But my question is can TMS cause hormonal issues OR could the hormone levels be just another normal abnormality?
IMO there's never a bright hard line. NEVER. Not even when I crashed my bike in 2008 (three years before I first read Dr Sarno) and went to the ER with a fracture of my femur and a pain level of about 8. My pain level plummeted the
instant I was told that they could insert pins into my femur and have me on crutches in two days.
The intensity of my pain for a 100% real physical injury was 100% generated by my brain,
as are all sensations. When I stopped being fearful of the outcome, the pain subsided to a manageable level that was just enough to remind me to behave appropriately for the next six weeks, and I refused all opioids and made do with ibuprofen and tylenol even after surgery.
I have sudden-onset RA that developed in 2020 at the advanced age of 69, brought on by multiple sources of extreme stress while I was being mindless about the effect of the stress on my body. My old rheumatologist (male, close to retirement) had no other explanation. My new rheumatologist (young and female) agrees with me. It's been well-managed since then on a low level of the most basic old-school RA med, with zero side effects, because I understand what happened and I believe in my ability to keep it under control.
We
can end up with physical abnormalities from stress - everyone knows this. I'm old enough to remember when the news first came out about "Type A personalities" getting more heart attacks.
My advice is to not be too quick to accept that your hormonal symptoms do not have a TMS component. Especially if you have a history of anxiety and stress.