HORMONE HEALTH EDUCATION
Your hormones regulate almost everything.
Here is how to support them.
A clear, science-backed guide to understanding what hormones do, what disrupts them, and the simple daily habits that help them function at every stage of life.
Four questions most people ask first
Chemical messengers produced by glands throughout your body. They regulate metabolism, sleep, mood, immune function, fertility, energy, and dozens of other biological processes. When in balance, most systems function well. When disrupted, the effects ripple broadly.
Fatigue that doesn't resolve with rest. Mood changes that feel disproportionate. Weight shifts despite no changes in diet or exercise. Brain fog. Poor sleep. Low libido. Skin changes. Irregular cycles. Often dismissed as stress or aging — frequently, they are hormonal signals.
Yes. Many personal care products contain chemicals that can be absorbed through skin and interfere with the body's hormonal signaling. This was the founding insight of Hugh & Grace, confirmed by their fertility physician during IVF treatment and supported by UC Berkeley's HERMOSA Study.
No. Hormones regulate health in every body. Men experience gradual testosterone decline from their 30s onward, and EDC exposure accelerates this. Thyroid dysfunction, cortisol dysregulation, and insulin resistance affect men and women significantly. Hormone health is everyone's issue.
THE FOUNDATIONS
What your hormones do, and why it matters
Hormones are produced by glands throughout the endocrine system and released into the bloodstream to reach cells throughout the body. Each hormone binds to specific receptors on cells, triggering precise biological responses. The system operates at extraordinarily small concentrations, which is also what makes it vulnerable when external chemicals interfere.
Sex hormone
Estrogen
Regulates the menstrual cycle, bone density, cardiovascular function, skin elasticity, and brain health. Declining estrogen during perimenopause affects metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and sleep. In men, elevated estrogen from EDC exposure or excess body fat contributes to low energy and reduced muscle mass.
Sex hormone
Progesterone
Has a calming, grounding effect. Supports sleep quality, reduces inflammation, and regulates the nervous system. Low progesterone is associated with anxiety, irritability, PMS symptoms, and disrupted sleep, often before perimenopause becomes clinically apparent.
Sex hormone
Testosterone
Essential in all bodies for energy, muscle maintenance, metabolism, motivation, and libido. In men, testosterone declines approximately 1% per year after age 30. In women, it plays a critical role in energy and sexual health. EDC exposure, chronic stress, and poor sleep all suppress testosterone production.
Stress hormone
Cortisol
Essential in short bursts but damaging when chronically elevated. High cortisol suppresses thyroid hormone, testosterone, and progesterone, raises blood sugar, promotes abdominal fat, and weakens immune function. Managing the stress response is foundational to every other aspect of hormone health.
Metabolic hormone
Insulin
Moves glucose from the bloodstream into cells for energy. When cells become resistant to insulin, driven by stress, poor sleep, processed food, and EDC exposure, the body stores more fat. Insulin resistance is a root driver of PCOS, type 2 diabetes, and weight that does not respond to diet changes.
Metabolic regulators
Thyroid hormones
Regulate energy production, body temperature, digestion, and mood. Highly sensitive to EDC exposure, nutrient deficiency, and chronic stress. An estimated 20 million Americans have thyroid dysfunction, and up to 60% are undiagnosed.
Sleep hormone
Melatonin
Regulates the sleep-wake cycle and signals the body to repair during nighttime hours. Also plays a supporting role in estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol regulation. Blue light from screens before bed suppresses melatonin production, one of the most common and correctable hormone disruptors in modern life.
WHAT GETS IN THE WAY
The four primary hormone disruptors
1. Chronic stress
Sustained elevated cortisol suppresses sex hormones and thyroid hormones, raises blood sugar, disrupts sleep, and creates a cascade of downstream effects. The stress response evolved for short-term threats, not the sustained, low-grade stress of modern professional and personal life.
2. Poor sleep quality
Sleep is when the endocrine system performs its most important maintenance. One week of sleeping five hours per night reduces testosterone levels in men by 10-15% (Leproult & Van Cauter, JAMA, 2011). Women with irregular sleep patterns are three times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
3. Nutritional gaps
Hormones are synthesized from nutrients. Vitamin D3 functions like a hormone and is essential for estrogen regulation. Magnesium supports cortisol regulation and sleep. Fiber supports estrogen clearance through the gut. Adequate protein provides amino acid building blocks for hormone synthesis.
4. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
Chemicals in many personal care and household products interfere with the body's hormonal signaling by mimicking hormones, blocking receptors, or altering hormone metabolism. The average woman encounters more than 160 such chemicals daily through 12 personal care products alone.
The founding insight: During Sara Jensen's sixth round of IVF, her physician Dr. Mark Surrey asked what personal care and home products she was using. He explained that chemicals in those products could affect the hormonal environment fertility treatments were trying to optimize. That conversation is the founding insight of every Hugh & Grace product decision.
HORMONES ACROSS A LIFETIME
How your hormonal needs change with each chapter
WHAT TO DO
Six daily habits with the strongest evidence base
01
Protect your sleep, 7 to 9 hours, consistentlySleep is the most powerful hormone-regulating behavior available to you. Consistent sleep and wake times calibrate cortisol, melatonin, growth hormone, and testosterone more effectively than any supplement.
02
Hydrate before caffeine, with electrolytesOvernight, you lose fluid and electrolytes essential for adrenal function. Rehydrating before your first caffeine intake helps stabilize your morning hormonal baseline. Hydrate + Detox was specifically formulated for this morning window.
03
Eat adequate protein at breakfastProtein stabilizes blood sugar, which stabilizes cortisol and insulin. 20-30 grams of protein within the first hour of waking supports stable energy and reduces the cortisol spike that a carbohydrate-only breakfast amplifies.
04
Include strength training two to three times per weekResistance training is one of the most effective interventions for testosterone support, insulin sensitivity, and growth hormone production, producing a hormonal response that supports metabolic health and muscle preservation.
05
Eat fiber with every mealFiber supports estrogen clearance through the gut. Soluble fiber also slows glucose absorption, supporting insulin sensitivity. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, beans, and seeds are the most efficient sources.
06
Audit your daily product exposureThe personal care and home products you use daily represent one of the most consistent and controllable sources of hormonal chemical exposure in your life. The UC Berkeley HERMOSA Study demonstrated that switching products can reduce measurable chemical levels by 27-45% within just three days.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Signs that your hormones may need more support
These experiences are common — but they are not inevitable. Many are signals from a hormonal system asking for better inputs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More questions about hormone health
The most reliable path is blood work with a healthcare provider who specializes in endocrine health or functional medicine. Standard panels often test only TSH for thyroid, more comprehensive panels test free T3, free T4, sex hormones, cortisol rhythm, and key nutrient levels. If you are experiencing multiple consistent symptoms, it is worth requesting a more thorough hormonal panel rather than accepting a dismissal of your symptoms as stress or aging.
Supplements can address specific nutritional gaps that affect hormone synthesis and function, Vitamin D3, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins are among the most well-studied. What they cannot do is replace the lifestyle foundations: sleep, nutrition, movement, and stress management. Hugh & Grace products are formulated to support the body's natural hormone function as part of a complete daily system.
No, hormones regulate health across the entire lifespan, in every body. The habits you build in your 20s and 30s directly affect how you experience perimenopause, menopause, and aging. For men, testosterone decline is gradual but begins in the early 30s. For women, hormone-related conditions including PCOS, thyroid disease, and autoimmune disorders frequently emerge well before perimenopause. Hormone health is a lifelong practice.
For Hugh & Grace, hormone-supportive means two things in combination. First, products formulated without endocrine-disrupting chemicals, no phthalates, parabens, or synthetic fragrance. Second, products that include specific ingredients that actively support the body's hormonal pathways. It is an additive position: the daily system is designed to build hormonal health, not simply avoid what undermines it.
BUILD YOUR DAILY SYSTEM
Hormone health is built in the details of every day.
The products you use, the routine you follow, the nutrients you provide, these are the levers you have. Hugh & Grace makes the most important ones simple.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
Leproult, R. & Van Cauter, E. (2011). Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels.JAMA, 305(21), 2173-2174.doi:10.1001/jama.2011.710
American Thyroid Association. Thyroid facts.thyroid.org · Deswal, R. et al. (2020). Prevalence of PCOS.Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 13(4). PMID: 33627974
Endocrine Society. EDC exposure costs billions.endocrine.org
Zota, A.R. et al. (2016). HERMOSA Intervention Study.Environmental Health Perspectives, 124(10).doi:10.1289/ehp.1510514