Hormones play a crucial role in women's health. Hormonal imbalance in women occurs when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the blood. Even small imbalances in hormones can have consequences for the whole body. In this article, we'll go through some of the typical signs of hormonal imbalance.
Hormones are chemicals produced by glands in the endocrine (hormone) system. They travel through the bloodstream into tissues and organs, where they send messages directing different organs on what to do and when to do it.
These chemical messengers play a critical role in regulating most major bodily processes. A hormonal imbalance can significantly affect many of the body's functions.
READ MORE: Why The Endocrine System is So Important for Women
In this article, we will delve into 8 signs of hormonal imbalance. But before that, let's briefly touch upon the essential bodily processes they regulate.
You can think of hormones as ingredients in a cake recipe. Too much or too little of an ingredient will undoubtedly affect the final product.
If you experience hormonal imbalance, it means you have too little or too much of a certain hormone in your body.
Thanks to our hormones, we get help to regulate:
Women and men experience hormonal imbalance differently. Women can experience an imbalance in oestrogen and progesterone levels, while men are more likely to experience an imbalance in testosterone levels. The following are symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women.
READ MORE: Hormones: What All Women Should Know
Our menstrual cycle usually lasts from 21 to 35 days. If you have a shorter or longer monthly cycle than this, it could be a sign of hormonal imbalance and you should see a gynaecologist.
Our cycle is counted from the first bleeding day of a period to the next first bleeding day. If the first bleeding day was on 1 February and the next period starts on 29 February, you have a 28-day cycle. This is independent of the number of bleeding days.
Women with irregular periods may find that their periods are infrequent, too frequent or very unpredictable.
READ MORE: Menstrual Cycle: What is Normal?
Infertility means reduced fertility. Hormonal imbalance can make it difficult to have children. This is also the most common cause of infertility in women.
Certain conditions can affect the hormonal balance in the body, which in turn can affect ovulation. And you can't get pregnant if you're not ovulating.
If you've been trying to conceive for at least a year without success, it may be time to talk to your doctor to rule out anything wrong.
Fertility problems are common and there are treatments, both lifestyle changes and medication, that can help.
Do you experience random hot flashes during the day or wake up drenched in sweat?
Hot flushes can leave you drenched in sweat at any time of the day or night. The cause is usually due to changes in hormone levels, including oestrogen and progesterone, which affect the body's temperature regulation.
Changes in these hormones affect other hormones that control the body's temperature.
Hot flushes are usually a sign of menopause and around 8 out of 10 women experience them. They usually occur in women in their 40s and 50s.
However, there can also be signs of hormonal imbalance at any age. Don't hesitate to seek medical advice if you experience sudden hot flushes or night sweats.
READ MORE: Night Sweats: 6 Causes for Sweaty Nights
A frustrating sign of hormonal imbalance can be weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Hormones affect our metabolism, and one of the reasons you may be experiencing weight gain could be changes in your metabolism.
This is common in insulin resistance, for example. Insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels and poor insulin sensitivity can lead to weight gain.
But it can also be due to age. Many women find that they gain weight around menopause. Changes in hormone levels can cause you to gain weight around your stomach, and not around your hips and thighs as you did before.
Cardio exercise such as swimming, walking, cycling and running can be effective in avoiding weight gain around menopause. Especially high-intensity interval training; as well as strength training to increase fat burning in the body.
Both women and men can develop a hormonal imbalance that can cause the hair to thin or fall out.
For example, too little oestrogen in women and too little testosterone in men can cause hair loss.
But it can also be caused by problems with the thyroid gland (the butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck). Both an overactive and an underactive thyroid can cause you to experience more hair loss than normal.
You can have a screening with your doctor to check if you have the right levels of prolactin, DHEA, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. You should also have your T3, T4 and TSH measured to rule out anything wrong with your thyroid.
Often, correcting the hormonal imbalance will cause hair to grow back.
Are you dependent on multiple cups of coffee to get through the day?
A natural explanation could be that you're not sleeping enough or eating the wrong foods. But fatigue is also one of the most common signs of hormonal imbalance.
Too much progesterone, for example, can make you tired. And if your thyroid gland produces too few hormones, you may feel drained of energy.
Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, refers to discomfort that occurs just before your period. This can include cramps, breast tenderness and changes in mood.
The exact cause of PMS is unknown, but it is thought that hormonal changes may be the cause. The disorder appear to be linked to altered levels of oestrogen, serotonin and progesterone.
Oestrogen increases in the first half of the menstrual cycle and decreases in the second half. In some women, serotonin levels remain mostly stable, but in women with PMS, the amount of serotonin decreases as oestrogen levels drop.
It's possible to make lifestyle changes such as cutting down on caffeine, making changes to your diet, exercise and reducing stress to alleviate the pain associated with PMS.
In addition, birth control pills can also help with PMS. When you're on the pill, you don't ovulate, so your progesterone levels don't get as high in the second half of your cycle.
Many women experience low sex drive and in 70% of cases, low libido is caused by changes in hormone balance.
Our hormones change as we age, especially around menopause.
An imbalance in oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels can lead to reduced sex drive and energy in women.
Reduced levels of oestrogen can dampen desire and make sex more painful.
It is possible to measure the hormones that control sexual drive with a blood test. For example, you can measure levels of sex hormones, metabolism, prolactin and iron. You should do this test in the morning when hormone levels are at their highest.
Whatever the cause of the hormonal imbalance, it is important to provide the body with the most important vitamins and active substances to keep the body in balance. 4HER is a range of supplements specially developed for the unique health challenges women face - contributing to hormonal balance in the body, improved sexual, physical and mental health, and with a calming effect on the nervous system.
*4HER is a dietary supplement and cannot replace medication or relieve symptoms of illness.
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