8 Ways How Hormonal Changes Affect Your Body
There are plenty of reasons that women suffer from hormones being out of balance. Sometimes it’s due to menopause, childbirth, stress, lifestyle changes, etc. Anytime hormones are not communicating properly, your body might begin to produce too much or too little of a certain hormone.
This will lead to a hormonal imbalance. Unfortunately, a doctor can’t give you a specific test to check your hormones because the human body produces more than 50 hormones. There are symptoms that you can keep pay attention to and let your doctor know about.
Read on to learn how any changes in your hormones will affect your body.
1. Weight Loss or Weight Gain
Sometimes when there is a hormonal imbalance, weight is affected. The thyroid gland is responsible for how fast your body turns food into fuel. If the thyroid gland makes too many hormones or if it doesn’t make enough, your weight can suddenly drop.
For anyone that suddenly loses 10 pounds or more without eating differently or without working out, you want to let your doctor know.
When cortisol levels in the body are always high, the body senses that it’s in danger. This danger that the body senses will make the body hold on to fat as a type of energy. Holding on to fat like this will lead to a sudden weight gain that will be difficult to get rid of.
Your doctor can confirm if your sudden weight loss or weight gain is due to a hormonal imbalance.
2. Vaginal Dryness
Sometimes having vaginal dryness is normal but if you start noticing constant irritation or dryness, then this can be a cause for concern. Lower estrogen levels might be the cause of this dryness.
Estrogen helps the vaginal tissue stay comfortable and moist. Suffering from vaginal atrophy because of hormonal changes might have you looking into the cost of Votiva treatment because this can be a safe treatment option to help you. Whenever estrogen levels drop due to some type of imbalance it will reduce the fluids in the vagina and will cause tightness.
3. Irregular Periods
The average woman has their period every 21 to 35 days. For those that don’t have their period around the same time every month or if they skip a few months, it can be due to hormones being either too low or too high. Keep track of your cycle and if you notice any drastic changes in how often your period comes, then make sure you speak to your doctor about it.
Sometimes irregular periods can be due to the time before menopause or PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).
4. Trouble Sleeping
The hormone released by your ovaries that helps you with sleep is progesterone. This hormone is what also helps you sleep well. Anytime that progesterone levels fall the body has a hard time falling asleep.
Also, if the body has trouble secreting melatonin, it can lead to difficulty with falling asleep or adjusting to a new sleep pattern. Melatonin in the body works on the part of the brain that controls the circadian rhythm which helps us fall asleep and also stay asleep longer.
Make sure you speak to your doctor if you notice that you are having trouble sleeping or if you are suddenly dealing with insomnia.
5. Hair and Skin Changes
How healthy your hair is, is related to your hormones. If there are any imbalances, it can cause your hair to become dry, thin, or brittle. Normally these imbalances are caused by thyroid abnormalities.
If you notice a sudden acne breakout, then it might be due to a hormonal imbalance. The skin’s production of sebum is regulated by androgens. When the body begins to produce too many androgens, the sebum will cause a pimple to come out because it will clog up your pores.
Keep in mind that having a breakout out either during or before your period is normal, but if the acne is persistent and won’t clear up, then it’s a sign of a hormone problem.
6. Blood Pressure Changes
Hormones have a big role in your heart health because of the pancreas. The pancreas is one of the largest hormone-producing glands in the body. It is also responsible for producing insulin.
When the pancreas hormone is not regulated, you can end up with too much glucose in your blood. This extra glucose leads to high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
7. Joint Pain and Muscle Weakness
Moving your body should not come with pain or stiff joints. A hormonal imbalance can make you feel like it takes extra effort to move your body. Muscle weakness can be due to either testosterone hormones, estrogen, or thyroid hormones.
Sudden muscle weakness is a major sign that some of your hormones are not in harmony.
8. Digestive Issues
How your gut functions can be influenced by hormones through the bacterial system in the intestines and through the microbiome. A hormonal imbalance will impact the function of the bacteria in the gut which leads to feelings of constipation, bloating, nausea, or diarrhea.
The gut is lined with receptors that respond to progesterone and estrogen. Any time the hormones are lower or higher than usual, you will notice that how you are digesting food is different. Speak to your doctor is you are deadline with chronicle stomach pain, so that they can determine if it’s due to hormones or another underlying condition.
Are Hormonal Changes Affecting Your Body?
We hope that now that you learned more about how hormonal changes affect your body, you can evaluate whether you are dealing with some type of imbalance in your own body. Thankfully, imbalances due to hormones are reversible, you just have to know what to look out for so that you can speak to your doctor if you notice anything out of wack.
Sometimes you will have to make some changes to your lifestyle and diet to help balance your hormones. Make sure you continue browsing this section for similar articles to help you level up your health.
