Michelle McGilvray Naturopath, Jamison Centre, Bowman Street, Macquarie, Canberra (2026)

03/03/2026

Your hormonal issues aren’t generally the issue, they are more of a symptom of a bigger picture such as cortisol dysregulation/stress, thyroid or liver insufficiency, nutrient depletions or gut health. All of these factors affect your hormones and need to be addressed in order to resolve your hormonal concerns long term.

When we are talking about the guts role in hormone health- we have a few things to consider.

Your gut plays a central role in clearing oestrogen. After the liver processes it, oestrogen is sent to the bowel for elimination. If you’re constipated or your microbiome is imbalanced, it can be reabsorbed back into circulation — driving PMS, heavy periods, breast tenderness and “oestrogen dominant” patterns.

Certain gut bacteria regulate an enzyme called β-glucuronidase. When this activity is elevated, more oestrogen is recirculated instead of excreted.

Endotoxins (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria can also increase systemic inflammation, disrupt ovarian signalling and blunt progesterone production. This shows why clearing bacterial overgrowths or sibo can have a profound effect on endometriosis, period pain and overall menstrual health and acne.

Your gut also plays a role in
• Thyroid conversion (T4 → T3)
• Insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation
• GLP-1 signalling
• Absorption of key nutrients like zinc, selenium and iron

If you’re working on your hormones but ignoring bowel habits, microbial balance and inflammation- then you might not overcome these challenges for good.

If your hormones feel out of whack, and your not sure why or what is driving it- that’s where a naturopath can help shine some light 💡

27/02/2026

If finances are tight, but you still need that appointment- Practice Better (the booking system/portal I use) has now integrated the option of afterpay/klarna buy now pay later services. 🤌
You will be able to find this as you go to check out and pay your invoice or if you are booking an initial appointment.

24/02/2026

Cholesterol medication is often prescribed based on total cholesterol and LDL levels alone but these markers don’t always reflect true cardiovascular risk. Before starting statins/medication I usually recommend my clients to consider 2 additional tests first, to actually assess their risk of cardiovascular disease- especially because statins are one of the most over prescribed drugs and side effects are quite common.

These tests include:

1️⃣ Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score
This involves a CT scan of the heart to detect calcified plaque in the arterial walls and helps predict heart attack risk over the next 5-10years.
This needs to be requested through your GP or cardiologist and usually isn’t covered under Medicare

2️⃣ LDL Fraction Testing (LDL Subfractions)
This provides a detailed breakdown of LDL cholesterol, measuring the size and density of particles rather than just total cholesterol levels. It identifies smaller, denser, more dangerous particles (LDL-3 to LDL-7) that indicate a higher risk of heart disease, often hidden by standard tests.
You can request this through your naturopath or some online pathology labs such as iscreen. Approx $200-$250

Share this to your fam and friends if they have been recommended to take medication for their high cholesterol!

19/02/2026

Why pay for postage if you don’t need to?
If you are using vital.ly to order your supplements make sure you are part of the rewards program for extra perks! It’s free to join you just need to enable it in your account. I noticed some of my clients are still paying for postage and haven’t enabled this yet

You will get points for each $ you spend plus free shipping on orders above $99 :)

If you need help with this let me know and I can guide you through it. Always looking for ways to save you $ where possible xx

17/02/2026

If you are trying to conceive, have had a history of miscarriage or subfertility then make sure you check your thyroid properly.
Even if this means testing them privately yourself through companies like imedical

12/02/2026

Optimal progesterone levels are needed for a healthy menstrual cycle and for fertility purposes.

Ideally I like progesterone sitting >40 when tested 1 week prior to your expected menstrual bleed

Lots of reasons and symptoms for low progesterone can be seen above, with chaste tree being one of our go to herb to support progesterone production

terone

10/02/2026

The vaginal microbiome plays a direct role in fertility, implantation, and pregnancy outcomes.

An imbalance of bacteria, especially presence of bacterial overgrowths/infections are linked to:
• Reduced implantation rates
• Recurrent miscarriage
• Preterm birth
• Premature rupture of membranes
• IVF failure

Common bacterial overgrowths include:
• Gardnerella vaginalis – associated with bacterial vaginosis and increased miscarriage and preterm birth risk
• Atopobium vaginae – commonly co-exists with BV and is linked to poor pregnancy outcomes
• Ureaplasma urealyticum / parvum – associated with infertility, placental inflammation, miscarriage, and preterm birth
• Mycoplasma hominis – linked to pregnancy loss, chorioamnionitis, and preterm delivery
• Enterococcus faecalis – marker of vaginal dysbiosis; associated with reduced implantation rates, IVF failure, and preterm birth

An elevated vaginal pH is also something worth considering, as this can increase inflammation, and creates a less supportive environment for s***m survival and implantation.

10/02/2026

The vaginal microbiome plays a direct role in fertility, implantation, and pregnancy outcomes.

An imbalance of bacteria, especially presence of bacterial overgrowths/infections are linked to:
• Reduced implantation rates
• Recurrent miscarriage
• Preterm birth
• Premature rupture of membranes
• IVF failure

Common bacterial overgrowths include:
• Gardnerella vaginalis – associated with bacterial vaginosis and increased miscarriage and preterm birth risk
• Atopobium vaginae – commonly co-exists with BV and is linked to poor pregnancy outcomes
• Ureaplasma urealyticum / parvum – associated with infertility, placental inflammation, miscarriage, and preterm birth
• Mycoplasma hominis – linked to pregnancy loss, chorioamnionitis, and preterm delivery
• Enterococcus faecalis – marker of vaginal dysbiosis; associated with reduced implantation rates, IVF failure, and preterm birth

An elevated vaginal pH is also something worth considering, as this can increase inflammation, and creates a less supportive environment for s***m survival and implantation.

05/02/2026

Standard blood tests are a helpful starting point when assessing hormones, but they offer only a snapshot in time and don’t assess how hormones are being metabolised, cleared, or influenced by stress and detoxification pathways.

In clinical practice, it’s common to see ongoing symptoms such as PMS, PMDD, cycle pain/endometriosis, migraines, mood changes, fatigue or fertility concerns despite hormone blood results sitting within reference ranges.

A DUTCH test, provides a more comprehensive picture of your hormones by assessing:
– Cortisol patterns across the day
– Oestrogen, androgen and progesterone metabolism
– Neurotransmitter and mitochondrial markers
– Nutrient status and detoxification capacity
It is also great for assessing risk of harmful oestrogens in the context of hormonal driven cancers.

When symptoms persist, deeper functional testing can help identify why hormone balance is not being achieved and guide a more targeted, individualised support.

So if your doctor or naturopath say your hormones are fine, but your symptom clearly say otherwise then pop a DUTCH test on your to do list. A naturopath needs to request this and they do cost $$ (approx mid $400’s)

03/02/2026

Emerging research suggests certain probiotic strains may help lower the risk of gestational diabetes especially when used early in pregnancy. So if you are trying to conceive, have PCOS or insulin resistance, or are trying for another bub and have had GD previously then this is something you should consider.

Probiotics are great in general to take throughout your pregnancy and something I often recommend.
We do however, want to choose the strains wisely pending on what we are trying to achieve whether that is reducing risk of ezcema, allergies, gestational diabetes, mental health etc.

The strains with the strongest evidence for reducing GD in pregnancy:
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus (especially HN001)
• Bifidobacterium lactis / B. animalis

I like to use Activated Probiotics Perinatal probiotic to support this as it contains the HN001 which has the most evidence.

These strain specific probiotics may help reduce GD by:
• Improving insulin sensitivity
• Reducing low-grade inflammation
• Support healthy gut–glucose signalling
• Positively influence metabolic markers

03/02/2026

Emerging research suggests certain probiotic strains may help lower the risk of gestational diabetes especially when used early in pregnancy. So if you are trying to conceive, have PCOS or insulin resistance, or are trying for another bub and have had GD previously then this is something you should consider.

Probiotics are great in general to take throughout your pregnancy and something I often recommend.
We do however, want to choose the strains wisely pending on what we are trying to achieve whether that is reducing risk of ezcema, allergies, gestational diabetes, mental health etc.

The strains with the strongest evidence for reducing GD in pregnancy:
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus (especially HN001)
• Bifidobacterium lactis / B. animalis

I like to use Activated Probiotics Perinatal probiotic to support this as it contains the HN001 which has the most evidence.

These strain specific probiotics may help reduce GD by:
• Improving insulin sensitivity
• Reducing low-grade inflammation
• Support healthy gut–glucose signalling
• Positively influence metabolic markers

21/01/2026

Not a client? No worries!
This service is for those that want to go through blood work and make a plan around it. Perhaps as a once off appointment.

This appointment may be suitable if you:

• Have received results you don’t fully understand

• Want a second opinion or deeper interpretation of “normal” results

• Are experiencing ongoing symptoms despite “normal” blood tests

• Want a clear plan for what to address first

What we will cover:

• A full review of your pathology markers and key patterns

• Possible drivers behind abnormalities or suboptimal ranges

• Correlation with symptoms and health history

• Recommended next steps (dietary, lifestyle, herbal/nutritional support where appropriate)

• If needed: suggestions for additional testing to clarify the picture

This appointment is capped at 45minutes, it will not be an in depth consultation but rather one focused around pathology.

If you want to delve deep into your current symptoms, then I’d recommend having an initial consultation to allow the time to go through your case properly. Pathology interpretation is always included in general appointments

If you have any questions, pop them below!

Michelle McGilvray Naturopath

03/03/2026

27/02/2026

24/02/2026

19/02/2026

17/02/2026

12/02/2026

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

05/02/2026

03/02/2026

03/02/2026

21/01/2026

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