Relationships June 20, 2018
Dealing with hormonal imbalance can be pretty daunting.
Hormonal Imbalance: ENTITY's Quick ExplanationWords like hormone and imbalance next to each other are scary, to say the least. It leads to questions such as “Is there something wrong with me?” and “Is this normal?” To begin to understand what this is and what it is entails for your health, we need to understand the basic function of hormones and what causes it.
According to Hormone Health Network, Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. They travel back and forth in our bodies telling our different organs and tissues what to do. They control many of the body’s major bodily functions from the most basic needs like thirst and hunger to more complex systems like reproduction and metabolism. These messengers play such an important role in your body that they even influence your day to day emotions!
Women alone have over 50 different kinds of hormones serving an abundance of different function. From the commonly heard of sleeping hormone melatonin to more obscure hormones such as cholecystokinin, there are so many it seems impossible to keep track though we continue to try. With so many different kind of hormones working in such a complex system, something is bound to go wrong, right?
As you can probably guess, hormonal imbalance happens when something goes wrong in this huge, complicated system of hormones. According to Healthline, hormone imbalance is specifically when there is either too much or too little of a certain hormone. Because these little messengers have their hand in everything, this can lead to a wide variety of symptoms. This makes specific imbalances and their causes really hard to pinpoint.
Some common symptoms of hormonal imbalance are chronic acne, sleep problems, breast tenderness, fatigue, mood swings, dry skin, sweating, hair loss, and weight gain. These are all things that seem very minor. However, other more major symptoms are depression, irregular periods, infertility, cysts, and memory fog. The range of symptoms is so wide that sometimes it may be hard to tell if you are simply having an off day or if your hormonal imbalance is causing you to fall into depression.
According to WebMD, hormonal imbalance is actually very common and happens before and during periods, pregnancy and menopause. However, it can also result from external factors such as medication or can hint at other, more serious health issues. In other words, just about anything can lead to a hormonal imbalance.
In her lifetime, a woman can expect hormonal imbalances at various stages of her life. However, at times it can be caused by serious problems. For example, changes in estrogen and progesterone can lead to memory fog or difficulty focusing, which is especially common before and during menopause. However, this same symptom can be connected to other hormone-related diseases such as thyroid disease. Another example is an irregular period, which is also common around menopause. However, it can also be a result of a more serious health issue such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (POC).
According to Healthline, other common causes include stress, injury or trauma, diabetes, side effects to medication, thyroiditis and tumors, among many others. Again, the list ranges from everyday concerns to serious issues that need medical attention.
If you have reason to believe your symptoms are a result of something serious, you should seek professional advice immediately. It is crucial that you take care of your body and acknowledge and respond to the signs it is sending you.
That said, don’t freak out too much! Stay calm. There are many mundane reasons for hormonal imbalance and there are many ways to treat it, including natural remedies such as a balances died and regular exercise. Other times it’s as simple as changing your birth control regimen. Either way, make sure to ask a medical professional to look over your symptoms just in case.
