Women: Do you have night sweats? Tired all the time? Can’t seem to recall that important information as easily? It actually could be due to a hormonal imbalance! Your hormones regulate a lot about your body and mood, including your reproductive cycle, growth, stress, appetite, and heart rate, so it is essential that they stay in balance.
Women in particular tend to be affected by issues with estrogen, progesterone, growth hormones, cortisol, steroids, and insulin. There are a number of reasons your hormones may be all over the place, though. Here are a few symptoms to keep an eye out for, things that may be causing the imbalance, and when you should go talk to a doctor.
Symptoms of Hormone Imbalances
For women, there are quite a lot of signs that you could be suffering from a hormone imbalance. The symptoms you’re experiencing could help point you to the cause of the health issue. If you’re experiencing several of the symptoms below, you’ll want to talk to your doctor.
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Night sweats, hot flashes, or excessive sweating
- Fatigue
- Anxiety or intense stress
- Depression
- Headaches
- Heart rate and blood pressure changes
- Skin rashes
- Dry skin
- Sensitive to hot or cold
- Frequent urination
- Reduced sex drive
- Infertility
- Brittle hair
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness
- Deeper voice
- Vaginal dryness
- Foggy memory
- Heavy or irregular periods
- This includes missed or stopped periods as well as more frequent periods
- Excessive hair
- Acne
- Skin tags
- Darkening of skin
- Pain during sex
These are not all of the symptoms you may be experiencing, as there are a wide range of them, but if you have several of these, you could be experiencing a hormonal imbalance.
Causes of a Hormonal Imbalance in Women
Fluctuations in hormones is not something to always be alarmed about as it can be caused by the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or puberty. Outside of these occurrences, however, imbalances can be caused by a number of factors, including:
Menopause
Usually occurring around the age of 51, menopause is a normal life change where the ovaries stop producing hormones and a woman can no longer get pregnant. Hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and sleep issues tend to be common.
Early menopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause can also cause fluctuations in your hormones.
PCOS
PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, can wreak havoc on your hormones and is a very common cause of hormonal issues in women. The short-term consequences of PCOS include skipped menstrual periods, difficulty getting pregnant, excessive hair growth and ovarian cysts. In the long-term, individuals with PCOS have an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Stress
Stress can absolutely take a severe toll on your life, especially if you let it go unchecked, as it triggers cortisol production. Produced in the adrenal gland, cortisol can affect your blood pressure, muscles, and heart rate. You may also notice changes in your menstrual cycle and libido.
Birth Control
Hormonal birth control options (the pill, the shot, the vaginal ring) all work to stop ovulation by suppressing your natural hormone production. If you’re experiencing an increase in migraines, low sex drive, or other issues that seem to have started when you began your birth control, you may want to talk to your with your doctor about non-hormonal birth control options.
And More
Hormone imbalances in women may also be caused by
- Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- Diabetes
- Eating Disorders
- Medication
- Injury
- Hypothyroidism
- Hyperthyroidism
It’s also important to note that these are not the only causes of hormone imbalances in women and talking to your doctor is essential.
So What Do You Do if You Have a Hormone Imbalance?
The treatment of your hormone imbalance will likely depend on the cause, which can take a little bit to uncover. Your doctor may order a blood work or other tests to help get to the bottom of your imbalance.
Once the cause is identified, you can start on treatment options. Some options include birth control, vaginal estrogen, thyroid hormone therapy, lifestyle changes, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (HRT). These solutions can help you with
- Energy
- Muscle mass
- Mood swings
- Sleep patterns and sleep quality
- Mental focus
- Increase sex drive
- Weight balance or loss
If you think you’re experiencing a hormone imbalance or have a number of the symptoms listed above, it’s important to talk to your doctor sooner rather than later. Getting to the bottom of the cause now can help you live a healthy and happier life in the years to come.
Do you want to explore the benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for your imbalance? There are many convenient treatment options available that will make it easier to get back to “you.” Find out how it works and get in touch with us for assistance. Schedule your free Ready to Feel Good Again Strategy at www.drwoodswellness.com/call or give us a call at 816-888-5200.