There are just days when we, women, feel sudden changes in our moods. Without knowing why, we feel very angry, agitated, sensitive, and overly emotional. We usually say, “oh, it’s just my hormones, ”and people, especially men, don’t take this seriously. Others just use this as an excuse, but in reality, hormones do really affect us and our overall health. Yes, that includes our emotional state. Fluctuation in hormones does not only alter moods but also our sexual drive, fertility, and ovulation.
Problems in hormone is very common. But what cause an imbalance in your hormones? There are several factors that cause this disparity in your body chemistry. Hormonal imbalance is commonly due to menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause, and use of contraceptive pills. Other health problems such as thyroid issues and diabetes can also worsen the case. However, your lifestyle can also impact hormonal change. If you have inconsistent pattern in sleeping, unhealthy diet, and lack of physical activities, you are more prone to a hormonal imbalance.
How do you know for sure that you are suffering from a hormonal imbalance? Here are the signs and symptoms that you have to look for:
1.Sleep Disorders
Women suffering from an imbalanced hormone have difficulty in sleeping, especially before they get their period. The major reason for this is that the number of progesterone levels significantly plummets right before your menstruation or even after you give birth. This hormone helps us relax, so when the levels are reduced, you often feel fidgety and will find it very hard to sleep and sleep deep.
2. Constant Fatigue
It’s common that we feel tired some days, especially when we are overworked. But if this has been a persistent feeling that bothers you every single day, and if this is coupled with a weight gain, there’s a possibility that your thyroid hormone levels are very low, resulting to a condition called hypothyroidism. This condition is said to affect not more than 15 million adults just in the United States. Have you heard of stories of women experiencing up to 20 pounds of added weight, and they can’t lose the pounds even with exercise and diet? Thyroid hormones are responsible for controlling our metabolism, so with reduced levels, system tends to slack off.It also results to a slow down in heart rate, mental functions, and digestion. Thus explains how this condition makes you feel restless, mentally distracted, and constipated.
3. Memory Problem
A drop in thyroid hormone isn’t the only cause of mental distraction. An increase in cortisol, which is also known as the stress hormone, will affect you mentally, particularly in your memory. Memory is commonly affected by age, but if you are far from old age but keep on forgetting your appointments, or where you put your keys, or even the names of your acquaintances, this maybe a red flag. Aside from fogging your memory, increased levels of cortisol can also affect your learning ability overall.
4. Mood Swings
Menopause is identified to be one of the causes of hormonal imbalance. Women in this stage maybe experiencing changes in mood. One minute they are feeling fine, and the next they are incessantly worrying. Women who are going through this also tend to be panicky, and the situations that they used to handle calmly before make them anxious now. This may also potentially lead to depression if not addressed properly.
5.Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
These so called “tropical moments” are more commonly experienced by women who are in their menopause stage. It was earlier believed that the cause of this is a low estrogen level. However, in recent years, studies have shown that these may also be caused by excess in estrogen levels and reduced levels of progesterone. Other hormonal imbalances from ovaries, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract may also be guilty for your hot flashes and night sweats, which, needless to say, can be too uncomfortable.
6. Vaginal Dryness
Another sign of hormonal imbalance that is connected to menopause is vaginal dryness. During menopause, estrogen levels are reduced, causing the changes to the vaginal wall. Consequently, women’s sexual drive is affected. Nowadays, lubricants are widely accessible to avoid dryness. There are also intra vaginal low-dose estrogen and testosterone cream available, and there is no harm in trying any of these to ease discomfort.
7. Loss of Libido
Vaginal dryness is not only the cause of low sexual drive. With a reduced levels of estrogen, overall loss of libido may happen. Aside from the treatments mentioned above, other available prescriptions from your doctor may include localized estrogen in the form of cream, gel, tablet, or patch.
8. Chronic Headaches
Headaches experienced in specific times during the menstrual cycle, which is more common in women entering middle age, are also due to imbalances in hormones. These headaches are not something that you can easily shrug off as they are easily chronic and can be migraines too.To know for sure if this is a sign of hormonal problem, you can keep a record of their occurrences – whether you experience
