I Tracked My Hormones Through a 12-Week Shred as a Woman – What the Data Showed

Nobody tracks female hormones through a cut. Every shred article I’ve ever read was written for a man, with male hormone panels, and a breezy footnote that says “women should adjust accordingly.” I got tired of that being the entire playbook for my clients and for myself.

So I ran a 12-week body recomposition protocol and tracked my hormone panel every four weeks. What the data showed about estradiol, progesterone, female testosterone, and ferritin was not what the standard fitness industry advice would have predicted.

TL;DR: A moderate caloric deficit done without cycle awareness crashed my luteal-phase progesterone, elevated cortisol significantly, and dropped ferritin to a level that explained three weeks of unexplained fatigue. My female T held. My body composition improved. The protocol that worked looked nothing like what I originally planned.

Why I Tracked This

I’m Hannah Rivera. I’m 35, I own a small training studio in Phoenix, and most of my clients are women 30 and up. I came into the hormone optimization space as Ron Males’ client first – I’d struggled to get my body composition and energy back after having my daughter, and the protocols I was running on my own weren’t working the way I expected. Ron adapted his approach for female physiology, which is a different system operating on a 28-day cycle rather than a roughly 24-hour one, and the results were real enough that I ended up getting more education in the female hormone space specifically.

I now write about women’s hormones because almost nobody in the space is doing it well. Most of the natural hormone optimization content at PowerandBulk.com – and most of the content everywhere – is built around the male model. That model isn’t wrong for men. It misses a significant amount for women. My clients need better than “adjust accordingly.”

This specific experiment came from a question my clients kept asking: “Can I cut body fat without wrecking my hormones?” I wanted to answer it from my own data, not from a paraphrase of someone else’s male-focused research.

What I Was Tracking and Why

Female hormone panels are more complex than male panels because the values shift significantly across the menstrual cycle. Testing estradiol and progesterone on a random day gives you almost no useful information without knowing where you are in your cycle. I structured my panels to always test on the same cycle day:

• Day 3 draw: Follicular baseline – LH, FSH, estradiol baseline, testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, ferritin, thyroid panel
• Day 21 draw: Mid-luteal phase – progesterone peak check, estradiol mid-luteal, cortisol

My wife ordered my labs through – wait, wrong person. My husband’s a nurse and managed my draws through his network. Testing this way gives you the same cycle-phase snapshot each time, so the comparisons actually mean something.

The Baseline – Before the 12-Week Protocol

Day 3 Markers	Baseline	Female Reference
Total testosterone (female)	28 ng/dL	15-70 ng/dL (mid-range)
Free testosterone	1.8 pg/mL	1.0-8.5 pg/mL (low-normal)
SHBG	82 nmol/L	18-114 nmol/L (women run higher)
DHEA-S	186 mcg/dL	35-430 mcg/dL (mid-range)
Estradiol (Day 3)	44 pg/mL	20-150 pg/mL (follicular baseline, normal)
LH	6.2 mIU/mL	2-15 mIU/mL follicular (normal)
FSH	7.1 mIU/mL	3-10 mIU/mL follicular (normal)
Ferritin	24 ng/mL	12-150 ng/mL (low-normal for menstruating woman)
TSH	2.1 mIU/L	0.4-4.0 mIU/L (fine)
Free T3	3.2 pg/mL	2.0-4.4 pg/mL (mid-range)

Day 21 Markers	Baseline	Optimal Luteal Reference
Progesterone (Day 21)	8.4 ng/mL	5-20 ng/mL (in range, low-normal)
Estradiol (Day 21)	112 pg/mL	50-300 pg/mL luteal (normal)
AM cortisol	16 mcg/dL	10-18 mcg/dL (fine)

A few things to flag before I start the protocol story. My ferritin at 24 ng/mL was technically within the reference range. For a menstruating woman who trains, I consider anything under 40 ng/mL a yellow flag – ferritin is the storage form of iron, and low ferritin causes fatigue, poor recovery, and reduced aerobic capacity well before it causes anemia. I knew going into the protocol that this was a variable to watch.

My luteal-phase progesterone at 8.4 ng/mL was also low-normal. Adequate progesterone in the mid-luteal phase typically runs above 10 ng/mL in a healthy cycle. At 8.4, it was enough to confirm ovulation was occurring, but not enough margin before it becomes a concern if caloric deficit adds stress to the system.

The Protocol (Weeks 1-6)

I ran a 400-calorie daily deficit from a calculated maintenance, with protein at 1.8g per kilogram of bodyweight. Training was three strength days per week plus two lower-intensity movement days. Ron’s framework for deficit work – which the Anabolic Alchemy program addresses – is to keep the deficit moderate and protein high enough that lean mass is protected. I followed that. Four hundred calories is not aggressive for someone my size.

What I didn’t account for initially was cycle-phase caloric variation. Resting metabolic rate is measurably higher in the luteal phase for most women – some estimates put it 100-300 calories above follicular phase baseline. Running a flat 400-calorie deficit across the entire month means a deeper real deficit in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase, when the body is actually burning more.

I learned this from the data rather than from planning for it.

Week 4 Panel – What Went Wrong

Day 3 Markers	Baseline	Week 4	Change
Total testosterone	28 ng/dL	26 ng/dL	-2 (stable)
Free testosterone	1.8 pg/mL	1.6 pg/mL	-0.2 (stable)
SHBG	82 nmol/L	88 nmol/L	+6 (creeping up)
Ferritin	24 ng/mL	14 ng/mL	-10 (-42%)
Estradiol (Day 3)	44 pg/mL	38 pg/mL	-6 (slightly lower)

Day 21 Markers	Baseline	Week 4	Change
Progesterone	8.4 ng/mL	4.2 ng/mL	-4.2 (-50%)
Estradiol (Day 21)	112 pg/mL	74 pg/mL	-38 (-34%)
AM cortisol	16 mcg/dL	22 mcg/dL	+6 (+38%)

Progesterone from 8.4 to 4.2 ng/mL. That’s below the threshold that confirms adequate ovulation. My cycle was still regular, but the (luteal phase – the second half of the menstrual cycle, days 14-28, when progesterone should peak to prepare the uterine lining and support overall female hormonal balance) was running progesterone levels that suggested the body was conserving resources under caloric stress.

Ferritin at 14 ng/mL explained the fatigue I’d been feeling at weeks 3-4. I’d attributed it to the deficit. It was partly the iron. Menstruating women lose iron monthly, and a caloric deficit that reduces overall food volume also reduces dietary iron intake. Ferritin drops fast when you’re in a deficit and training hard.

Cortisol at 22 mcg/dL – up from 16 at baseline – was the expected stress response to caloric restriction, but the magnitude told me the deficit combined with training stress was pushing the HPA axis harder than I’d anticipated.

I called Ron. His read: “The progesterone crash is the caloric deficit hitting your luteal phase harder than your follicular phase. Your cortisol is too high to run a deficit without cycling the deficit. And your ferritin needs immediate attention.”

The Protocol Adjustment (Weeks 7-12)

Three changes:

Cycle-phased caloric approach: Moderate deficit in the follicular phase (days 1-14), maintenance or slight surplus in the luteal phase (days 15-28). Total monthly calories were similar, but the timing matched the body’s actual energy demand cycle. The luteal phase is not the time to run an aggressive deficit – your body interprets that as a threat, which is why progesterone dropped.

Iron support: Added ferrous bisglycinate 25mg daily with vitamin C – the bisglycinate form has meaningfully better absorption than ferrous sulfate and fewer GI side effects. This was urgent. Ferritin at 14 ng/mL was actively affecting my training quality.

Cortisol management: Added ashwagandha KSM-66 600mg in the morning specifically for the luteal phase weeks. I didn’t run it continuously – I cycled it with the higher-stress half of my cycle. Magnesium glycinate 400mg before bed throughout. Morning sunlight within 20 minutes of waking, which was already in my routine but I got stricter about it.

Week 8 Panel

Marker	Baseline	Week 4	Week 8	Direction
Total testosterone	28	26	29 ng/dL	Stable/recovering
Ferritin	24	14	22 ng/mL	Recovering
Progesterone (Day 21)	8.4	4.2	9.1 ng/mL	Recovered
Estradiol (Day 21)	112	74	98 pg/mL	Recovering
AM cortisol	16	22	17 mcg/dL	Normalized

Progesterone back to 9.1 ng/mL – above my original baseline. The cycle-phase caloric approach was the change that drove this. Cortisol normalized from 22 back to 17 mcg/dL.

Final Results – Week 12

Day 3 Markers	Baseline	Week 12	Change
Total testosterone	28 ng/dL	31 ng/dL	+3 (+11%)
Free testosterone	1.8 pg/mL	2.4 pg/mL	+0.6 (+33%)
SHBG	82 nmol/L	74 nmol/L	-8 (-10%)
DHEA-S	186 mcg/dL	204 mcg/dL	+18 (+10%)
Ferritin	24 ng/mL	34 ng/mL	+10 (+42%)
Estradiol (Day 3)	44 pg/mL	46 pg/mL	Stable

Day 21 Markers	Baseline	Week 12	Change
Progesterone	8.4 ng/mL	11.2 ng/mL	+2.8 (+33%)
Estradiol (Day 21)	112 pg/mL	118 pg/mL	Stable
AM cortisol	16 mcg/dL	14 mcg/dL	-2 (improved)

Body composition change over the 12 weeks: approximately 6 lbs of body fat lost, lean mass maintained within measurement error on my DEXA. Training performance was maintained and slightly improved in the back half of the protocol once ferritin was recovering.

The protocol that worked required learning from the data that the protocol that didn’t work was producing. A flat caloric deficit applied uniformly across the menstrual cycle is physiologically mismatched to how female metabolism actually operates. That’s not controversial – it’s just not talked about in most fitness content because most fitness content is built around the male model.

What Actually Surprised Me

Female testosterone held better than I expected through the cut. My total T went from 28 to a low of 26 at week 4 and recovered to 31 by week 12. (Female testosterone, while operating in the 15-70 ng/dL range compared to the 300-1000 ng/dL range in men, is critically important for female libido, muscle mass, energy, and body composition – it’s significantly under-discussed in women’s health content). The resistance training appears to be protective of female T during a cut in a way that cardio-dominant approaches are not.

What I didn’t expect: my free testosterone improved by 33% over the 12 weeks, driven primarily by SHBG coming down 8 points. SHBG in women is typically higher than in men – mine at 82 nmol/L was within range but on the higher side. The combination of strength training and magnesium appears to have moved it down slightly, increasing the bioavailable fraction without any change in total T production.

The ferritin drop in weeks 1-4 was the finding that most directly affected my clients when I shared it. I’ve since added ferritin to every female client’s standard quarterly panel. Low ferritin during a cut is predictable and preventable, and it’s one of the most common unaddressed causes of unexplained fatigue in active women.

What This Means for Women Who Train

The standard advice of “eat less, move more” doesn’t account for what your body is actually doing across a 28-day cycle. The follicular phase and the luteal phase are different hormonal environments. Your caloric needs, your recovery requirements, and your hormonal vulnerability to stress all shift across those phases.

Ron’s natural hormone optimization work – built primarily around male physiology – translates well to women on the foundational stuff: strength training, sleep, cortisol management, foundational nutrients. Where it needs adaptation is in the cycle-phased approach to energy intake and the female-specific markers that matter. That’s what I try to provide in this space, because most of my clients aren’t going to find it elsewhere.

If you’re a woman considering a cut, the supplement tier considerations from the male-focused supplement tier list still apply at the foundation level – D3, magnesium, zinc – but iron and ferritin need to be on your radar specifically if you’re menstruating and in a caloric deficit simultaneously. That’s not in the male protocol because it’s not a male issue. It’s a significant female issue.

The Practical Breakdown

Tier 1 – Before You Start Any Cut

• Get cycle-phase appropriate bloodwork: Day 3 draw (LH, FSH, estradiol, total testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, ferritin, thyroid) and Day 21 draw (progesterone, estradiol, cortisol)
• If ferritin is under 40 ng/mL, address it before starting the cut – you can’t train well on depleted iron stores
• Know your baseline progesterone in the luteal phase – you need the number to know if the cut is crashing it

Tier 2 – The Cut Protocol

• Cycle-phase caloric approach: moderate deficit days 1-14, maintenance or slight surplus days 15-28
• Protein at 1.8-2.0g/kg of bodyweight throughout – non-negotiable for muscle protection in women during a cut
• Three strength training days per week; resistance training is the most protective variable for female T during caloric restriction

Tier 3 – Foundational Supplements

• Magnesium glycinate 300-400mg elemental before bed – cortisol regulation, sleep quality, SHBG reduction
• Vitamin D3 5,000 IU with K2 MK-7 – especially important for women with any autoimmune thyroid history
• Iron (ferrous bisglycinate 25mg with vitamin C) if ferritin is under 40 ng/mL – the bisglycinate form causes fewer GI issues than sulfate

Tier 4 – Add If Cortisol Is Elevated

• Ashwagandha KSM-66 600mg in the morning during the luteal phase specifically if cortisol is elevated and progesterone is dropping
• Do not run it continuously in the follicular phase if you don’t need it – targeted use based on cycle phase is more appropriate than blanket continuous use

Things My Clients Always Ask

Do women need testosterone optimization the same way men do?

Yes, but differently. Female testosterone operates in a much lower absolute range (15-70 ng/dL vs 300-1000 ng/dL in men) but is equally important for libido, muscle mass, energy, and mood. The causes of low female T are often the same – chronic stress, poor sleep, over-training, caloric restriction, elevated SHBG – but the hormonal context is layered on top of a 28-day cycle that men don’t have. The optimization principles overlap significantly; the application needs cycle-phase awareness.

What’s estrogen dominance and did I have it?

Estrogen dominance describes a hormonal state where estradiol is high relative to progesterone – not necessarily high in absolute terms, but disproportionate. At week 4, my estradiol (Day 21) dropped from 112 to 74 pg/mL while my progesterone crashed from 8.4 to 4.2 ng/mL. The ratio shifted toward a relatively more estrogen-dominant state even though both dropped, because progesterone dropped proportionally more. That’s the pattern a flat caloric deficit during the luteal phase tends to create.

Should women get testosterone tested?

Yes, and most GPs don’t run it routinely for women. Request total testosterone and SHBG on your Day 3 draw. If free T is low and SHBG is high – which is common in women who overtrain or underfuel – the interventions that lower SHBG (resistance training, magnesium, adequate carbohydrate intake) will improve free testosterone access without requiring pharmaceutical intervention.

Is PCOS relevant here?

PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) produces a different hormonal pattern – elevated androgens, disrupted LH:FSH ratio, often insulin resistance. I don’t have PCOS. If you do, the protocol considerations are different, particularly around carbohydrate management and insulin sensitivity. PCOS is worth ruling out with the LH:FSH ratio on your Day 3 draw if you have irregular cycles, elevated androgens, or unexplained weight gain – but it’s a different conversation from what I tracked here.

The One Thing I Want You to Take From This

Your menstrual cycle is a monthly report card on your hormonal health. When progesterone crashes in the luteal phase, it’s telling you the body is under more stress than it can handle while maintaining full reproductive function. When ferritin drops during a cut, your training quality will suffer before your bloodwork looks alarming. These signals are there. You have to test for them at the right time in the cycle to see them.

Track your hormones through the protocol, not just before and after. The data in the middle is where all the information actually lives.