A hormonal imbalance happens when there is an excess or a deficiency of a particular hormone in the bloodstream.
Your body produces different types of hormones, and there are five that are most commonly associated with imbalances. They are cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and insulin imbalances.
Why should you worry about hormone imbalances? Hormones are potent substances in the bloodstream responsible for helping the body control essential processes, including metabolism and reproduction. They get produced in the endocrine glands.
Because they play an essential role in the body, even a slight imbalance can cause a significant effect on your health, quality of life, and plans. In addition to harming your general feeling of well-being, a hormone imbalance can affect your mental health and behaviors. Furthermore, it can change the way your body handles essential physical and biological processes.
Hormone imbalances are often associated with reproductive issues and sex drive problems, but they can also affect the level of energy you have on a daily basis.
Because of the role hormones play in your overall well-being and quality of life, it is important to know the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. With the correct knowledge, you can identify issues early and seek help to prevent severe effects that are more costly and time-consuming to treat. For the rest of this article, we will discuss the causes, symptoms, results, and treatments of hormonal imbalances in both men and women.
Effects of Hormonal Imbalance
Most often, this issue gets related to hormonal imbalance symptoms in females during their child-bearing years. While this is the most common demographic for hormone-related cases, the problem can affect men, women, boys, and girls of any age.
With children, for instance, hormonal imbalance can cause irregular development during puberty. These issues can have lasting effects on children as they get to adulthood, so it is important to ensure proper development as children progress through their teen years.
Both kids and adults can experience behavioral and mental health issues due to a hormonal imbalance. Someone with a deficiency or excess of hormones in their bloodstream may experience constant nervousness or anxiety, even though there is no reason to be on edge. Some hormonal imbalances lead to irritability or cause the person to become angry easily. These emotional conditions can also lead to depression if left untreated.
Developmental and mental and emotional health issues can affect people with hormonal imbalances. However, the most common effects are related to reproductive health.
A hormonal imbalance can cause problems when it comes to conceiving a child or having a healthy sex life. Men can suffer from erectile dysfunction or have a low sex drive because of a lack of testosterone, an important hormone. Females can have a similar issue with vaginal atrophy or a lacking sex drive.
In addition to the quality of life issues caused by the inability to have a normal sex life, hormonal imbalances can cause reproductive problems for females. Even women who are not interested in becoming pregnant and having children may suffer from irregular menstrual cycles because of hormone issues, affecting their quality of life.
One final issue related to hormonal imbalance is a poorly functioning metabolic system. A hormonal imbalance can cause you to gain weight, and hormone-related weight gain often occurs around your abdomen. This phenomenon is often referred to as “hormone belly.” It can occur in both men and women, and men may also get excess fat in their chest area if they have an irregular distribution of hormones in their blood.
Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms
Hormones help regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, stress, hunger, and sex drive. Because these chemicals play an important role in regulating bodily functions, an imbalance is likely to trigger more than one symptom.
You need to understand that some of the symptoms can occur in both genders, but some are exclusive to males and females. Here is a look at the signs of an imbalance that are exclusive to men and women and those that can occur in anyone regardless of gender.
First, here are the symptoms of hormone imbalance that can occur in any person with an unbalanced hormone system.
- Weight gain
- Fatigue and muscle weakness
- Mental health issues, including anxiety, stress, nervousness, irritability, or depression
- Increased hunger and thirst
- Constipation or frequent bowel movements and urination
- Pain, stiffness, or swelling in joints
- Decreased sex drive
- A general lack of energy
Some of the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance only occur in men because of their physiology and ratios of certain hormones, such as testosterone. These signs include:
- An increase or decrease in facial and body hair growth
- A loss of muscle mass
- A loss of bone mass
- Erectile dysfunction
- Difficulty concentrating
Women have a different set of symptoms that they need to be aware of when considering a hormone imbalance. Many of these are related to the level of estrogen, the primary female hormone, in the blood. The symptoms of estrogen imbalance can include:
- Heavy and irregular periods
- Abnormal body and facial hair growth
- Hair loss from your head
- Acne
- Increased muscle mass
- Enlarged clitoris
- Vaginal dryness
- Vaginal Atrophy
- Low libido
- Night sweats
- Unexpected mood swings
The good news is that these symptoms are treatable if you get a correct diagnosis for a hormone imbalance. The first step in the treatment process is understanding what is causing the imbalance.
Possible Causes of Hormonal Imbalances
There are several potential causes for a hormonal imbalance. As with symptoms and effects, some causes are possible for people regardless of age or gender, and some are specific to men or women.
A few of the most common causes of hormonal imbalance can occur in both men and women.
- Health conditions – Health conditions and illnesses, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, hypogonadism, and Addison’s disease, can cause hormonal imbalance directly or indirectly.
- Medications – Medications such as hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and other cancer treatments can also lead to significant hormonal imbalance in both males and females.
- Injuries or trauma – Certain injuries and trauma can also cause hormonal imbalance. For example, head trauma, such as a concussion, can cause issues with the pituitary gland, which controls hormone production.
- Tumors – Tumors can slow hormone production, as can certain glandular disorders.
- Eating disorders – An unhealthy diet or eating disorders can slow or halt hormone production in people regardless of age or gender.
Many of the causes of hormonal imbalance in women are often related to female reproductive hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. Here is a closer look at what causes hormonal imbalance in women.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding – Pregnancy and breastfeeding increase the release of reproductive hormones, which may lead to hormonal imbalance in pregnant and weaning women.
- Birth control – Birth control pills often have hormones in them. These can affect the hormonal balance in women, leading to symptoms such as irregular periods, heavy bleeding, and weight gain.
- Menopause and premature menopause – Menopause is a natural stage in the reproductive life cycle of women that leads to extensive hormonal changes. Whether a woman experiences premature menopause or naturally reaches menopause, the changes in the hormones in their body can lead to hormonal imbalance.
You can test for hormonal imbalance in several ways to isolate the potential causes.
Getting Diagnosed with a Hormonal Imbalance
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms, your doctor can help diagnose a hormonal imbalance. They will order a hormonal imbalance test to see exactly where the problem lies. The results of these tests, along with a physical examination, can help the doctor figure out the cause of your issue.
There is no single test for hormonal imbalance, but there are several options for finding this type of problem. Here are your options for a hormone imbalance test.
- Blood test – Because most hormones are detectable in the blood, a blood test can identify lower or higher hormones levels like testosterone and estrogen.
- Pelvic exam – The doctor can perform a pelvic exam to check for lumps or tumors in females or look for abnormalities in the testicles of males.
- Ultrasound – Physicians can use an ultrasound to check for any abnormalities in the thyroid glands, which are responsible for the production of hormones
- Thyroid scan – Doctors can also use a digital image of a thyroid scan to examine the glands for abnormalities that may indicate a hormonal imbalance.
Once they isolate the cause, the doctor can plan for how to treat hormonal imbalance in your blood.
Common Treatments for Hormonal Imbalance
The best treatment for a hormonal imbalance depends on what is causing the problem. Treatment plans can also depend on the patient. For example, how to cure hormonal imbalance in females can differ from males.
In addition to medication, doctors can recommend lifestyle changes and natural remedies for hormonal imbalance.
- Lifestyle changes – Some hormonal imbalance cases result from lifestyle issues, including stress or eating disorders. Making lifestyle changes like having a balanced diet, exercising, losing weight, and maintaining good sleep patterns can often help with mild hormone imbalances.
- Supplements – Supplements, such as vitamin D, and herbs, like ginseng and red clover, can also help correct mild hormone imbalances.
- Medication – In a more serious case of hormonal imbalance, treatment may require medication such as thyroid-based hormone therapy, anti-androgen medication, or metformin.
If a tumor or cancer is causing the imbalance, surgery and other invasive treatments may be necessary.
Get Medical Help for Hormone Imbalance
If you are concerned about a possible hormonal imbalance affecting your quality of life or reproductive plans, contact Mathews Internal Medicine. Our hormonal imbalance experts can provide more information regarding tests and treatment plans.