Understanding Hormonal Imbalance

Your body’s chemical messengers are hormones.

Hormones are produced in the endocrine glands, these powerful chemicals travel around your bloodstream conveying to tissues and organs what to do. They help manage many of your body’s major processes, including metabolism and reproduction.

When you have a hormonal imbalance, then you have too much or too little of a certain type of hormone. Even little changes can have serious effects all over your whole body.

While certain hormone levels fluctuate all through your lifetime and maybe the result of natural ageing, other changes occur when your endocrine glands get this balance wrong.

Hormonal imbalance symptoms

Your hormones play a very crucial role in your health. As a result, there’s a broad area of symptoms that could signal a hormonal imbalance. Your symptoms will rely on which hormones or glands aren’t functioning properly.

Common hormonal conditions which would be affecting both men and women could cause any of the following signs or symptoms:

weight gain
a hump of fat between the shoulders
unexplained, and sometimes sudden, weight loss
fatigue
muscle weakness
muscle aches, tenderness, and stiffness
pain, stiffness, or swelling in your joints
increased or decreased heart rate
sweating
increased sensitivity to cold or heat
constipation or more frequent bowel movements
frequent urination
increased thirst
increased hunger
decreased sex drive
depression
nervousness, anxiety, or irritability
blurred vision
infertility
thinning hair or fine, brittle hair
dry skin
puffy face
rounded face
purple or pink stretch marks

Keep in mind that these symptoms are nonspecific, and having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a hormonal imbalance.

Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women

In females of reproductive age, polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common hormonal imbalance.

Your normal hormonal cycle also alters naturally during these stages:

puberty
pregnancy
breastfeeding
menopause

Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women are:

heavy or irregular periods, including missed periods
hirsutism
acne
hair loss
darkening of the skin
skin tags
vaginal dryness
vaginal atrophy
pain during sex
night sweats
headaches

Hormonal imbalance and acne

The primary cause of acne is more oil production, which leads to clogged pores. Acne is most common in areas with numerous oil glands, including the:

face
chest
upper back
shoulders

Acne is often linked with pubescent hormonal changes, but there’s actually a lifelong link between acne and hormones.

Acne and menstruation

The menstrual cycle is one of the most common things that trigger acne. For many women, acne starts to develop the week before they get their period and then clears up.

Experts recommend hormonal testing for women who have this issue in combination with other symptoms, such as irregular periods and excess facial or body hair.

Acne and androgens

Androgens are the ones that contribute to acne by overstimulating the oil glands.

Both girls and boys have high levels of androgens during the puberty stage, which is why acne is certainly very common at that time and these levels generally settle down in a person’s early 20s.

Dark Circles

As the stress levels increase, your body produces more cortisol (stress hormone), which helps you to deal with it. This makes it difficult for you to get good sleep, and even if you do fall asleep, your sleep is restless and of very low quality. You may not feel tired, but if you have dark circles, it means that you are facing adrenal fatigue.

Skin Tags

Sometimes you may notice little growth of skin on your eyelids or neck. These are called skin tags. This usually happens when your glucose and insulin hormone balance is compromised. While these hormones start to alter, the estrogen levels drastically reduce. As a result, your skin elasticity gets affected and the layers of the skin overlap each other. Constant friction between two layers of the skin forms skin tags. Skin tags are mostly linked with PCOS, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Hormonal imbalance and hair loss

Most hair loss, such as male pattern baldness, is hereditary and is unrelated to hormonal changes. However, hormonal imbalances and changes can sometimes cause temporary hair loss or hair fall.

In women, this is sometimes related to:

pregnancy
childbirth
the onset of menopause

Overproduction or underproduction of thyroid hormones can also be the cause of hair loss.

Natural remedies and supplements

There are many nutritional supplements on the market that claim to treat hormone imbalance and menopause. But only a few of them are backed up by some evidence.

Many of the supplements consist of plant-derived hormones. These are sometimes called “bioidentical” hormones because they chemically look like the body’s natural hormones.

Some people find yoga very helpful to treat symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Yoga is outstanding for your strength, flexibility, and balance. It may also help in weight loss, which can help to regulate your hormones.

You can also make certain lifestyle changes:

Lose weight. A 10 per cent reduction in body weight may help with regular periods and increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Eat well. A well-balanced diet is an important part of overall health.
Decrease vaginal discomfort. Use moisturizers that are free from parabens, glycerin, and petroleum.
Avoid hot flashes. Try to identify things that commonly trigger your hot flashes, such as warm temperatures or spicy foods.
Remove unwanted hair. If you have excess facial or body hair, try removing them.

Take Away

Hormones are responsible for various body major processes. When hormones get out of balance, the symptoms can be exceptionally varied.

Hormonal imbalance can cause a variety of serious complications, so it’s important to look for treatment as soon as possible.