“I'm irritable even when I'm not”
If you don’t feel like yourself anymore, your hormones may be trying to tell you something.
“Why am I so exhausted all the time?”
If you don’t feel like yourself anymore, your hormones may be trying to tell you something.
It's not because you have a deficiency of synthetic birth control
You snap at loved ones and no longer have the patience that you used to have.
You’re sleeping… but still tired.
The word “overwhelmed” keeps showing up in your conversation.
You’re trying to eat healthy… but gaining weight anyway.
You feel anxious, irritable, emotional, or just “off,” and you can’t figure out why.
The truth is, hormone imbalances can affect almost every part of how you feel — your energy, mood, sleep, metabolism, focus, libido, skin, digestion, and emotional well-being. Pretty much everything.
And no, it’s not “all in your head.” Throw that myth out and figure out the truth about what’s going wrong.
I have heard some version of this story from women for more than 35 years. They know something has changed. They know their bodies. Yet they are often told that their tests are normal, their symptoms are simply part of aging, or they need to accept feeling this way.
I don’t believe you should have to accept losing yourself.
As a woman, I understand how unsettling it can be when your own body no longer feels familiar. And as a doctor, I know that these symptoms are rarely random. They are clues—and when we listen carefully, they often begin to form a pattern.
Hormones affect so much more than your cycle.
Many women think hormone issues only mean obvious PMS, hot flashes, endometriosis, PCOS/PMOS, perimenopause or menopause. But hormones are connected to the entire body.
When hormones become imbalanced, it can show up as:
- Fatigue, even after a full night’s sleep
- Brain fog or forgetfulness
- Anxiety or feeling easily overwhelmed
- Mood swings or irritability
- Weight gain that suddenly feels impossible to control
- Trouble sleeping
- Low libido
- Hair thinning or dry skin
- Painful or irregular periods
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Feeling unlike yourself
Sometimes it happens gradually, and one day you realize: “I just don’t feel good anymore.” That thought matters. It is often the beginning of understanding what your body has been trying to tell you.
There’s usually a reason your body is struggling.
Hormones don’t become imbalanced for no reason. They respond to the conditions within the body and the life surrounding it. Chronic stress, disrupted sleep, inflammation, thyroid dysfunction, blood sugar changes, nutrient deficiencies, digestive problems, environmental exposures, major life transitions, and the natural shifts of perimenopause can all change the way your hormonal system functions.
That’s why simply covering up symptoms often doesn’t create lasting change.
My work is to look beyond the most obvious symptom and find the pattern underneath it. What changed first? What else was happening at the time? Which symptoms seem unrelated but may actually belong to the same story?
The goal is not merely to push a hormone level up or down. It is to understand what your body may be missing, where it may be overwhelmed, and what is interfering with its ability to regain balance.
You deserve to feel like yourself again.
Balanced hormones can mean:
- Waking up refreshed
- Sleeping through the night
- Feeling calmer and more emotionally balanced
- Better focus and mental clarity
- Stamina and motivation return
- Easier weight management
- Fewer cravings
- Improved mood and confidence
- Feeling comfortable in your body again
You do not have to keep pushing through exhaustion and calling it normal. Feeling better is not vanity. Wanting your mind, energy, emotional steadiness, sexuality, and sense of self back is not asking too much.
Trusted by 1,500+ women over 35+ years. Licensed holistic functional health doctor based in Austin, TX, and available nationwide
I was experiencing a ton of physical and emotional issues after going through treatment for breast cancer, and Dr. Mayfield was my lifeline during this time. She diagnosed and addressed some issues that I didn’t even realize I was having, and as a result, I’m feeling 90% better. It’s impossible to overemphasize how she has helped me to have a good, happy, productive and satisfying quality of life again — my hormones are beginning to stabilize, my emotional ups and downs are beginning to even out, my sleep is better and my energy is coming back. Thank you SO much, Dr. Mayfield!
- Jenny P.
Eight months ago Dr. Mayfield discovered why my daughter was struggling with depression and anxiety and gave us hope during a rough time. Now my daughter is pharmaceutical free and in great physical and mental health and still improving. We're so impressed with her knowledge and also her compassion and genuine concern. She truly loves what she does and it shows.
- Kathleen G.
Hormone Testing: Looking Beyond a Single Number
Testing is not the whole story, but it can provide important pieces of the puzzle. A thoughtful evaluation may look beyond estrogen and progesterone to include cortisol patterns, thyroid function, testosterone, DHEA, hormone metabolites, blood sugar regulation, inflammation, nutrient status, and gut health.
Depending on your symptoms and history, I may recommend advanced functional testing such as the DUTCH test. This dried urine test shows not only certain hormone levels, but also how hormones are being metabolized and how cortisol changes throughout the day. It can also be useful when evaluating or monitoring bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Results are interpreted alongside your symptoms, health history, medications, life circumstances, and the sequence in which your concerns developed. A laboratory report should never be treated as though it knows your body better than you do.
A More Natural, Personalized Approach to Hormone Health Treatments
Many women are offered birth control, hormone replacement, or a progesterone cream as the first—and sometimes only—answer to their symptoms. These approaches may be appropriate and helpful for some women. But when treatment is based on one hormone or one laboratory number, it can miss the larger pattern.
The truth is, hormones are rarely that simple.
No hormone works alone. Estrogens and progesterone interact with cortisol, thyroid hormones, testosterone, DHEA, insulin, the adrenal glands, the pituitary gland, the nervous system, the gut microbiome, and inflammatory pathways throughout the body. When one part of this system is struggling, the effects can travel far beyond the reproductive system.
That is why fatigue, anxiety, difficult periods, PCOS/PMOS, weight gain, poor sleep, brain fog, low libido, acne, thinning hair, mood changes, and that hard-to-describe feeling of being “off” may require a broader and more individualized approach.
As a woman, I understand how frustrating and exhausting hormone symptoms can feel — especially when you’ve been told your labs are “normal” or that your symptoms are just part of aging. You deserve to feel heard, supported, and taken seriously.
I became a specialist in women's natural healthcare because there was a desperate need for it when I graduated. VERY FEW female doctors were addressing women's health from a natural, holistic perspective. The need was tremendous, and with my own PCOS history, I knew what was needed ... basically everything that I was never offered as a patient in previous years.
Women’s hormone health has been a major focus of my work for more than 35 years. I also teach continuing education courses to other doctors on natural hormone balance and functional medicine approaches to women’s health.
That experience has taught me to look at both the science and the woman living inside the test results. I want to know what your body is doing—but I also want to know what you have been living through.
My goal is to help support your body’s natural hormone balance by addressing the factors that are most relevant to you. That may include nutrition, stress physiology, inflammation, adrenal and thyroid function, gut health, lifestyle, targeted supplementation, herbal support, homeopathy, or a deeper conversation about what your body has been carrying.
I’ll never tell you there’s nothing you can do or it’s all in your head, I promise.
The Art of Healing
When we think of hormones, we typically are thinking about gender hormones. Most of us struggle with identifying ourselves within our society.
What does it mean for a woman to be feminine while maintaining boundaries and strength that might not have been modeled for her?
How do men express masculinity in a world that is questioning their every move?
Hormones are chemistry, but they are also responsive to the life you are living. The body remembers seasons of stress. It adapts to years of pushing through, caring for everyone else, silencing your needs, or trying to remain strong long after your reserves have been depleted.
Sometimes healing begins with quieter questions ...
Where have I been overriding what my body needs?
What am I exhausted from carrying?
Where do I need stronger boundaries—or greater softness?
What part of myself have I lost touch with?
What might this season of my life be asking me to change?
These questions do not replace testing or treatment. They deepen the conversation. The body, mind, and spirit are not separate—and lasting healing sometimes asks us to listen to all three.
The Science of Healing
It’s not so easy to balance hormones these days.
It’s certainly not as simple as some websites can lead you to believe.
And in my world, it's much more than a simple blood draw.
Test thoroughly. Treat appropriately. Test again.
Modern testing allows us to follow hormones through their pathways and see how the body is producing, using, and clearing them. This can reveal problems that may not appear on a basic hormone panel.
Perhaps the issue isn't your hormone production, but your ability to use them once they are created.
Lab results and numbers are interpreted within the context of the whole person. Your symptoms, history, stress, sleep, digestion, medications, environment, and life stage all matter.
You are not going crazy. These symptoms are real. Your body is communicating—and with careful investigation and the right support, it is often possible to feel like yourself again.
Dr. Mayfield changed my life! I went to see her last November after feeling fatigued, experiencing low back pain, weight gain even though I was eating healthy and exercising. I was also beginning to suffer from insomnia which was making matters worse.
On my first visit, I immediately felt so comfortable with Dr. Mayfield. She is so experienced and knowledgeable. It’s obvious immediately that she truly loves what she does. She’s caring and very warm and genuine. I was ready to have her heal my body and feel the way I used to. Now, just a few short months later I feel like a totally different person with a ton of energy, weight loss, better sleep and overall mood.
After receiving test results back, Dr. Mayfield designed a perfect and natural supplement regimen for me to help balance my adrenals and serotonin levels. I couldn’t be happier! I’ve learned so much about my body through Dr. Mayfield. She is a true healer and I’m so grateful to have been referred to her from a dear friend of mine.
- Michele S.
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