Everything just described has one thing in common: your hormones. It goes without saying, hormonal health is important.<\/p>\n
From conscious decision-making to automatic bodily functions, our hormones and hormonal health play a major role in our overall wellness. A hormonal imbalance can cause disruptions even when we aren\u2019t aware of the hormonal health issue.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at some of the health risks associated with poor hormonal health or hormonal imbalance. Let\u2019s discuss what factors might cause an imbalance and how to move forward once a hormonal imbalance has been diagnosed. First, let\u2019s review what hormones are and why they\u2019re important.<\/p>\n Hormones are organic chemical messengers that are vital for sustaining life. Each cell, tissue and organ in your body has a specific job to do to keep you alive. Digesting food, breathing, and repairing cell damage are only a few things your body does to maintain optimal health and wellness. Your cells know what to do because hormones deliver the instructions via your bloodstream.<\/p>\n The effects of some hormonal activity are immediately apparent, such as sexual arousal. Other hormonal changes occur slowly over time, and the effects take longer to see, such as growing and aging.<\/p>\n Your hormones are regulated by your endocrine system<\/a>, a series of glands throughout your body. The glands that make up the endocrine system are the testes, ovaries, adrenal glands, thymus, thyroid, and parathyroid glands, pancreas, pineal gland, hypothalamus, and finally the pituitary gland, which is sometimes referred to as the \u2018master gland\u2019 because it controls the activities of other glands.<\/p>\n Your pituitary gland is regulated by the hypothalamus<\/a>, which produces its own set of hormones and neurotransmitters that tell other endocrine glands to either stop producing certain hormones or to produce more.<\/p>\n Hormonal balance is a delicate issue to manage. Too much or too little of any one hormone can have noticeable consequences. Even just a small deviation in your hormone levels can have devastating effects.<\/p>\n Generally, your body does a pretty good job of keeping things in balance on its own, but there are certain circumstances that may cause your endocrine system to either over or underproduce a certain hormone.<\/strong><\/p>\n Medications, tumors, and the chemotherapy used to treat them can all affect your endocrine system and cause a hormone imbalance, as can your mental state.<\/p>\n While there is currently no \u2018master test\u2019 to determine if you have a hormonal imbalance, your doctor can make reasonable assumptions based on the symptoms you\u2019re experiencing, and go from there.<\/p>\n There are a number of tests (including at-home tests) that your doctor will prescribe depending on which hormone they suspect to be out of balance. <\/strong>Blood tests<\/a> are the most common testing method, but ultrasounds, biopsies, MRIs, and x-rays can also help determine whether or not you have a hormone imbalance.<\/p>\n The symptoms of a hormonal imbalance vary significantly depending on which hormone is affected, the cause of imbalance, your gender, and stage of life.<\/p>\n If you are chronically stressed, for instance, that can prompt your adrenal glands to overproduce the stress hormone cortisol. <\/strong>Symptoms of an overproduction of cortisol include weight gain, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and mood swings.<\/p>\n Men and women have (some) very different baseline hormone levels, and as such, symptoms of hormonal imbalance will be expressed differently for men and women.<\/p>\n In men, altered levels of testosterone might present with some of the following symptoms:<\/strong><\/p>\n Low Testosterone Levels:<\/p>\n High Testosterone Levels:<\/p>\n Women may experience higher or lower levels of estrogen and\/or progesterone and may present the following symptoms:<\/strong><\/p>\n Low Estrogen Levels:<\/p>\n High Estrogen Levels:<\/p>\n Low Progesterone Levels:<\/p>\n Some more general symptoms that may indicate a hormonal imbalance related to sex hormones include rapid weight gain or loss, depression, irritability, hair loss, fatigue, weakness or loss of muscle mass, painful muscles or joints, headaches, and increased thirst or hunger and many more.<\/p>\n There are some disorders that are the result of a hormonal imbalance (known as endocrine disorder) and some that contribute to it. Some endocrine disorders respond to therapy, but others are chronic and require extended or even life-long treatment.<\/p>\n Endocrine disorders include but aren\u2019t limited to:<\/p>\n Health conditions such as menopause or polycystic ovary syndrome are the result of a hormonal imbalance. PCOS occurs when a woman experiences a hormonal health condition where she produces too much insulin and testosterone. Symptoms of menopause occur when a woman\u2019s body produces lower levels of estrogen, progesterone, FSH, LH and testosterone.<\/p>\n Without treatment, some hormonal health conditions caused by an imbalance can eventually lead to a further imbalance of hormones.<\/p>\n Health conditions associated with a hormonal imbalance may be tough to spot at first, so it\u2019s important to monitor any symptoms and bring them to the attention of your doctor. From there, tests will be done to determine whether or not an imbalance or change in your hormone levels has occurred, which will dictate the course of treatment.<\/p>\n Hormone replacement therapy<\/a> is a common treatment, particularly for women going through menopause. Testosterone supplements are also used and can be effective in treating men with lower levels of testosterone.<\/p>\n Hormonal birth control methods<\/a> can sometimes help alleviate the symptoms experienced due to imbalances in estrogen or progesterone levels.<\/p>\n Synthetic hormones are used in medicine to treat various conditions related to hyperthyroidism.<\/p>\n According to Nancy Belcher<\/a>, Ph.D. and CEO of Win<\/a>ona, quite a few of our hormones are directly linked to our mental well-being. \u201cHormones like estrogen, testosterone, serotonin, and dopamine are all chemical messengers that are linked to a wide range of human behaviors including mating, aggression, and hyperactivity. When our hormones are in balance, our moods and behaviors will reflect that and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Belcher goes on to say, \u201cI think specialized treatments for hormonal health are going to be a medical trend we see a lot more of in 2022. That\u2019s because more than ever, research is showing how each person\u2019s unique hormonal makeup can impact so many of their bodily functions \u2014 including moods and behaviors.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/circledna.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/content_images_assets.prenetics.com_blog.circledna.com_wp-content_uploads_2022_01_17171925_hormone-cream-hormone-replacement-patch-and-nutri-2021-08-30-07-51-16-utc-min.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nWhat Are Hormones?<\/h2>\n
Hormonal Health: How Do I Know If My Hormone Levels Are Unhealthy?<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/circledna.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/content_images_assets.prenetics.com_blog.circledna.com_wp-content_uploads_2022_01_17172025_testing-your-blood-2021-09-02-04-28-17-utc-min.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nSigns and Symptoms of a Hormonal Imbalance<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nCommon Disorders Associated with Hormonal Imbalance<\/h2>\n
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How Are Hormone Imbalances Treated?<\/h2>\n