A hormone imbalance occurs when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream. Hormones are chemicals that regulate various body functions including growth, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, mood, and more.
Some key facts about hormone imbalances:
- They can develop slowly over time or onset more suddenly
- Women are more prone due to fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause
- Common symptoms are fatigue, anxiety, low libido, insomnia, weight gain, etc.
- Both men and women can experience hormone issues
- Main hormones that cause problems when unbalanced are insulin, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormones
Some potential causes of hormone imbalance include:
- Chronic stress
- Poor diet and lack of exercise
- Thyroid disorders
- Adrenal fatigue
- Pituitary gland disorders
- Other illness and medical conditions
- Menopause transition
To diagnose a hormone imbalance, doctors consider symptoms and order blood or saliva tests to check levels. They may check:
- Estradiol
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- DHEA
- TSH, T3 & T4 (for thyroid function)
- Fasting insulin
- Fasting glucose
- Cortisol
Treatment depends on which hormones are unbalanced and may include:
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - estrogen, testosterone, thyroid medications
- Medications - such as cortisol blockers, drugs that make insulin more effective
- Dietary changes - nutritional balancing based on needs
- Reduce stress through yoga, meditation, counseling
- Improve sleep habits
The goal of treatment is to restore hormone balance for improved physical and mental health. Tracking symptoms carefully and retesting hormone levels in a few months enables fine-tuning treatment to ensure it is effective.
I hope this gives you a helpful overview of what hormone imbalance means, what causes it, how it is diagnosed, and the variety of treatment options available. Let me know if you have any other questions!