role in converting T4 to T3, the active thyroid hormone. Since alcohol burdens the liver, it can reduce this conversion, leading to low T3 levels and sluggish metabolism.
• Alcohol lowers TSH levels, which can confuse the body and interfere with proper thyroid regulation.
• In some cases, this may cause temporary hypothyroidism.
• Thyroid health and blood sugar balance are closely connected.
• Alcohol can cause blood sugar crashes, triggering fatigue, cravings, and weight gain, which are already common with hypothyroidism.
• Alcohol depletes essential nutrients like selenium, zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins, all of which are critical for thyroid function.
• Low selenium can worsen inflammation and make thyroid hormone production less efficient.
• Alcohol raises cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which can interfere with thyroid hormone production and lead to thyroid fatigue.

Note; I put an extra emphasis on Thyroid hormone because so many of us, including myself, suffer with low thyroid function or hypothyroidism.

 

How This Affects Perimenopause & Menopause

For women in perimenopause or post menopause, alcohol can:

• Make hot flashes and night sweats WAAAAY worse!
• Cause more mood swings and anxiety – ugh.
• Lead to weight gain, especially around the belly. Oh yay!
• Affect bone health, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Who needs bones anyway?
• Increase aches and pains due to an increase in systemic inflammation.
• Impair gut function and increase the likelihood of developing some sort of IBD (irritable bowel disease).

 

Does This Mean You Can’t Drink?

Not necessarily! Like I mentioned at the start of this article, the choice is yours. But if you notice worse symptoms after drinking, maybe reconsider your choice or limit alcohol to once a month. There are also some other things that can help like;

• Drinking less often or switching to lower-alcohol options (like wine spritzers).
• Hydrate well before, during and after drinking – electrolytes help your limit the dehydration effects of alcohol.
• Avoiding alcohol close to bedtime to improve sleep – tis a fools game!
• Limit or avoid cocktails – choose a spirt and soda water or fresh fruit added.
• Stick to cleaner alcohols like vodka and gin.
• Avoid beer, it is estrogenic and can make inflammation, PMS and perimenopause symptoms worse.
• Take activated charcoal before you drink to bind to aldehyde’s and other toxins.
• Take vitamin C or glutathione before you drink to support liver detoxification.
• Don’t drink on an empty stomach, a protein shake or smoothie with collagen, even a cup of bone broth, can help to protect your gut lining if you don’t want a big meal.

 

I hope you found this helpful!😊