Hormones have a huge say in how we feel—our energy, mood, metabolism, and even sleep. But if you’ve been struggling with headaches, bloating, irregular cycles, anxiety, or skin flare-ups, histamine intolerance might be the missing piece of the puzzle. The link between hormones and histamine isn’t talked about enough, but once you understand it, things start making a lot more sense.
The Hormone-Histamine Connection
Most of us think of histamine as something to blame for allergies, but it actually does way more. It’s an important part of our immune function, stomach acid production, and even brain signaling. The trouble starts when your body isn’t breaking it down properly. And here’s where hormones come in—because they directly affect how histamine is processed, and histamine, in turn, messes with hormone balance.
Oestrogen and Histamine: A Two-Way Street
Oestrogen and histamine have a bit of a complicated relationship. Oestrogen actually tells mast cells to release more histamine. This means that at certain points in your cycle—like around ovulation and just before your period—histamine levels can spike, bringing on things like:
- Headaches or migraines
- Anxiety and palpitations
- Digestive issues
- Heavy or painful periods
And if you’re in perimenopause or menopause, things can get even trickier. With oestrogen levels fluctuating all over the place, histamine intolerance can ramp up, making symptoms feel worse than ever.
Progesterone: The Unsung Hero
If oestrogen is the gas pedal for histamine, progesterone is the brake. It helps keep mast cells stable, supports our sleep and sense of calm, and helps histamine breakdown by raising DAO (which breaks down histamine in the gut) . But if your progesterone levels are low (which is common in perimenopause or during times of high stress), histamine can spiral out of control, making you feel like your symptoms are ruling your life. It’s at times in the menstrual cycle when oestrogen levels are higher than progesterone, histamine symptoms can really kick in.
Other Hormones That Play a Role
- Cortisol: If you’re stressed out all the time, your cortisol levels take a hit, which can drive up inflammation, histamine release and mess with progesterone and oestrogen levels.
- Thyroid Hormones: If you have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s, you might find that histamine issues go hand in hand with sluggish digestion, fatigue, and mood swings.
Could Histamine Be Behind Your Hormonal Rollercoaster?
If your symptoms seem to come and go in waves, histamine could be the culprit. Some common signs include:
- Cyclical headaches or migraines
- Anxiety, palpitations, or trouble sleeping
- Skin flushing, itching, or rashes
- Bloating, IBS-like symptoms, or food sensitivities
- Heavy, painful, or irregular periods
Digging Deeper with Functional Testing
Instead of playing the guessing game, functional testing can give real insights into what’s going on. Here are some tests that can help get to the root of the problem:
- Hormone Panels (DUTCH Test, Salivary Testing, Thyroid): Helps map out oestrogen, progesterone, and cortisol levels in relation to histamine, and to assess if the thyroid is playing a role in both histamine and hormone balance.
- Gut Testing (Stool & Microbiome Analysis): Since gut health is a big player in histamine breakdown, testing can uncover imbalances that may lead to more histamine production, or inefficiency of hormone regulation.
- Nutrigenomic Testing: Looks at genetic factors that might be affecting your histamine and hormone metabolism.
What You Can Do to Feel Better
Histamine intolerance isn’t just about avoiding certain foods—it’s about figuring out what’s driving your symptoms. And because everyone’s triggers are different, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why we always start with the gut—it’s the foundation of so much when it comes to histamine and hormone balance. Here’s what we focus on:
- Supporting Histamine Breakdown: This isn’t just about taking a DAO supplement and hoping for the best. It’s about eating in a way that works for your body, supporting gut health, and making sure you’re getting key nutrients to help keep histamine in check.
- Balancing Hormones Naturally: Whether it’s through nutrition, herbs, or lifestyle shifts, we work on bringing your oestrogen and progesterone into a better rhythm.
- Healing the Gut: Your gut is where a lot of histamine metabolism happens, so if your digestion isn’t in a good place, neither is your histamine tolerance or hormone balance. We look at microbiome health, inflammation, and anything else that might be throwing things off such as toxic chemicals or moulds that might be impacting hormones.
- Managing Stress & Adrenals: Stress is a massive driver of histamine and hormone issues, so supporting your adrenals and nervous system can make a huge difference. We’re big believers in practical, realistic stress management strategies—not just telling you to “meditate more” and calling it a day.
Taking Back Control of Your Health
If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of unexplained symptoms, you’re not alone. The good news? Once you understand the histamine-hormone link, you can start making real changes that help you feel better.
We’re here to help with functional testing, personalised protocols, and expert guidance. Whether you’re dealing with perimenopause, unexplained symptoms, or just feeling like something’s off, we can help you figure it out.
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References
- González-Pérez, R., et al. (2020). Histamine intolerance: The current state of the art. Biomolecules, 10(8), 1186.
- Bey, K., et al. (2021). Histamine intolerance: The more we know the less we know. A review. Nutrients, 13(7), 2228.
- Schink, M., et al. (2018). Histamine intolerance: The current state of the art. Biomolecules, 8(3), 55.
- Comas-Basté, O., et al. (2020). New insights into histamine intolerance: Tolerance levels and major contributing factors. Nutrients, 12(11), 3756.