Stress, Trauma, POTS, Hypermobility and Low Hormones: The Missing Link

Monica Naturopath

Aug 14

19 min read

Updated: Aug 14

Blog posted by Monica Williams

Advanced FSM Practitioner | Naturopath | IICT Member 30 years in clinical practice Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast QLD

Finding what’s happening upstream is often the key to restoring healthy hormone balance, naturally.

In Short

When women are struggling to feel well, hormone testing is often part of the investigation. And when testing reveals low oestrogen or progesterone, understandably, attention turns to the hormones. How do we increase them? Do we need supplements? Is hormone replacement appropriate? Is something wrong with the ovaries?

These can all be important questions. But there is another question that deserves to be asked: Why are the hormones low in the first place?

For some women — particularly those experiencing chronic stress, trauma, chronic illness, POTS, hypermobility, inadequate energy availability or a combination of these — low reproductive hormones may be one downstream expression of a much bigger physiological picture.

Research is helping us understand the connections between the autonomic nervous system (ANS), stress physiology, energy availability, the hypothalamus and reproductive hormone signalling. These aren't separate departments. They are constantly communicating. And sometimes the hormone result isn't the finish line. It's the signpost pointing us further upstream.

Key Takeaways

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) quietly regulates heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, digestion, temperature and our ability to shift between alertness and rest — all without conscious effort.
In POTS and other forms of dysautonomia, this system struggles to compensate appropriately for ordinary physiological challenges such as standing. The resulting racing heart, dizziness, shaking and adrenaline-like sensations can look and feel like anxiety even when the underlying driver is physiological.
Chronic stress and unresolved trauma can be associated with measurable changes in autonomic regulation. The stressful experience may have ended while aspects of the body's physiological response remain altered.
The hypothalamus sits at an important crossroads between reproductive signalling, energy availability, stress physiology, circadian rhythm and autonomic regulation.
Heart rate variability (HRV) gives researchers and clinicians one window into autonomic regulation. Research in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea suggests reproductive disruption can occur alongside altered autonomic responses, although there isn't one HRV pattern that applies to every woman.
Oestrogen itself influences autonomic and cardiovascular physiology. This means the relationship isn't simply one-way: reproductive hormones can influence autonomic function while the wider physiological environment can influence reproductive signalling.
Hypermobility and autonomic dysfunction frequently overlap. When hypermobility occurs alongside dizziness, palpitations, fatigue, digestive symptoms, temperature problems and menstrual disruption, it may be worth investigating whether some of these symptoms are connected.
The clinical question therefore changes from simply "How do we raise the hormones?" to "Why has reproductive signalling changed in the first place?"
Supporting the wider regulatory environment — including adequate nutrition and energy availability, restorative sleep, appropriate movement, autonomic regulation, stress physiology and recovery from trauma or illness — may provide an important upstream layer alongside appropriate hormone treatment.

1. The Body's Behind-the-Scenes Manager

You've never had to remind yourself to increase your heart rate when you stand, redirect blood toward your digestive system after eating, adjust your blood vessels when you're overheating, or change your breathing when your body needs more oxygen.

All of this happens automatically, every second of every day, largely through the autonomic nervous system (ANS) — the body's behind-the-scenes manager.

The ANS helps regulate:

heart rate and blood pressure
circulation and blood vessel tone
digestion and movement through the bowel
breathing
body temperature and sweating
bladder function
pupil responses
sexual function
aspects of immune and inflammatory activity
the transition between alertness, rest and sleep

Its two main branches are often simplified as "fight or flight" and "rest, digest and recover."

The sympathetic nervous system acts somewhat like an accelerator. It increases heart rate, alters circulation and helps mobilise energy so the body can respond rapidly when something demands it.
The parasympathetic nervous system, closely associated with the vagus nerve, supports rest, digestion, restoration and recovery.

We need both. Fight or flight isn't inherently harmful. In fact, it's essential. The body is designed to accelerate when necessary and then move back toward baseline once the demand has passed. Problems can begin when the body has to keep leaning on that accelerator — not because a tiger is chasing us, but because maintaining ordinary physiological functions has itself become demanding. And this is where autonomic dysfunction becomes particularly interesting.

2. When Standing Becomes Stressful: POTS and Dysautonomia

One of the clearest examples is POTS — postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — and other forms of dysautonomia.

Think about something as simple as standing up. Gravity immediately shifts blood toward the legs and lower abdomen. In a well-functioning system, the ANS detects this change almost immediately. Blood vessels constrict, heart rate adjusts, and the muscles of the legs help return blood toward the heart. The correction happens so efficiently that most people never know it occurred. But when this system isn't compensating effectively, standing can become surprisingly demanding.

Instead of a small adjustment in heart rate, the heart may race. Blood vessels may not constrict adequately. Blood can pool in the legs or abdomen. Sympathetic activity can increase substantially as the body tries to maintain blood pressure and cerebral circulation.

The result can include:

dizziness
blurred or darkening vision
shaking
palpitations
nausea
weakness
brain fog
headaches
exercise intolerance
fatigue
adrenaline-like surges
sensations remarkably similar to a panic attack

And this distinction matters enormously. A woman experiencing these symptoms may not be psychologically anxious at all. Her body may be mounting a very real physiological stress response in an attempt to maintain adequate circulation to her brain.

POTS predominantly affects women, particularly during the reproductive years.

Importantly, POTS isn't one single physiological problem. Different people may have contributions from impaired peripheral vasoconstriction, autonomic neuropathy, low circulating blood volume, excessive sympathetic activation and other mechanisms. [1]

Clinical Insight — Monica Williams, Naturopath & Advanced FSM Practitioner (IICT) - One of the most frustrating experiences for women with dysautonomia is being told their racing heart, shakiness and dizziness are "just anxiety." In clinical practice, I see this distinction matter enormously. A nervous system working overtime to maintain circulation can produce symptoms that overlap heavily with anxiety, but the underlying driver may be physiological rather than psychological. Understanding that difference changes where we start looking for answers.

Clinical Insight — Monica Williams, Naturopath & Advanced FSM Practitioner (IICT) - One of the most frustrating experiences for women with dysautonomia is being told their racing heart, shakiness and dizziness are "just anxiety." In clinical practice, I see this distinction matter enormously. A nervous system working overtime to maintain circulation can produce symptoms that overlap heavily with anxiety, but the underlying driver may be physiological rather than psychological. Understanding that difference changes where we start looking for answers.

3. Stress and Trauma Can Leave a Physiological Signature Too

POTS gives us a particularly visible and measurable example of autonomic dysfunction, but it isn't the only way autonomic regulation can become altered. Chronic psychological stress, illness, persistent pain and unresolved trauma can also be associated with changes in autonomic regulation.

One way researchers investigate this is through heart rate variability (HRV).

Your heart doesn't beat with the precision of a metronome. In a healthy, adaptable system, the tiny interval between one heartbeat and the next continually changes.

That variability provides information about autonomic regulation and, particularly with certain HRV measurements, parasympathetic or vagal influence over the heart.

Research using HRV has found measurable relationships between psychological stress and autonomic regulation. A review examining studies that repeatedly measured HRV alongside validated psychological stress measures found associations across several HRV parameters, although the researchers also highlighted considerable variation between studies and measurement methods. [12]

Research into post-traumatic stress disorder adds another layer. A meta-analysis found altered HRV and higher resting heart rates in people with PTSD compared with healthy controls, supporting an association between PTSD and persistent differences in autonomic regulation. [13]

This gives us an important insight:

An experience can be over while aspects of the body's physiological response to that experience remain altered. For some people, regulatory systems can remain changed long afterwards. And this becomes particularly relevant when we start talking about hormones.

4. The Hypothalamus: Where the Conversations Meet

The hypothalamus is a small region of the brain with an extraordinarily large job.

It is involved in regulating:

reproductive hormone signalling
stress physiology
appetite and energy balance
body temperature
circadian rhythms and sleep
autonomic function
aspects of cardiovascular regulation

This matters because reproductive hormones, stress physiology, energy availability and autonomic function are not separate departments operating independently of one another. They communicate.

The hypothalamus doesn't respond to reproductive hormones in isolation. It integrates information about energy availability, stress physiology, circadian signalling and the body's internal environment — all of which can influence reproductive signalling.

So the useful model isn't necessarily: ANS dysfunction → low hormones

It's a network. Stress, trauma, illness, pain, inadequate energy intake, overtraining, inflammation and autonomic dysfunction can all contribute to the physiological environment the brain is attempting to regulate.

The autonomic nervous system, HPA stress axis, hypothalamus, metabolic signalling and reproductive system continually communicate with one another. And importantly, reproductive hormones feed back into that network too. This is where looking upstream becomes important.

5. Why This Matters When Hormones Are Low

Picture a woman who has done everything "right." She eats well. She exercises. She takes sleep seriously. And yet her period becomes lighter, increasingly irregular, or disappear altogether. Blood tests show low oestrogen and progesterone.

Understandably, the conversation becomes: How do we increase her oestrogen and progesterone? But there is another question worth asking: Why has reproductive signalling been turned down in the first place?

Producing eggs, maintaining an ovulatory cycle and preparing the body for a possible pregnancy require energy and resources. You can think of the hypothalamus as continually integrating information about whether the body's current internal environment is supportive of that investment. When signals indicate inadequate energy availability or substantial physiological demand, reproductive signalling can be reduced.

This is well recognised in functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea (FHA), where menstruation can become irregular or stop in association with psychological stress, inadequate energy availability and/or excessive exercise. [2]

So a low hormone result isn't necessarily the beginning of the story. Sometimes it is evidence of something happening further upstream, and confirmation that you aren't going crazy.

6. We Can See Part of the Connection in the Heart

This is where the picture becomes particularly interesting. Heart rate variability (HRV) provides one window into autonomic regulation. In a flexible autonomic system, the intervals between heartbeats naturally vary as the body continually adapts to breathing, movement, posture, emotion, sleep and changes in its internal environment.

Lower HRV can reflect reduced parasympathetic influence and/or altered autonomic regulation. It doesn't diagnose "fight or flight" by itself, but interpreted appropriately and in context, HRV can provide useful information about autonomic function.

Research examining adolescents with functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea has identified differences in HRV and autonomic regulation in some FHA subgroups compared with healthy controls. Importantly, the findings weren't identical across all women with FHA, reminding us that there isn't one autonomic pattern that explains every case. [10]

Other research has identified altered autonomic responses to psychological stimuli in women with FHA compared with controls. [11] That gives us an important clue.

Low reproductive hormones may not always occur in isolation.

Changes in reproductive signalling can occur alongside measurable changes in autonomic regulation. In some women, both may be expressions of a broader physiological adaptation involving stress, energy availability and other forms of physiological demand. This doesn't prove that autonomic dysfunction directly causes low hormones. But it gives us a compelling reason to pull the lense back and look beyond the hormone result itself, from a more holistic perspective.

7. The Relationship Runs Both Ways

There is another fascinating part of this story.

Oestrogen itself influences autonomic and cardiovascular regulation.

Research examining women following surgical removal of both ovaries has demonstrated changes in measures of autonomic regulation following the abrupt loss of ovarian hormones. In one study, surgical menopause was associated with reduced cardiac vagal modulation and a shift in autonomic measures. Some of these measures changed again following oestrogen replacement. [9]

That matters because it demonstrates something important: Reproductive hormones aren't simply passive outputs sitting at the end of the pathway. They also feed back into systems involved in cardiovascular and autonomic regulation.

Rather than imagining a simple pathway: Stress → nervous system dysfunction → low hormones, it may be more useful to picture a constantly communicating network:

↓

Increasing physiological demand

↕

Autonomic nervous system | HPA axis | Hypothalamus | Metabolic signalling

↓

↕

Reproductive hormones feed back into the system

This helps explain why it isn't always possible — or even particularly useful — to decide which problem came first. The systems influence one another.

8. POTS, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle

There is a real-world reflection of this relationship in women with POTS.

Women with POTS have reported changes in light-headedness across the menstrual cycle, with symptoms often becoming more pronounced around menstruation. [3]

Hormonal fluctuations may influence vascular function, fluid regulation and autonomic responses, although the relationship is complex and varies considerably between women.

A more recent review examining women, orthostatic tolerance and POTS has also explored how reproductive physiology, blood volume, vascular function, autonomic control and cerebral blood-flow regulation may interact. [4]

Again, this doesn't mean hormones "cause" POTS. It tells us something more nuanced and potentially more useful: Reproductive hormones and autonomic physiology interact. Once we understand that, treating them as completely separate systems becomes increasingly difficult to justify.

9. Hypermobility Adds Another Piece to the Puzzle

If you're hypermobile — whether you have a formal diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), or you've simply always been "the bendy one" — there may be another important layer to consider.

Hypermobility and autonomic dysfunction frequently overlap.

A systematic review examining more than 8,000 people with EDS and almost 13,000 with POTS found substantial overlap between the two conditions, although prevalence estimates varied considerably depending on the population studied and diagnostic criteria used. [5]

Research involving adults with hEDS or HSD has similarly identified POTS and other forms of orthostatic intolerance during autonomic assessment. [6]

These findings raise an important question: Why might a connective-tissue condition affect something as seemingly unrelated as heart rate and blood pressure?

One proposed part of the answer lies in the structures supporting the circulatory system.

Connective tissue provides structural support throughout the body, including around blood vessels.

When connective tissue is more compliant, maintaining effective circulation while standing may become more challenging. Venous pooling, blood-volume regulation, autonomic signalling and other mechanisms have all been investigated as possible contributors to orthostatic symptoms in hypermobile people. The relationship is complex, and connective-tissue laxity alone doesn't explain every case of dysautonomia in hEDS or HSD. But the overlap is significant enough that dizziness, palpitations, fatigue and exercise intolerance in a hypermobile woman shouldn't automatically be considered unrelated symptoms. And when menstrual disruption or low reproductive hormones are present as well, the picture becomes even more interesting.

Rather than assuming:

Hypermobility + POTS symptoms + low hormones = three unrelated problems

it may be worth asking whether several interacting vulnerabilities are affecting the same body.

A hypermobile body may have greater circulatory and musculoskeletal demands. Dysautonomia can add another layer of physiological compensation. Pain, poor sleep, digestive problems, reduced exercise tolerance, chronic illness, inadequate energy availability and ongoing stress can add further load. Meanwhile, reproductive hormones themselves interact with vascular and autonomic physiology. Once again, we don't have a straight line. We have a network.

10. When Might This Be Relevant to You?

None of these symptoms individually proves that you have autonomic dysfunction, POTS, hypermobility or a hormone disorder. But patterns matter.

It may be worth looking more closely at the bigger physiological picture if you regularly experience several of the following:

dizziness, light-headedness or fainting, particularly after standing
a racing or pounding heart when you stand or change position
chronically low blood pressure
blood pooling, redness or purple discolouration in the feet or hands
difficulty standing still for prolonged periods
exercise intolerance that seems out of proportion to your fitness
unexplained nausea, bloating or altered digestion
difficulty regulating body temperature
excessive or unusual sweating
profound or unexplained fatigue
headaches or migraines
brain fog
disrupted or unrefreshing sleep
irregular or absent menstrual cycles
symptoms associated with low oestrogen or progesterone
significant joint hypermobility or a diagnosis of hEDS/HSD
chronic pain
a history of prolonged stress, trauma or chronic illness accompanied by the feeling that your body is permanently "on alert"

The important point isn't how many boxes you can tick. It's whether several apparently unrelated symptoms are travelling together.

A woman might see one practitioner for her hormones, another for migraines, another for digestive problems, another for palpitations and another for chronic pain. Each referral may be entirely appropriate. But there is also value in standing back and asking:

Could something further upstream be influencing several of these systems at once?

This is where I find the concept of central strain useful clinically. I use this term to describe a picture in which the body's regulatory systems appear to be carrying sustained physiological demand — whether associated with autonomic dysfunction, chronic illness, persistent pain, inadequate recovery, hypermobility, prolonged stress, trauma, or several of these occurring together. It isn't a formal medical diagnosis.

It is a way of stepping back and looking at the bigger physiological picture rather than dividing the body into disconnected symptoms. The low hormones may be what finally prompted the blood test or doctor's appointment. But they may be only one part of a much bigger story.

11. How FSM Therapy May Fit Into the Picture

If low hormones can sometimes sit downstream of a wider regulatory problem, treatment needs to ask more than: "What can we give her to increase her hormones?"

We also need to ask: "What does this body need in order to regulate more effectively?"

This is one of the reasons I use Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) as part of a broader integrative approach.

FSM uses very low-level electrical current together with specific frequency combinations. In clinical practice, protocols may be selected according to the tissues and physiological patterns being addressed. For someone presenting with POTS-like symptoms, hypermobility, chronic stress physiology, disrupted sleep, digestive problems and low reproductive hormones, I don't necessarily see five isolated problems requiring five unrelated treatments. I'm interested in what they have in common.

That may mean considering:

autonomic regulation
the medulla, the brainstem
vagal function
sleep and circadian rhythm
energy availability and nutritional status
blood volume and circulation
pain and inflammation
previous injury or concussion
chronic illness
psychological and physiological stress
trauma and the body's ongoing response to it
movement, conditioning and recovery
reproductive and thyroid hormone signalling

The vagus nerve is particularly relevant because it is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system and plays an important role in communication between the brain and many internal organs. But the goal isn't simply to "switch the vagus nerve on." The autonomic nervous system is a dynamic regulatory network.

In people with significant dysautonomia, particularly POTS, interventions need to be individualised because symptoms and underlying mechanisms can differ considerably from one person to another. The aim is therefore not to force the nervous system in one direction. It is to support its capacity to regulate, adapt and recover.

What Does the Research Say About Microcurrent?

The research base for microcurrent therapy is still developing. Earlier laboratory research demonstrated that certain electrical currents can influence cellular processes including ATP generation, protein synthesis and membrane transport. [7] Small clinical studies have also investigated Frequency Specific Microcurrent in particular conditions, including inflammation, and fibromyalgia associated with cervical spine trauma. [8]

These studies provide a biological and preliminary clinical basis for further investigation of microcurrent therapies, but they do not establish FSM as a proven treatment for POTS, hEDS, functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea or low reproductive hormones.

For this reason, I use FSM as an adjunctive therapy within a broader clinical approach, rather than as a replacement for appropriate medical investigation or treatment.

Depending on the individual, that wider approach may involve referral for medical assessment, adequate nutrition and energy intake, hydration and electrolyte strategies, appropriate exercise or rehabilitation, sleep support, psychological or trauma-informed care, medication and hormone therapy when clinically indicated. For me, the value of FSM is that it provides another way of working with the person while keeping the regulatory system in view. Rather than asking only: "What symptom can we suppress?"

I also want to know:

"Why are these symptoms appearing together?"
"What is this body having to compensate for?"
"Where is the greatest physiological demand?"
"And what what does the body need to manage better?"

12. The Hormones May Be the Messenger

When a woman's blood tests show low oestrogen or progesterone, those results matter.

They deserve appropriate investigation and, where necessary, treatment.

But they may not tell us where the problem began.

The reproductive system doesn't operate independently from the nervous system, circulation, metabolism, stress response, sleep or energy availability. These systems are continually communicating, adapting and compensating for one another. That means a low hormone result can sometimes be less like the final diagnosis and more like a message from further upstream.

Instead of only asking: "How do we raise her hormones?", we can also ask:

"Why has her reproductive signalling changed?"
"What is her nervous system compensating for?"
"Does she have adequate energy and physiological reserve?"
"How is she sleeping, digesting and recovering?"
"What is happening with her circulation and autonomic regulation?"
"Is there a history of hypermobility, chronic illness, concussion, persistent pain, prolonged stress or trauma that changes the picture?"
And perhaps most importantly: "What connects the symptoms that, until now, have been treated separately?"

This doesn't mean every woman with low hormones has autonomic dysfunction, POTS, trauma or hypermobility. And it doesn't mean appropriate hormone therapy should be withheld while we search endlessly for a "root cause." It means we shouldn't automatically assume the hormone itself is where the story began. Sometimes the most important clue isn't the individual symptom. It's the pattern.

But rather than chasing every downstream symptom independently, we can also ask what those symptoms might have in common. Because sometimes the hormone result isn't the finish line. It's the signpost pointing us further upstream — helping us move closer to the deeper drivers of imbalance and supporting the body to regulate, recover and restore health more naturally.

References

Bryarly M, Phillips LT, Fu Q, Vernino S, Levine BD. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: JACC focus seminar. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2019;73(10):1207–1228.
Gordon CM, Ackerman KE, Berga SL, et al. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2017;102(5):1413–1439.
Peggs KJ, Nguyen H, Enayat D, Keller NR, Al-Hendy A, Raj SR. Gynecologic disorders and menstrual cycle lightheadedness in postural tachycardia syndrome. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2012;118(3):242–246.
Fitzgibbon-Collins LK, Pereira TJ, Edgell H. Women, orthostatic tolerance, and POTS: a narrative review. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical. 2025;259:103284.
The co-existence of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: a systematic review of the literature. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical. 2026.
Celletti C, Borsellino B, Castori M, Censi F, Calcagnini G, Camerota F, Strano S. A new insight on postural tachycardia syndrome in 102 adults with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome/hypermobility spectrum disorder. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease. 2020;90(2):1286. doi:10.4081/monaldi.2020.1286.
Cheng N, Van Hoof H, Bockx E, et al. The effects of electric currents on ATP generation, protein synthesis, and membrane transport in rat skin. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 1982;171:264–272.
McMakin CR, Gregory WM, Phillips TM. Cytokine changes with microcurrent treatment of fibromyalgia associated with cervical spine trauma. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2005;9(3):169–176.
Mercuro G, Podda A, Pitzalis L, Zoncu S, Mascia M, Melis GB, Rosano GMC. Evidence of a role of endogenous estrogen in the modulation of autonomic nervous system. The American Journal of Cardiology. 2000;85(6):787–789, A9. doi:10.1016/S0002-9149(99)00865-6.
Heart rate variability in adolescents with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and anorexia nervosa. Psychiatry Research. 2014;215(2):406–409. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.11.012.
Emotional and autonomic response to visual erotic stimulation in patients with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. 2022.
Heart rate variability for evaluating psychological stress changes in healthy adults: a scoping review. 2023.
Schneider M, Schwerdtfeger A. Autonomic dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder indexed by heart rate variability: a meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine. 2020.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FSM therapy for POTS and autonomic dysfunction available in Queensland, Australia?

Yes. Healthier by Choice is located in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and works with clients from across South East Queensland, including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Noosa region. A free 15-minute phone consultation is available to discuss your situation, what you are experiencing, and whether this approach may be appropriate as part of your broader care.

Do you see interstate clients for FSM?

Yes. Interstate clients often stay locally in Maroochydore, Cotton Tree or Mooloolaba and combine their treatment with a short stay on the Sunshine Coast. Depending on the individual, sessions may be scheduled daily or every second day as part of a treatment bundle. With complex or chronic presentations, the aim is not simply to temporarily reduce an individual symptom, but to look at the wider physiological patterns that may be contributing to why several symptoms are occurring together. Changes following treatment can vary considerably between individuals: some people notice shifts quickly, while others experience more gradual changes over subsequent days or weeks.

Can low hormones really be connected to POTS or dysautonomia?

They can be connected, although the relationship is more complex than one simply causing the other. Research suggests that reproductive hormones and autonomic physiology influence one another. Oestrogen has been associated with changes in autonomic and vagal regulation, while studies in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea have also identified measurable differences in autonomic responses and heart rate variability. [2] [9] [10] [11]

This does not mean dysautonomia causes low hormones in every woman. It does mean that low reproductive hormones may sometimes be occurring within a broader picture of altered stress, metabolic and autonomic regulation rather than existing as an isolated hormone problem.

I'm hypermobile and have low hormones — should I be tested for POTS?

If you also experience symptoms such as dizziness, light-headedness, a racing heart when standing, blood pooling, exercise intolerance or difficulty standing still for long periods, it is worth discussing this with your GP or a practitioner familiar with dysautonomia. Further assessment may include measurements of heart rate and blood pressure when lying and standing, and in some cases formal autonomic testing such as a tilt-table test.

The overlap between hypermobility and POTS is well documented, with studies identifying substantial rates of POTS and other forms of orthostatic intolerance in people with hEDS and hypermobility spectrum disorders. [5] [6] It is therefore a pattern worth investigating rather than automatically assuming the symptoms are unrelated.

I don't have POTS or hypermobility, but I've been through a lot of stress or trauma — could this still apply to me?

Potentially, yes. POTS and hypermobility give us particularly visible examples of autonomic problems, but chronic psychological stress and trauma can also be associated with measurable differences in autonomic regulation and heart rate variability. [12] [13]

This doesn't necessarily mean your nervous system is permanently “stuck” in fight or flight. Autonomic physiology is much more complex than that. But if your sleep, digestion, energy, menstrual cycle and ability to recover have gradually changed during or following a prolonged period of stress, illness or trauma, it may be worth asking a broader question: Are these separate problems, or could several of them reflect the same underlying physiological strain?

How many FSM sessions would I need?

There is no single number of sessions that is appropriate for everyone. Complex presentations involving autonomic symptoms, hypermobility, chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues and hormonal changes usually require a different approach from treating a straightforward musculoskeletal injury.

As a general clinical starting point, I often work with a series of approximately 4–8 sessions, followed by reassessment.

Rather than judging progress from one symptom alone, we look at the broader pattern — which may include dizziness, heart-rate responses, sleep, energy, digestion, pain, exercise tolerance and menstrual symptoms. The frequency and total number of treatments are then adjusted according to the individual response.

Want to Talk About Your Situation?

If several parts of this article sound familiar, you don't necessarily need to work out for yourself whether the problem is your hormones, nervous system, hypermobility, stress physiology — or a combination of them.

A useful starting point is simply to look at the pattern.

Email us to book your free 15-minute discovery call

About Monica Williams

Monica is an Advanced FSM Practitioner and naturopath with 30 years of clinical experience. She is a member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT) and has completed advanced training in Frequency Specific Microcurrent through the Frequency Specific Seminars programme founded by Dr Carolyn McMakin.

Monica uses a range of complementary therapies to help people navigating complex and chronic health presentations from her clinic in Maroochydore on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, with a particular interest in understanding how nervous-system regulation, physical health, lifestyle, nutrition and the body's wider physiological patterns interact.

The content in this article is provided for general educational information and is not a substitute for personalised medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.