Being a responsible adult means educating yourself about how your body works, including your hormones. These substances control many physiological processes, like growth, metabolism, sexual function, and mood.
Unfortunately, factors like age, stress, diet, genetics, and medical conditions can disrupt the balance, which can cause a hormonal imbalance in women. Besides affecting your physical health, this condition can also impact your emotional well-being and social life. It may be understandable to feel stressed, but you must educate yourself about the signs of hormonal imbalance and how to address them.
If you want to seek the proper help and live healthier, let’s discuss the daily and overlooked signs of hormonal imbalance, the causes, and how to manage it.
Common Signs of a Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal imbalance symptoms in women can vary depending on the affected hormones and the imbalance’s severity. Common signs include irregular or missed periods, mood swings, fatigue, weight gain, changes in sex drive, and digestive issues. You must also know that these symptoms can happen because of other factors.
Overlooked Signs of Hormonal Imbalance
Besides the commonly recognized signs of hormonal imbalance in women, some overlooked symptoms include hair loss, dry skin or acne, memory issues, digestive problems, and insomnia or poor sleep. You should also consult your endocrinologist immediately if you regularly experience chronic headaches and changes in body odor.
7 Reasons Women Experience Hormonal Imbalance
After discussing the typical and overlooked signs of hormonal imbalance, here’s why many women experience it.
1. Environmental Toxins
Exposure to harmful chemicals and environmental toxins, like pesticides or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, can interfere with women’s natural hormonal balance.
2. Medications
Some medicines, like women’s hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or hormonal birth control, can lead to hormonal imbalances.
3. Lifestyle Factors
Factors like stress, inactive lifestyle, inadequate sleep, and unhealthy eating habits can cause hormonal imbalances in women.
4. Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is when hormones like estrogen and progesterone fluctuate. These fluctuations can cause hormonal imbalances, causing symptoms like bloating, mood swings, and irregular periods.
5. Menopause
Menopause is when women mark the end of their menstrual cycles after 12 months without a period. Women experience low estrogen and progesterone levels during this period, which can cause a hormonal imbalance. It can result in various symptoms, like hot flashes, dryness of the vagina, and mood changes.
6. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS affects the ovaries and can cause hormonal imbalances, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. It can also cause irregular periods, weight gain, and excessive hair growth.
7. Thyroid Disorders
Your thyroid gland produces hormones that can control your metabolism. When these hormones experience an imbalance, it can cause various symptoms like fatigue, mood changes, and weight gain.
How to Manage Hormonal Imbalances
Women can manage hormonal imbalances by making lifestyle changes, taking medications, or undergoing hormone replacement therapy, depending on the underlying cause and the symptom’s severity. These strategies include eating a healthy diet, staying active, getting enough rest, reducing stress, and avoiding exposure to toxins and chemicals.
What Happens If You Neglect Hormonal Imbalance?
Neglecting hormonal imbalances can cause various health issues and complications. In women, leaving these conditions untreated can result in infertility, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, anxiety, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This problem can also negatively affect your social life, strain your relationships, and lead to social isolation.
For these reasons, you should immediately consult a specialist if you suspect you have a hormonal imbalance. They’ll help you identify the root cause and create a suitable treatment plan.
Conclusion
No woman deserves to suffer from untreated hormonal imbalances because they can negatively affect one’s overall well-being. You can get the proper help by practicing good habits, consulting your doctor, taking the prescribed medications, and undergoing women’s hormone replacement therapy when needed.
If you need women’s hormone replacement therapy in Tomball, visit Meridian Springs Primary Care! We provide quality but affordable healthcare services around the clock to address your hormonal imbalance issues. Take the test now to see if you’re qualified for the treatment!