"Hormonal Imbalance in Women"
Hormones are the chemical messengers in your body. They aid in the regulation of many of your body's essential functions, such as metabolism and reproduction. You have too much or too little of a certain hormone when you have a hormonal imbalance. Even minor adjustments can have far-reaching consequences across your entire body. While some hormone levels fluctuate over time as a result of natural ageing, other alterations happen when the endocrine glands aren't functioning properly.
Signs and Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance
A hormonal imbalance can be indicated by a variety of signs and symptoms. The signs and symptoms you experience will be determined by whatever hormones or glands are malfunctioning. Any of the following signs or symptoms could be caused by common hormonal problems affecting women:
Appetite and Weight Gain
During hormonal fluctuations, such as menopause, you may gain weight. Hormone changes, on the other hand, have no direct impact on your weight. Other factors, such as ageing or lifestyle, are more likely to be to blame. You may want to eat more when your estrogen levels decline. It can also affect the amounts of leptin, a hunger-suppressing hormone in your body.
Sudden Weight loss
The thyroid gland regulates the rate at which food is converted into fuel, as well as heart rate and temperature. A person's weight can drop if their body produces too many hormones or not enough.
Sleep Problems
Hormones may be at work if you aren't getting enough sleep or if the sleep you are receiving isn't adequate. Progesterone, a hormone produced by the ovaries, aids in sleep. Low estrogen levels can cause hot flashes and night sweats, which can make it difficult to get the rest you need.
Dry Skin
Hormonal changes might cause your skin to become dry. This can happen during menopause, when your skin begins to shrink and is unable to retain as much moisture as it once did. It's also possible that a thyroid problem is to blame.
Memory Fog
Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations might make your head feel "foggy" and make it difficult to remember things. Some experts believe estrogen has an effect on neurotransmitters. During perimenopause and menopause, attention and memory issues are very common.
Gut Problems
Receptors, which respond to oestrogen and progesterone, line the stomach wall. You can notice differences in how you digest food if these hormones are higher or lower than usual. Your hormone levels may be out of balance if you're experiencing stomach troubles as well as acne and fatigue.
Fatigue
One of the most prevalent signs of a hormone imbalance is fatigue. Progesterone in excess can make you tired. It can also drain your energy if your thyroid — the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck — produces too little thyroid hormone.
Mood Swings and Depression
Drops in hormone levels or rapid variations in their levels, according to researchers, might trigger moodiness and the blues. Estrogen has an effect on serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which are important brain chemicals. Other hormones, which follow the same pathways as neurotransmitters, also influence how you feel.
Hair loss, Thinning hair, or fine, brittle hair
When estrogen levels fall, other hormones in your body, such as testosterone, begin to have a greater impact. Hair thinning or hair loss is the outcome.
Loss of libido
You can be less interested in sex than usual if your testosterone levels are lower than usual.
Breast changes
Your breast tissue may become less thick when your estrogen levels drop. And an increase in the hormone can cause this tissue to thicken, possibly resulting in additional lumps or cysts.
Increased Thirst
Both oestrogen and progesterone have an effect on how much water your body holds. When their levels fluctuate, you may become thirstier than usual. Thirst is also a symptom that your body isn't producing enough anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), which aids in water retention. Diabetes insipidus is a condition caused by this.
Irregular Periods
The average woman's period cycle is 21 to 35 days. If your menstruation is irregular or absent, it could indicate that your hormone levels (oestrogen and progesterone) are too high or too low. If you're in your 40s or early 50s, the cause could be perimenopause, or the period before menopause. However, irregular periods might be a sign of other health issues, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Chronic Acne
Acne that won't go away can be a sign of hormonal imbalances. Overworked oil glands can be caused by an overabundance of androgens (male hormones found in both men and women). The skin cells in and around your hair follicles are also affected by androgens. Both of these factors can cause acne by clogging your pores.
Night Sweats
Low estrogen could be to blame if you wake up sweaty. Around the time of menopause, many women have night sweats.
Headaches
Drops in estrogen might cause headaches in some women. That's why headaches are more likely to occur before or during your period, when oestrogen levels are low. Regular headaches, especially those that occur around the same time each month, may indicate that your levels of this hormone are fluctuating.
Vaginal dryness
If you're feeling dry or irritated in your lower abdomen, it could be an indication of low oestrogen levels. The hormone aids in keeping the vaginal tissue moist and comfortable. If your oestrogen levels drop as a result of a hormonal imbalance, it might cause vaginal dryness and tightness.
Other symptoms of hormonal imbalance include:
An inexplicable and often unexpected hump of fat between the shoulders
Muscle weakness
Pain, tenderness, and stiffness in the muscles
Joint pain, stiffness, or swelling.
Heart rate increase or decrease
Sweating making you more sensitive to cold or heat.
Constipation or bowel motions that are more frequent
Urination on a regular basis
Nervousness, anxiety, or irritability
Infertility
Blurred vision
Purple or pink stretch marks
Puffy rounder face
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most frequent hormonal abnormality in females of reproductive age (PCOS). Female-specific symptoms of a hormonal imbalance include:
Hirdutism - abundant hair on the face, chin, or other regions of the body
Darkening of the skin, particularly in the creases of the neck, the groin, and beneath the breasts
Skin tags
Vaginal atrophy
Pain during sex
Causes of hormaonal imbalance
A hormonal imbalance can be caused by a variety of factors. The causes for this vary depending on which hormones or glands are involved. Hormonal imbalance can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
Medication
Hormone therapy
Aggressive or benign pituitary tumours
Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy
Eating disorder
Trauma or injury
Stress
Reproductive hormones play a role in a variety of hormonal imbalances in women.
Menopause
Primary ovarian insufficiency, often known as premature menopause
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
PCOS
Hormone therapy such as birth control tablets.
Treatment
Hormonal imbalance treatment varies based on the cause. Hormonal imbalances can be treated in a variety of ways, depending on the individual. Hormone imbalance treatment options for women include:
Hormone control or birth control
Vaginal Estrogen
Hormone replacement therapy
Eflornithine (Vaniqa).
Anti-androgen drugs
Letrozole (Femara) and clomiphene (Clomid)
Assisted reproductive technology (AIT)
Almost everyone goes through at least one or two phases of hormone imbalance during their lives. During puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy, hormonal imbalances are increasingly common. However, some people have persistent and irregular hormonal imbalances. External causes such as stress or hormone medicines can induce hormonal imbalances. Hormonal imbalances, on the other hand, can be produced by any medical disorder that affects or involves the endocrine system or glands. Long-term unexplained symptoms, especially those that cause pain, discomfort, or interfere with daily activities, should be discussed with a doctor.
Sources:
1. https://www.onhealth.com/content/1/hormone_imbalance_signs_symptoms
2. https://www.medicinenet.com/causes_symptoms_of_hormonal_imbalances_women/article.htm
3. https://hormonehealth.co.uk/blog/10-warning-signs-you-may-have-a-hormonal-imbalance-and-what-to-do-about-it/
4. https://www.northwell.edu/obstetrics-and-gynecology/fertility/expert-insights/11-unexpected-signs-of-hormonal-imbalance
5. https://madisonwomenshealth.com/womens-health/hormone-imbalance-symptoms-and-treatments/