What is Harmonal Imbalance?
Hormones have a great impact on women’s health. The women’s reproductive health is influenced mainly by two well know female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. In women, female hormones are important components of reproduction, sexuality, overall health, and well-being.
Because female hormones play a major role in women’s bodies, women feel their hormones are controlling them. When the level of hormones fluctuates, it can influence a woman’s ovulation, mood, and fertility as well. So, the hormonal imbalance harms the functioning of a woman’s reproductive system.
Symptoms Of Hormonal Imbalance:
Following are some of the common signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance that most women experience in their day-to-day lives.
Irregular Sleep Patterns
One of the most common side effects of hormonal imbalance is lack of sleep. In women, low progesterone levels lead to poor night’s sleep.
Excessive Sweating
Women experience night sweats or hot flashes due to the reproductive hormonal imbalance often caused by menopause and excessive use of birth control medications.
Unexplained Weight Gain Or Loss
Hormones play an important role in regulating metabolism, including how many calories are burnt or store as fat. So, when the hormones are out of balance, unexplained fluctuations in weight are noticed.
Chronic Fatigue
Hormonal imbalance often makes a body feel completely exhausted daily. Due to unbalanced hormonal levels, the body has to work overtime just to perform basic functions.
Cravings And Poor Digestion
While increased cravings for specific types of food are because of nutrient deficiency, but cravings for salty, sweet foods and feelings of intense hunger when your body doesn’t need to eat are due to hormonal imbalance.
As already stated, hormones play an important role in regulating metabolism, hormonal imbalance can cause discomforts of bloating, indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, and constipation.
Bloating
The lining of your digestive tract contains estrogen receptors and progesterone. Changes in these hormones levels may affect your digestion, causing bloating and other stomach troubles.
Mood swings
The menstrual cycle or menopause might cause mood swings. Other hormonal imbalances, such as thyroid hormone imbalances, can also cause mood swings.
Irregular periods
A hormonal imbalance can cause polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a disorder in which the body produces more male hormones. The imbalance causes missed menstruation and can contribute to health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Imbalances might also result in heavier than usual periods.
Headache
Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause cause headaches in many women.
Heavy or painful periods
If you also suffer abdominal pain, a frequent desire to urinate, lower back pain, constipation, and painful intercourse, you may have fibroids. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or near the uterus. Although the specific origin is unknown, they are considered being activated by estrogen, and having a family history may increase your risk.
Skin problems
Chronic adult acne can show low levels of estrogen and progesterone and high levels of androgen hormones, as well as a polycystic ovarian syndrome. Similarly, hormonal imbalances during pregnancy or menopause can cause itchy skin, whereas dry skin is a sign of menopause or thyroid difficulties.
Fertility problems
After the age of 35, women's fertility normally decreases due to hormonal changes. High levels of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or low levels of the luteinizing hormone (LH), which encourages ovaries to release an egg and begin producing progesterone can cause fertility difficulties. Your fertility will be affected by early menopause and other hormone-related illnesses, such as PCOS.
Vaginal dryness
Women who are going through perimenopause or menopause are more likely to experience vaginal dryness. Hormone levels can also be altered by taking the contraceptive pill or antidepressants, resulting in the problem.