What is Hormonal Imbalance in Women & its Symptoms, Tests, and Treatment?

Obstetrics and Gynaecology | Posted on 12/07/2022 by Dr. Tripti Dadhich

Are you experiencing hormonal imbalance? Not sure? Don’t worry, a lot of people having hormonal imbalances don’t realize.

Feeling bloated, irritability, aggressiveness, etc. are some of the hormonal imbalance symptoms. It is important to understand that hormones are chemical messengers that affect the functionalities of cells and organs. So, it is very normal if your hormones are shifting from here and there.

Usually, women experience hormonal balance conditions more than men, mainly because of periods, pregnancy, and menopause. Research suggests that women must have an appropriate comprehension of hormonal imbalances. It assists them in upholding the levels of hormones and includes ways to prevent them through some lifestyle changes. If you are facing any serious harmonal issue or any harmonal condition, you should visit a gynecologist in Jaipur.

Before discussing the causes and treatment, let’s have a discussion on what is a hormonal imbalance to understand the aspect proficiently.

What is a hormonal imbalance in women?

A hormonal imbalance in women occurs when they have extreme or completely fewer hormones in their bloodstream. It is a term that reflects the varied conditions related to hormones.

Women experiencing hormonal imbalance symptoms can go through major changes in their bodies if hormones are too much or too less. They can also cause other health conditions if not treated on time. However, you don’t have to get anxious as usually hormonal imbalances are not permanent and the occurrence of this condition can pose a serious problem that requires medical attention. Hence, a woman needs to keep her hormones in check and obtain comprehensive learning about the aspect.

What causes the hormonal imbalance?

Firstly, it is important to comprehend that hormonal imbalance in females is completely natural and they keep experiencing episodes of hormonal balance often. However, it can also happen if an inappropriate functioning of endocrine glands is there in the body.

These are the glands that are responsible for producing, storing, and releasing hormones into the blood.

Endocrine glands are among the reasons for hormonal imbalance that a female goes through in her life. Various endocrine glands are there in the human body that control varied organs such as gonads, adrenal glands, pineal glands, thyroid, and parathyroid glands, pituitary glands, pancreas islets, and hypothalamus glands.

Certain conditions have a huge impact on the endocrine gland glands. The kind of lifestyle and environmental factors can cause hormonal imbalance.

Medical conditions

Here are some medical conditions that cause signs of hormonal imbalance among women:

• Diabetes is one of the primary reasons as it has the efficiency of producing the sufficient hormone insulin.
• Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism also fall under the category of not forming hormones as they are known for overactivity and under activity of the thyroid gland.
• Addison’s disease also is a condition that causes a loss of control of producing enough hormones.
• Cushing’s syndrome is a problem in which adrenal glands cause the production of huge corticosteroids.
• Hyperglycemia is a health problem that causes the overproduction of developing hormones.
• There are other medical conditions like cancer, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, iodine deficiency, hereditary pancreatitis, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Additional causes

Other reasons for hormonal imbalances among women are chronic stress, poor diet and nutrition, overweight, hormonal replacement, birth control medications, misuse of anabolic steroid medications, and contact with pollutants, herbicides, pesticides, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and toxins.

Women usually go through various signs of hormonal imbalance throughout life. Various reasons are there such as puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.

Women are at higher risk of growing hormonal imbalances disorders than men as they have unique endocrine organs and cycles.

Here are the primary causes of hormonal imbalances in women:

• Ovarian cancer
• Primary ovarian insufficiency or POI
• Medications used for birth control or hormonal replacement
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS.

What are the symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women?

Hormonal imbalance symptoms in females vary more than in men as they experience it often. Here are some of the signs that they have to go through:

• Mood swings are one of the primary symptoms of hormonal imbalance in females. They tend to become moody without realizing that they might be experiencing hormonal imbalance.
• Constipation or diarrhoea is also the usual symptom that a female should not ignore. If the problem occurs frequently, it is crucial to get in touch with the doctor at the earliest.
• An irregular menstrual cycle is a very common and usual sign of hormonal imbalance in females. If they don’t get periods on time, it causes hormonal imbalance. It causes different emotions among them.
• If a woman is trying to conceive for more than a year without success, then it becomes a sign of infertility. Hence, it is considered a hormonal imbalance.
• Females with low sex drive are at the highest risk of experiencing hormonal imbalance.

Other signs of hormonal imbalance among females are unexplained weight loss, weight gain, hirsutism, excessive hair growth, brittle bones, skin rashes, and insomnia.

Can hormonal imbalance cause hair loss in women?

The most common sign of hormonal imbalance in females involves causing hair to thin or fall out. However, with the right treatment or medication for hormonal imbalances, women can regrow their hair. Usually, people have a perception that estrogen is the reason for hormonal imbalance in a woman but the thyroid is also among the primary causes of hair thinning.

Women experience pattern baldness due to hormonal imbalance because of a hormone known as dihydrotestosterone imbalance (DHT).  It is quite similar to testosterone but it is essentially persuasive. This hormone can attach itself to receptors on the follicles of hair and the outcome is hair fallout or thinning.

Therefore, women, who observe that their hair is falling out or is thin must look out for an effective hormonal imbalance cure. It is always best to reach out to professional and clinical assistance rather than trying things on your own.

Tests for hormonal imbalance

Hormonal imbalance tests completely rely on the kind of condition your doctor thinks is causing you the problem. Here are the tests that your doctor might recommend you:

• One of the tests usually prescribed for hormonal imbalance is blood testing. He/she will ask you to get your levels of estrogen, testosterone, and thyroid hormone test is done.
• You will also be asked to get the imaging tests done as ultrasound, X-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI). It helps in diagnosing the tumors, or cysts that can cause the problem of producing a huge amount of hormones.
• Lastly, there is urine testing used for measuring the hormonal levels essentially associated with the menstrual cycle in females like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

How to treat hormonal imbalance in women?

Hormonal imbalance in women's treatment depends primarily on the reason. Since each body is different, every individual might need a different treatment type. Here are some of the available treatments for hormonal imbalance:

• For women who aren’t trying to conceive, medications containing estrogen and progesterone forms are recommended. It assists them with the regulation of irregular cycles and similar signs. One can involve taking birth control pills and they are available in different forms like a shot, pill, patch, ring, and intrauterine device (IUD).
• Vaginal estrogen creams are also recommended as a hormonal imbalance cure for women. It is for females who experience dryness in their vaginal area that occurs because of estrogen levels. Creams containing estrogen can be applied to the vaginal tissues as it will help in eliminating the symptoms.
• Hormonal replacement medications are among the available hormonal imbalance treatments for women. It is available for reducing the serious signs linked to menopause, like night sweats, hot flashes, etc. temporarily.
• Eflornithine also known as Vaniqa is a cream recommended to females for slowing down too much facial hair growth.
• Anti-androgen medication is also recommended by a doctor to women for restricting the problem of acne, hair growth, and loss. It helps in dominating the male-sex hormone androgen causing the condition.
• Clomid and letrozole are prescribed medications for women who have been trying to get pregnant for years without success. A doctor can also recommend this hormonal imbalance cure to women experiencing PCOS and infertility problems. With the injections, the chances of pregnancy among such women increase.
• Assisted reproductive technology is also one of the best treatments for hormonal imbalance for women experiencing PCOS complications.

How can you prevent hormonal imbalance?

Here are some of the best ways that will help you with eliminating the effects of hormonal imbalance:

• Make sure to maintain a balanced or healthy weight.
• Get yourself involved in a healthy and balanced diet.
• Ensure exercising regularly at least for 30 minutes a day.
• Make sure to sleep around 7-8 hours a day.
• Avoid smoking and refrain from alcohol as well.

Wrap up

Hormones are among the dominant and intricate chemicals in the human body. If any of the hormones go out of balance, then it causes signs like being out of control of your body. A woman needs to get in touch with the doctor if any sort of hormonal imbalance symptom is experienced. With the right treatment and medication, it becomes easy to get your hormone levels back.

Visit Rukmani Birla Hospital Jaipur now or book an appointment to consult our highly-qualified professionals.

FAQ’s

Does sugar affect female hormones?

Yes, sugar causes a huge effect on hormonal imbalance as it offers too much or too less in mood and energy. It can disrupt the most powerful hormone known as insulin. It is quite close to other hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.

Can hormonal imbalance cause a big stomach?

A variety of conditions are there that can cause unbalance in the human body. This occurrence can cause a hormonal belly, which is gaining excess weight around the stomach. Hormones are among the reasons for excess fat in the belly. Hormones are useful in regulating various bodily functionalities such as stress, hunger, metabolism, and sexual drive.

Can hormonal imbalance affect your period?

Certainly, it does. Various hormones are related to the menstrual cycle. It is one of the reasons that usually women experience more hormonal imbalance than men. Hormonal imbalance causes irregular periods essentially when a female has conditions like PCOS and amenorrhea.

Can ginger balance your hormones?

Yes, ginger helps with maintaining thyroid levels, and insulin levels and lowers testosterone. It is an anti-inflammatory condition that assists with balancing hormones.

What is a female hormone specialist called?

A female hormone specialist is called an endocrinologist in fact for both men as well. They assist you with hormonal imbalance treatment and offer medications depending on the cause of an individual experience.

Is hormone imbalance serious?

Yes, hormonal imbalance is linked to severe, and long-term health problems. If no proper treatment is considered on time, one can be at a higher risk of various severe clinical conditions such as type 1, and 2 diabetes, and diabetes insipidus.

Do bananas help hormonal imbalances?

No, bananas are one of the fruits that have a high-glycaemic index and can disrupt hormonal imbalance. You also may lose the ability to maintain a balanced body health.