Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance
Most people will experience hormone imbalance at one point or another in their lives – most commonly occurring or beginning in middle age as hormones levels naturally start to decline. Other factors in our lives that can cause hormone imbalances include the stressful nature of life in today’s world, our increasingly poor nutrition habits, and our lack of proper exercise.
But how can you tell if you are dealing with hormone imbalance? It can be difficult to determine on your own – sometimes the symptoms are subtle, or they’re easily confused with other potential ailments. If you suspect you’re suffering from hormone imbalance, you should talk to a doctor who has extensive knowledge of hormone disorders and treatment options, like the experienced practitioners at Nava Center.
Most Common Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance
If you’re wondering if you are potentially experiencing a hormone imbalance, here are the symptoms you will want to look out for:
- Weight gain
- Muscle loss
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia or trouble sleeping
- Fatigue
- Low energy
- Erectile dysfunction
- Vaginal dryness
- PMS
If you aren’t sure if you’re experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance but suspect that you might be, you should speak to an experienced doctor who is knowledgeable about hormone disorders. Hormone replacement therapy may be an appropriate treatment, but in order for it to be effective and safe, you will need lab testing to confirm what is going on and find the right solution.
Causes of Hormonal Imbalance
The balance of hormone levels in your body is delicate and easily disrupted. Hormone imbalances can be caused by short-term or chronic stress, by hormonal disorders like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and diabetes, by birth control or pregnancy, and by aging processes like menopause or andropause.
Poor diet and nutrition are top contributors to a hormone imbalance—eating a lower-quality diet, such as saturated fats from fried foods, fatty meats, and highly processed foods, can impact your insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are causes of hormonal imbalance. There are absent or malfunctioning beta cells with type 1 diabetes, which means the insulin and amylin hormones are missing. With type 2 diabetes, the body produces too little insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Resulting in a build-up of glucose in the blood.
Stress, whether it’s due to a one-time event or over a long period of time, triggers the production of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal gland that raises your blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension.
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) will upset your hormones’ balance. As the thyroid gland stores and makes hormones that affect every organ in your body, it will impact your metabolism, body weight, and energy levels if they are too low or too high.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, occurs when the ovaries don’t develop eggs properly, or eggs aren’t released during ovulation. The cause of PCOS isn’t know, but it can cause hormones to become unbalanced. And it’s common too – 10% of women are estimated to suffer from PCOS.
Natural aging processes, like menopause in women or andropause in men, also cause hormone imbalance. Around middle age, men begin experiencing declines in testosterone, while women experience declines in estrogen, and the resulting imbalance can cause many symptoms which impact both health and quality of life.
Treating Hormonal Imbalance
While the symptoms of hormone imbalance can range from mild to severe, there are solutions available. If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms, getting tested by an experienced bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) doctor can help you find the cause of your symptoms and develop a safe, effective plan to fix the hormone imbalance behind them. It’s more than just treating a symptom – it’s getting to the root cause of what’s really wrong.
Call Nava Center today to schedule your BHRT consultation.