How often do you hear or read the words “hormone imbalance”? It seems like there’s been an explosion of imbalanced hormones over the last five to 10 years. The truth is that hormone imbalance is nothing new, but how we treat it is. When people hear the word “hormones,” they think of a middle-aged woman suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. But hormone imbalance symptoms can affect anyone of any age.
This is why it’s so important for people of every age to understand how their hormones work. So let’s get to it.
What are Hormones and What Do They Do?
Hormones are chemical messengers – which means that they’re chemicals that carry messages from one place to another in your body.
Hormone levels indicate how effectively your body’s chemical messengers are communicating with the body’s organs and systems.
And hormone interactions are another big part of how your body maintains homeostasis or balance.
If your hormone levels are too low, too high, or fluctuate inappropriately, everything gets thrown off, including other hormone levels and body functions. It’s like a domino effect. And once you knock down one domino, you’ve started a chain reaction that requires an intervention to stop it.
Hormone Imbalance Symptoms in Women
If you aren’t in perimenopause, the hormones that start the hormone imbalance domino effect are cortisol and insulin, the “stress” and “blood sugar” hormones. These hormones affect other hormones that impact thyroid and ovarian health, sleep quality, and mood. Once these are disrupted, they start a chain reaction that can negatively impact other organs and systems, resulting in more symptoms.
On the other hand, if you’re in perimenopause, the primary cause of your hormone imbalance is likely aging. As women age, their bodies go through a lot of changes. One of these is menopause, which is the point at which a woman is no longer fertile or producing estrogen and releasing eggs.
Menopause doesn’t just happen overnight, however. There’s a period of anywhere up to 13 years during which sex hormone levels are all over the place known as “perimenopause”, causing all kinds of symptoms like:
- having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep
- feeling depressed and anxious
- struggling to get out of bed, even when you should be well rested
- you need caffeine to get you started and keep you going throughout the day
- craving caffeine or sugar mid-morning and mid-afternoon
- swinging moods and feelings of rage
- low to no sex drive
- waking up in a puddle of sweat
- feeling hot, hot, hot on and off throughout the day
- gaining weight for no apparent reason
- discomfort from having a dry vagina or mouth
- skin changes
You can manage these symptoms by following a well-rounded treatment plan that includes BHRT hormone replacement therapy for women.
Hormone Imbalance Symptoms in Men
Hormonal imbalances in men are usually the result of the improper functioning of endocrine glands.
Endocrine glands produce hormones and release them into your bloodstream. If you have malfunctioning endocrine glands or they’re going through the natural aging process, this will affect your hormone levels, and you’ll end up with symptoms of hormone imbalance like
- excessive weight gain
- super sweaty sweating
- difficulty sleeping
- skin rashes
- erectile dysfunction
- depression and anxiety
- low sex drive
- the need to urinate, a lot
- fatigue
- changes in heat and cold sensitivity
Once diagnosed, however, you can manage these symptoms with a comprehensive treatment plan that includes BHRT hormone replacement therapy for men.
Managing Hormone Imbalance Symptoms With BHRT
First, any good healthcare practitioner isn’t just going to treat a diagnosed hormone imbalance with BHRT. They’re going to take a comprehensive approach to your treatment that includes
- lifestyle changes,
- nutritional guidance,
- supplements, and
- a reasonable exercise plan.
Attending to these factors while also being on BHRT will get you the best results possible and optimize your hormone levels! Long-term success is more achievable with an integrative approach to health.
What is BHRT?
BHRT is short for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. If you have hormone imbalance symptoms caused by low hormone levels, rebalancing your levels can solve many symptoms. That’s what BHRT does; it delivers the much-needed hormones into your body to increase the levels you need to amp up. Unlike synthetic HRT or SRT, BHRT uses bioidentical hormones, which are hormones derived from plants. Bio-identical hormones are exact replicas of the hormones that we naturally produce.
And the bonuses?
BHRT has not only been shown to relieve hormone imbalance symptoms, but it can reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cataracts, and bone loss and improve skin thickness, elasticity, and hydration.
BHRT has also proven to help migraine sufferers and improve the general wellbeing and health of individuals who’ve battled cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
How is BHRT Provided?
BHRT comes in different forms, including
- creams,
- pills,
- injections,
- implanted pellets,
- patches, and
- gels.
You and your doctor can discuss the best delivery system for your circumstances.
In addition, the FDA recommends starting with the lowest dose of BHRT and evaluating the results before proceeding. Your doctor will monitor you regularly to get the dosage and assess your body’s response.
There are always risks with any medication.
What are the risks associated with BHRT?
BHRT is considered safe if you follow these two guidelines:
- Work with an experienced, reputable BHRT practitioner.
You can experience minor side effects as your body adjusts to hormones – like acne, weight gain, bloating, fatigue, mood swings, and increased facial hair in women.
- Choose an integrative healthcare practice that will consider your complete medical history in combination with a robust diagnostic assessment.
Not everyone can leverage BHRT or other hormone replacement therapy due to underlying conditions or something in their medical history. Integrative practitioners will review your entire medical history as a part of your assessment to ensure BHRT is the right solution.
Manage Your Hormone Imbalance Symptoms with Nava
You don’t need to live with the effects of hormone imbalance. Nava Health takes an integrative approach. Our proprietary wellness assessment will review your current hormone levels, goals, needs, and medical history. Then, one of our experienced doctors will prescribe a customized treatment plan targeted to your needs and lifestyle. Please make an appointment with us today!