Functional Medicine and Low Progesterone in Women: Causes and Testing
Why low progesterone happens, how to test it properly, and what actually helps: natural support and bioidentical options, from Monarch FM in Michigan.
September 5, 2026
Founder & Lead Provider
Co-owner and Lead Provider at Monarch Functional Medicine, Marquette, Michigan
Julie McDonald, PA-C, FMACP, is co-owner and lead provider at Monarch Functional Medicine in Marquette, Michigan. She is a board-certified Physician Associate with more than two decades of clinical experience across emergency medicine, family medicine, and functional medicine. She earned her Master of Medical Science at Midwestern University.
Julie works with people who still feel unwell after being told their labs are “normal.” Her focus is hormone health, thyroid dysfunction, metabolic health, digestive wellness, and the overlapping causes of fatigue, brain fog, and weight gain. She pairs the diagnostic rigor of conventional medicine with a personalized, root-cause functional medicine model.
Patients know her for turning complex health information into clear, practical next steps, so they can make informed decisions and build a foundation for lasting health.
Credentials
Areas of focus
Written by Julie
Why low progesterone happens, how to test it properly, and what actually helps: natural support and bioidentical options, from Monarch FM in Michigan.
Learn how functional medicine find autoimmune flare root cause through a health timeline, symptom tracking, targeted testing, and coordinated care.
Fatigue with ‘normal’ labs? See how functional medicine links low energy to mitochondrial health, and which nutrients, foods, and habits help restore it.
Learn which inflammatory markers may be tested in functional medicine, including hs-CRP, ESR, ferritin, and gut markers, and how results are interpreted.
Learn what genetic testing in functional medicine may reveal about nutrient, hormone, and stress-related pathways, and what these tests cannot diagnose.
Learn about a functional medicine approach to hormone imbalance in women, including testing, nutrition, lifestyle, and personalized care in Michigan.
Learn how functional medicine evaluates cortisol patterns, stress, sleep, hormones, and related health factors, with personalized care for Michigan patients.
Learn how functional medicine approaches insulin resistance with testing, nutrition, movement, sleep, stress support, and personalized care in Michigan.
Your bloodwork came back “normal.” Your doctor said everything looks fine. Yet you’re still bloated by mid-afternoon, gassy after meals, running to the bathroom
You’re tired all the time, bloated more often than not, moody for no clear reason, and gaining weight even though you’re doing everything right.
Whether you start with a free strategy call or jump straight into the 12-Week Reset, the most important step is the first one.