Are you suffering from acne, mood swings, headaches, vaginal dryness, and many more inexplicable symptoms? If yes, chances are you’re suffering from hormonal imbalances. It happens when one or more hormone levels get out of balance. Hormones are chemical messengers in the body to regulate assigned functions. If they are imbalanced, it affects bodily functions in many ways. Learn what symptoms are caused by hormonal imbalances in women and their solutions in this article. Visit Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center and consult with the best Women’s health specialist in New York.
Understanding Hormonal Imbalances in Women
Hormonal imbalances occur when your body is not able to produce hormones in a normal range. Its production may get too high or too low. Many factors can lead to hormonal imbalances in women including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, etc. Due to different hormone imbalances, you may notice different symptoms, including:
- Mood swings:
This occurs when the female sex hormone estrogen affects neurotransmitters in the brain including serotonin (a chemical that improves mood). This fluctuation can occur due to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or depressed mood during perimenopause and menopause.
Solution: If you feel low or anxious, it affects your everyday life; then dietary and lifestyle changes like regular exercise, drinking limited alcohol, quitting smoking, and herbal remedies are the way to go. If you’re in the perimenopausal or menopausal stage, then consult with a doctor to take treatment to manage your symptoms.
- Heavy or painful periods:
If your period is accompanied by other symptoms like abdominal pain, frequent urination, lower back pain, constipation, and painful intercourse, then you may have fibroids. These are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb. What exactly causes this is unknown, but it is stimulated by estrogen while having a family history may also increase your risk.
Solution: If you’re suffering from heavy periods along with the above-mentioned symptoms, you should seek help from a professional gynecologist to get your fibroids treated. The healthcare professional either prescribes medications or recommends surgery to remove them.
- Low libido:
Low libido is particularly common in women when they go through perimenopause or menopause. Because at these times their estrogen and testosterone levels fall. They may even experience other symptoms like night sweats, fatigue, low mood, and anxiety which impact their sex life.
Solution: If you’re going through menopause, you should consult with a women’s health expert to get hormonal replacement treatment to manage your symptoms and improve life quality.
- Insomnia and poor-quality sleep:
During perimenopause and menopause, the ovaries start producing less estrogen and progesterone (which promotes sleep). These falling estrogen levels may become the reason for night sweats which disrupt sleep and contribute to fatigue and lack of energy.
Solution: If your sleep gets disrupted by night sweats frequently, then you should consult with a doctor who diagnoses your condition and provides treatment. You can also try some strategies as well to improve your sleep like wearing cotton night clothes, sleeping between cotton sheets, keeping your bedroom cool and as dark as possible, regular exercise, and lowering the intake of alcohol and caffeine.
- Unexplained weight gain:
Several hormone-related conditions can cause this, including underactive thyroid (when your thyroid gland is not able to produce enough thyroid hormones to regulate metabolism), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (a hormone-related problem that causes small cysts in the ovaries), and menopause (results in hormonal changes at a certain age that may lead to weight gain around the abdomen.)
Solution: If you’re experiencing unexplained weight gain without any diet or exercise changes, you should seek consultation from a women’s health expert to get diagnosed and treated. If you’re going through menopause, you should discuss hormone therapy with your doctor.
- Skin problems:
Chronic adult acne is a sign of low estrogen and progesterone and high androgen levels in the body. This can be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome. Similarly, hormonal imbalances during pregnancy or menopause can cause itchy skin while dry skin is a common symptom of menopause or thyroid problems.
Solution: If you have a persistent skin problem due to hormonal imbalance, then you should consult with a women’s health specialist to get diagnosed and treated for the underlying cause.
- Fertility problems:
Hormonal imbalance is one of the most common causes of female infertility. Naturally, with changing hormone levels, a woman’s fertility drops after the age of 35. Elevated levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) can lower the chances of a woman getting pregnant while low levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) can stimulate the ovaries to release an egg and start producing progesterone, which also causes fertility problems. Early menopause and other hormone-related conditions such as PCOS will affect your fertility.
Solution: You can consult your GP to take a blood test to check your FSH and LH levels, if you have been trying to conceive for more than a year, or if you are over 35. You may consider seeing a women’s health expert to diagnose any underlying cause that makes it difficult to conceive.
- Headaches:
Many women can experience headaches due to hormonal changes during menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause.
Solution: You should keep a symptom diary with you that helps the doctor to identify what triggers your headaches. The doctor may prescribe anti-migraine medicines or contraceptive pills. Lifestyle changes like eating small, frequent snacks and having a regular scheduled sleep can improve them.
- Vaginal dryness:
This is the most common sign of estrogen level decline, especially during perimenopause and menopause. It can also occur due to contraceptive pills or antidepressant medicines.
Solution: You can wash the area with unperfumed soap and use water-based lubricants. If symptoms are caused by menopause, then hormone therapy can help.
When should I see my healthcare provider about a hormonal imbalance?
If you’re experiencing new, persistent symptoms, then you should consult with your healthcare provider. They may order tests to check the cause of your symptoms.
Hormones are essential chemical messengers in the body that regulate many functions. Especially in women, hormonal imbalances can cause severe symptoms that can affect their daily lives. That’s why if you are experiencing hormonal imbalance symptoms, then you should consult a women’s health expert to get a diagnosis and treatment.
Need help with hormonal issues, visit our women’s health experts in the Brooklyn clinic. Call us to book your appointment now!!!! Log on to www.doralhw.org or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 to book an appointment. At Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center, we have the best GYN doctor in Brooklyn, and we provide women with quality health care services. You can also visit our website at https://doralhw.org/department/gynecology/
