Most people picture autoimmune disorders as an immune system that has turned against the body for no obvious reason. In reality, your immune system does not operate on its own.
It responds to signals from your hormones, and those signals influence nearly every immune response your body produces. When your hormones are out of balance, your immune system can become disrupted as well.
To better understand this relationship, we’ll explore how the endocrine and immune systems communicate with each other.
Then we’ll look at the hormones most commonly associated with autoimmune symptom flares, including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, and insulin.
How Hormones Influence Your Immune System
Your endocrine glands and immune cells stay in constant communication. Hormones travel through your bloodstream and attach to receptors on immune cells, signaling when they should activate, settle down, or respond more aggressively to a threat.
This communication does not move in just one direction. Immune cells also release chemical messengers called cytokines, and those messengers can influence how much of a particular hormone your glands produce.
Under normal conditions, this ongoing exchange keeps your immune system balanced. It provides enough immune activity to fight off infections without causing your immune system to attack your own tissues.
At the center of much of this communication is the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands, often referred to as the HPA axis. Together, they adjust hormone production in response to feedback from the rest of your body, including your immune cells.
When this feedback loop becomes unbalanced, your immune system can begin responding in abnormal ways. Hormonal changes are one of the more common factors that can disrupt this process and contribute to the development or worsening of autoimmune disease.
Read more: The Root Causes of Autoimmune Disorders (and Why Medication Alone isn’t Enough)
Hormones That Affect Autoimmune Function
Each of the hormones below affects your immune system differently. In many cases, people with autoimmune conditions have imbalances in more than one hormone at the same time. As a result, treatment plans that focus on only one symptom may not address the broader hormonal patterns involved.
Estrogen
Estrogen tends to increase immune activity. This helps explain why autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are diagnosed more often in women than in men.
It also helps explain why symptoms often change during pregnancy, the postpartum period, perimenopause, and menopause, when estrogen levels fluctuate the most.
Progesterone
Progesterone generally has a calming effect on immune activity. When progesterone levels drop in relation to estrogen, a pattern sometimes referred to as estrogen dominance, immune activity often increases.
Because of this, some women notice changes in their autoimmune symptoms at different points during their menstrual cycle.
Testosterone
Testosterone generally reduces immune activity, which helps explain why autoimmune conditions are diagnosed less often in men. At the same time, low testosterone levels in men have been associated with a higher likelihood of developing autoimmune symptoms.
Some men also notice changes in their symptoms after their testosterone levels are restored. Women produce testosterone as well, although in much smaller amounts, and it also contributes to immune regulation.
Cortisol
Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. Under normal conditions, it helps control inflammation and regulate immune activity. However, chronic stress can keep cortisol levels elevated for long periods.
Over time, your cells may become less responsive to cortisol, reducing its ability to regulate inflammation. As this response weakens, autoimmune symptoms may become more pronounced.
Thyroid hormones
Thyroid hormones and your immune system are closely connected, and the relationship works in both directions. Hashimoto’s disease and Graves’ disease are autoimmune conditions that affect the thyroid. In addition, having one autoimmune condition increases your likelihood of developing another, including autoimmune thyroid disease.
Insulin
Insulin resistance increases inflammation throughout your body. Over time, chronically high blood sugar and elevated insulin levels can place additional strain on an immune system that is already attacking healthy tissues.
For this reason, blood sugar management is often included in autoimmune treatment plans, even for people who do not have diabetes.
Your diet, sleep, and physical activity all influence insulin levels, making this an area that is commonly evaluated during an initial assessment with new patients.
Read more: Why Autoimmune Diseases are on the Rise
Addressing the Hormonal Side of Your Autoimmune Care
Hormones and immune function are closely connected, so you cannot fully address one without considering the other.
Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, and insulin each influence your immune system differently, and many people with autoimmune conditions have imbalances in several of these hormones at the same time.
Treating symptoms alone rarely gets patients very far. Managing autoimmune disorders has to start at the root cause to achieve long-term symptom relief.
If you’re ready to take control of your health, contact our clinic. We’ve been treating patients across Acadiana and beyond who are dealing with autoimmune conditions. Looking for an autoimmune specialist in Lafayette, LA? Get in touch with us today.