Common Signs Of Hormonal Imbalance
Knowing the signs of a hormonal imbalance in women can help you address the underlying cause and help get your hormones in balance again. Sometimes, all you need is to make some lifestyle changes to help your body produce enough hormones. Other times, you can use some natural remedies to help manage the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.
What Doctor Do You See For Hormone Imbalance
In case of any sort of Hormonal Imbalance, one should seek medical aid from an Endocrinologist.
Endocrinology is the field that studies hormone-related diseases. A normal human has approximately fifty different hormones that can exist in very small amounts and still significantly impact bodily functions.
An Endocrinologist diagnoses hormones that maintain sensory perception, respiration, growth, regulate metabolism, reproduction, and movement. Studies have shown that Hormone Imbalances are one of the most common reasons to detect when it comes to major underlying diseases. An endocrinologist diagnoses and treats hormone problems and complications associated with them.
On Birth Control 8 Ways To Fix Hormonal Imbalance
Popping those tiny birth control pills every day usually goes one way or another for womenit either clicks and makes you feel like youre on hormonal cruise control, or it turns you into an emotional and physical wreck. Choosing the right birth control method is a personal choice for everyone, and there are pros and cons to consider before committing to a method.
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Are There Any Side Effects
Hormone replacement therapy can increase the risks of heart disease and stroke, cause blood clots to form, cause gallbladder problems and breast issues. It may also cause bloating, headache and hot flashes.
Oral birth control pills can increase resistance to insulin and abnormal intolerance to glucose. This may put the person at risk of developing Type-2 diabetes.
Pms And Low Sex Drive
Low testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone are all associated with a decreased sex drive in both men and women. This is especially common after age 50 when estrogen and testosterone production declines. Since estrogen is one of the main hormones regulating a womans menstrual cycle a decrease in production can also lead to irregular periods that are too long, too short, unpredictable, heavy, or painful, infertility, hot flashes, mood swings, or painful intercourse.
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Breast Changes Might Be An Estrogen Imbalance
Estrogen that is too high or too low may lead to changes in breast tissues. High estrogen may cause lumpy or dense breast tissue, even cysts. Estrogen levels that are too low may cause decreased breast tissue density. In one study, postmenopausal women who took estrogen plus progesterone hormone replacement therapy experienced an increase in breast density compared to women who took a placebo. Xenoestrogens are compounds that mimic estrogen function in the body. They are naturally occurring in some plants and fungi but they are also found in some drugs, industrial by-products, and pesticides. Non-naturally occurring xenoestrogens may produce a number of harmful effects in the body, including effects on breast density and the risk of breast cancer. They may also disrupt the endocrine system. If you notice any breast changes or are concerned about your estrogen levels, see your doctor for an evaluation.
Used by over 10 million women in the US and over 150 million women ages 15 to 49 worldwide, the birth control pill is one of the most common forms of hormonal contraception available.
Like the patch, the IUD and other forms of hormonal contraception, the pill is a generally safe, effective way to stop yourself from becoming pregnant. Despite this, it still has several common side effects that can appear after you start using it.
Food Items That You Should Avoid
Its very important to know which estrogen dominance foods to avoid. You should steer clear of red meats, processed food, refined carbs, and foods rich in saturated fats. These categories of foods have a negative impact on the body in general. They produce harmful metabolites and can increase the risk of diseases like diabetes, and cardiovascular afflictions.
Estrogen levels tend to be higher in individuals who eat a Western type of diet. High-fat, high-carb diets can have harmful effects on the body and cause hormonal imbalances which may lead to estrogen dominance.
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Swap Carbs For Healthy Fats
Foods that balance hormones include a variety of fat-containing foods that provide short-, medium- and long-chain fatty acids. Your body needs various types of fats to create hormones, including saturated fat and cholesterol.
Not only are these essential fats fundamental building blocks for hormone production, but they keep inflammation levels low, boost your metabolism and promote weight loss.
Healthy fats have the opposite effect of refined carbohydrates, which lead to inflammation and can mess with the balance of your hormones.
My four favorite sources of anti-inflammatory, healthy fats include coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter and wild-caught salmon.
- Coconut oil uses are plentiful. For example, coconut oil has natural antibacterial and fat-burning effects.
- Avocado benefits include improving heart health, lowering inflammation, controlling your appetite, and contributing to your daily intake of fiber and nutrients, such as potassium.
- Salmon nutrition is also impressive. Its one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to lower inflammation and help with cognitive functions. Omega-3 fatty acids are a large component of brain-cell membranes and are important for cell-to-cell communication in the brain. Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids help protect against hippocampal neuronal loss and reduce pro-inflammatory responses.
Try Some Of The Strategies To Help You Manage Stress:
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Learn to say no
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Protein with every meal to stabilise blood sugar and moods
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Regular exercise that you enjoy and is not too strenuous
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Time outdoors: barefoot on the ground
When it comes to supplementation, ashwagandha is an incredible natural solution. Here at Nourished we have created the purest ashwagandga supplement on the market, our Calm + De-stress vitamin. It is made in the USA, FDA certified and 100% natural.
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How Are Hormonal Imbalances Treated
Treatment for a hormonal imbalance will depend on whats causing it.
If you have lower-than-normal hormone levels, the main treatment is hormone replacement therapy. Depending on which hormone is deficient, you may take oral medication or injection medication.
For example, if you have low thyroid hormone levels , your provider can prescribe synthetic thyroid hormone pills. If you have growth hormone deficiency, youll likely have to take injections of synthetic growth hormone.
If you have higher-than-normal hormone levels, there are many treatment options depending on the cause. Options include medication, surgery, radiation therapy or a combination of any of these.
For example, if you have a prolactinoma, a benign tumor that causes excess prolactin , your provider may prescribe a medication to shrink the tumor or you may need surgery to remove it.
Cut Back On The Alcoholic Beverages
Ive often been told Im the bearer of bad news, but I promise that laying off the liquor will be a game changer.
A glass of alcohol is like consuming a handful of sugary cookies, just via another delivery method. It immediately hits your bloodstream, sending your blood sugar levels on a roller-coaster ride.
Alcohol also raises estrogen levels, because it creates a whole lot of extra work for your liver, so it cant effectively detox estrogen, which is one of its main jobs. This estrogen excess can trigger heavier, longer periods, breast pain, headaches, and raging PMS.
See the connection between what we eat and drink and our period problems?
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Its Actually Used For Doping In Men Sometimes Belinda Pletzer
Its actually used for doping in men sometimes, says Belinda Pletzer, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Salzburg, Austria. It helps build muscle, so its popular with powerlifters and boxers: the former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury recently served a two-year suspension after testing positive for the steroid in 2015
The hormone used by the pill is a close relative of an androgen that male boxers have used for doping
Weve known about these side effects for decades: the first progestin ever made, norethindrone, was androgenic.
Back in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, pregnant women sometimes took norethindrone in large doses to help prevent miscarriage. But the hormone also caused some unsettling changes to their bodies.
The women were sweatier, hairier and spottier. Some noticed that their voices had deepened. Nearly one in five baby girls born to mothers taking it had masculinised genitals. Some of these unlucky children required surgery.
Today androgenic progestins are much less androgenic. The doses in contraceptive pills are much smaller, and the hormones are usually combined with synthetic oestrogen, which cancels out many of the masculine effects on our bodies.
But there are some side effects.
More recent types of contraceptive pill are designed to be anti-androgenic, often prescribed to treat acne or excessive hair growth
Even small amounts of testosterone can make some parts of the female brain get smaller and others to get bigger
Impressive Herbs That Help Balance Your Hormones
Herbs are a group of plants whose leaves, flowers, roots, and seeds are used for various purposes.
If you love to cook, you may be most familiar with using herbs as cooking ingredients. Interestingly, humans have also used them for healthcare, spiritual rituals, and more for thousands of years .
Traditionally, some herbs have even been used to balance hormone levels. Although rigorous research on the topic is limited, some evidence suggests that certain herbs could influence hormone levels in your body, as well as other related functions of the endocrine system.
Still, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to using herbs for medical or health reasons.
Thats why weve sifted through the science and put together this list of 5 herbs, all of which have evidence to support some of their hormone-balancing claims.
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Hormone Balance Supplements And A Balanced Diet Vs Hrt: Whats Right For You
As you can see, addressing the hormonal changes that come with menopause can sometimes mean walking a tightrope between finding relief and staying healthy over the long haul.
Hormone replacement therapy is a viable option for many women. Contact OB/GYN Associates of Alabama to schedule an appointment and learn more about your treatment options for menopause.
What Is A Hormonal Imbalance
A hormonal imbalance happens when you have too much or too little of one or more hormones. Its a broad term that can represent many different hormone-related conditions.
Hormones are powerful signals. For many hormones, having even slightly too much or too little of them can cause major changes to your body and lead to certain conditions that require treatment.
Some hormonal imbalances can be temporary while others are chronic . In addition, some hormonal imbalances require treatment so you can stay physically healthy, while others may not impact your health but can negatively affect your quality of life.
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Hormonal Acne: Diet Dos And Donts
The exact role between diet and hormonal acne isnt fully understood. Some foods may help prevent acne particularly inflammation-fighting foods.
Plant-based foods high in antioxidants may help reduce inflammation and promote clearer skin. Omega-3 fatty acids may also decrease skin inflammation.
Contrary to popular belief, junk food alone doesnt cause acne. But overdoing it on certain foods may lead to increased inflammation.
You may consider limiting the following:
- refined carbs, such as white bread and pasta
To clear up hormonal acne and keep it at bay its important to establish an appropriate skincare routine.
What Kinds Of Medical Conditions Can Be Helped With Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills are used to treat many different conditions including:
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: is a hormonal imbalance which causes irregular menstrual periods, acne, and excess hair growth. For girls whose menstrual periods are irregular , birth control pills work by lowering certain hormone levels to regulate menstrual periods. When hormones are at normal levels, acne and hair growth often improve.
Endometriosis: Most girls with endometriosis have cramps or pelvic pain during their menstrual cycle. Birth control pills are often prescribed continuously to treat endometriosis and work by temporarily preventing periods. Since periods can cause pain for young women with endometriosis, stopping periods will usually improve cramps and pelvic pain.
Lack of periodsfrom low weight, stress, or excessive exercise: Birth control pills may be prescribed to replace estrogen, which helps to regulate the menstrual cycle. Normal estrogen levels and healthy weight are important for healthy bones. If lack of periods is caused by low weight or an eating disorder, the best treatment is weight gain to a normal healthy weight and counseling to address body image and health.
Painful Periods : When over-the-counter medications dont help with severe cramps, birth control pills may be the solution because they prevent ovulation and lighten periods.
Heavy Menstrual Periods: Birth control pills can reduce the amount and length of menstrual bleeding.
Other Medical Benefits
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A Healthy Diet Is Key To Hormone Balance
When it comes to getting all the essential macronutrients and micronutrients necessary to balance hormones, we should always turn to food first. Supplements are great, but theres no substitute for good, whole foods the ones that come directly from the Earth, just as nature intended.
Your endocrine system needs certain foods, which contain specific nutrients, to do its job and improve hormone production. Lets see which ones those are!
Hormones And Your Health
Hormones are chemical messengers that help your cells communicate and trigger various actions. Theyre the bedrock of your bodys endocrine system, which regulates growth, reproduction, metabolism, temperature, and even your mood.
Hormones and the endocrine system keep your body in a balanced state of homeostasis. Therefore, having a hormonal imbalance too little or too much of a certain hormone can have harmful side effects.
Oxidative stress, infertility, and endocrine disorders like thyroid disease are just a few conditions that can result from hormonal imbalances (
13 ).
Whats more, Nigella sativa extract exhibits estrogenic activity, meaning it acts similarly to the hormone estrogen in your body .
In fact, some studies in rats are exploring whether nigella seed extracts could be an alternative to hormone replacement therapy during menopause, a time when the body typically produces less estrogen than it used to .
Concentrated Nigella sativa supplements are becoming increasingly popular and sometimes marketed as black seed or black cumin seed. Whole nigella seeds have an herby aroma and are easy to add to bread, salads, and other dishes .
Still, keep in mind that most studies on nigella seeds and hormones were conducted in animals and used concentrated extracts or isolated thymoquinone. Thus, while using whole seeds in cooking can be healthy and delicious, it may not confer the same benefits.
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Its Really Really Hard To Lose Weight
Weight gain or trouble losing weight is maybe the most frustrating symptom of hormone imbalance. No matter how much you exercise, or how long you stick with a healthy dietthe belly bloat wont budge.
Often, weight gain around the middle is linked to either stressed out adrenal glands or insulin resistance with PCOS. Polycystic ovarian syndrome affects nearly 1 in every 10 women, and is also the culprit behind excess body hair , an irregular menstrual cycle, and fertility struggles.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Low Estrogen
What are the symptoms of low estrogen?
- painful sex due to a lack of vaginal lubrication.
- an increase in urinary tract infection due to a thinning of the urethra.
- irregular or absent periods.
How can I reverse my weight gain from hormones?
Commit to a regular exercise routine. Many studies, including this 2012 one, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, explain how exercise lowers estrogen levels in obese women. Eat your fiber. Fibrous foods help decrease elevated estrogen levels.
What triggers hunger in the brain?
Hunger is partly controlled by a part of your brain called the hypothalamus, your blood sugar level, how empty your stomach and intestines are, and certain hormone levels in your body. Fullness is a feeling of being satisfied.
What are hunger hormones and what do they do?
Well, let me introduce you to some hormones that do just those things: the hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone, made by fat cells, that decreases your appetite. Ghrelin is a hormone that increases appetite, and also plays a role in body weight. Levels of leptin the appetite suppressor are
How does hormones affect your appetite and weight?
Composed of a personal army of hormones, your metabolism dictates the way you use sugar, fat, and protein. Your metabolism is the master puppeteer that controls your calorie intake, and any change in your metabolism can trigger weight loss or weight gain.
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Does Birth Control Help With Cramps And Other Period Symptoms
When Aunt Flo arrives each month, she often brings with her a host of other unwanted guests including painful cramps. You could ride it out with a heating pad, a couple Midol or another common way to stop period pain, or you could say goodbye to severely painful cramps with the help from a little pill.
Because birth control pills help regulate your period by balancing your hormones, the pill can also reduce period pain when cramps are caused by a hormone imbalance. During your menstrual cycle, your uterine lining produces hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins help your uterus contract in order to shed the lining.
But too much of these prostaglandins can cause painful cramps, which is often called dysmenorrhea. The combination pill can help balance your hormone levels by reducing the amount of prostaglandins produced.