Thursday, March 28, 2024

How To Test If Your Hormones Are Imbalanced

Don't Miss

Your Circadian Rhythm Is Off

Male Hormone Imbalance – How To Test Your Hormone Levels

The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland that is located in the brain. It produces melatonin, which affects circadian rhythm and the levels of other hormones in the body. A pineal cyst is a disorder of the pineal gland that may not produce any symptoms. If the cyst is large, it may produce symptoms including water on the brain , headache, eye problems, and vision problems. Large pineal cysts that cause problems usually affect women who are in their second decade of life.

Causes Of Hormone Imbalance

You might experience changes in your hormones due to aging its natural to see sex hormones alter in women around the time of menopause and men in their older years. Excessive stress or exercise can lead to an imbalance in your adrenals. Thyroid hormone imbalances may be caused by disease.

Regardless of why you have an imbalance in your hormones, you dont have to tolerate the discomfort. The Well for Health can help. We identify the imbalance and offer solutions whether that be replacement hormones, a personalized program of dietary and other lifestyle changes, or adrenal or thyroid optimization.

If youre ready to feel like yourself again and banish the symptoms of erratic hormones, call The Well for Health or schedule an appointment online.

You Might Also Enjoy…

How To Test Your Hormone Levels

Hormones are produced in your body and are responsible for many of the vital functions required for your body to be healthy. Sometimes, there can be too much or too little of a hormone in your body which can create potentially serious issues with your body. Its normal for hormones to fluctuate in your body, whether because of natural aging or going through your menstrual cycle. However, issues can occur when other problems are causing a hormonal imbalance. Reading on, you can learn more about hormonal imbalances and how you can test your hormone levels.

Don’t Miss: Tubal Ligation Cause Early Menopause

Check Your Hormone Levels From The Convenience Of Home

If youâre concerned about your hormone levels, you can use the information here on how to know if you have a hormonal imbalanceâplus speaking with a healthcare providerâto help inform your next steps.If youâre interested in hormone testing at home, consider the following tests :

  • Womenâs Hormone Test – Lets you learn your levels for 10 key hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones.
  • Thyroid Test – Check the 3 main thyroid hormones , plus thyroid antibodies.
  • Womenâs Fertility Test – Test your levels for 5 hormones that help support ovarian function and pregnancy.
  • Men’s Health Test – Check your cortisol, DHEA-S, estradiol, and testosterone.

Hormonal Imbalance And Weight Gain

Hormone Tests

Hormones play an integral role in metabolism and your bodys ability to use energy. Hormone disorders, such as Cushing syndrome, can cause you to become overweight or develop obesity.

People with Cushing syndrome have high levels of cortisol in their blood. This leads to an increase in appetite and fat storage.

Hypothyroidism, if the condition is severe, can also lead to weight gain.

During menopause, many women gain weight because the metabolism slows down. You may find that even though youre eating and exercising like normal, you still gain weight.

The only way to treat weight gain from a hormone disorder is to treat the underlying condition.

During a normal, healthy pregnancy, your body goes through major hormonal changes. This is different than a hormonal imbalance.

Don’t Miss: Does Nugenix Have An Estrogen Blocker

How Can I Balance Back My Hormones

If you have been diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance, your doctor can advise you on ways of bringing your body back into proper balance. Typical treatments for improved hormonal balance include hormone replacement therapy and lifestyle changes, such as dietary changes, stress management and exercise. In the case of thyroid dysfunction, medications and/or surgical intervention may be necessary to restore health levels of thyroid hormones.

Common Symptoms Of A Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal imbalances can cause many different symptoms. Some common issues to look out for include:

  • Fatigue
  • A bulge in the neck
  • Puffy face

Many symptoms of a hormonal imbalance can be misleading. For example, both weight gain and weight loss can be symptomatic of a hormonal imbalance. So, it’s really difficult to just rely on symptoms to understand which specific hormone is the root of the problem. This is when getting tested becomes handy.

If you’re having trouble falling asleep, you may have low progesterone levels that are usually in charge of helping you fall asleep. On the other hand, high progesterone levels could be problematic as well, as these will make you feel sleepy even if you’re getting enough rest.

Low melatonin gives your body a signal that it’s time to rest. Low estrogen can give you night sweats that can be unbearable for many.

If you’re struggling with any symptom of a possible hormone imbalance, you need to get tested. Your hormone levels will depict the root cause of the symptoms you are experiencing and, you will be able to target them properly.

Read Also: Can Having Your Tubes Tied Cause Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal Imbalance And Women

Female hormones are powerful chemical messengers that regulate the reproductive system and influence many other vital systems. When they are present in the body in the proper amounts and ratios, they work in concert with one another to promote optimal health and well-being. However, when female hormonal imbalance becomes an issue, the consequences can manifest themselves throughout the body, taking a toll on a woman’s health and quality-of-life. When the condition is accurately identified and treated, the balance of female hormones can be corrected, reducing the symptoms and health risks associated with hormonal imbalance.

Feel Better Than Ever

How to Test for Hormone Imbalance – Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms

We hope this information has encouraged you and given you hope. Everyone deserves to be the best version of themselves, and if you have the opportunity to look and feel great, wouldnt you take advantage of it?

If youd like more information on how we can get you feeling good again, dont hesitate to contact us. Our team of experts offers multiple services including weight loss treatment, hair rejuvenation, and anti-aging products.

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

Don’t Miss: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Testosterone Therapy

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.

Can You Test Hormone Levels

Yes, you can. Hormone testing is routinely done these days and is available for all types of hormones that commonly become unbalanced, including women hormones, men hormones, thyroid hormones, cortisol and much more. Most hormone imbalance tests are blood tests that measure the level of certain hormones circulating in the blood stream, and in some cases, whether complimentary hormones estrogen and progesterone, for instance are present in the proper ratios to work together effectively.

  • Hormone tests are commonly done for the following purposes:
  • To diagnose hormonal imbalances

Also Check: Nugenix Estro Regulator Reviews

You’ve Lost Your Period Or It’s Irregular

Female fertility is a complex issue. One majorly under-addressed aspect is natural hormone balance and stress. When your body has high cortisol, it shuts off blood flow from “non-vital organs”. This includes your GI tract and fertility organs. The decrease in blood flow results in a decrease in vital nutrients your fertility organs need to maintain normal function. This can lead to increased risk of infertility and loss of period.

What Causes Hormonal Imbalance

Reference Material For Hormonal Imbalance

Your hormones have to work together in balance to help your body thrive. However, hormone ups and downs in women are very common, so if you feel that you have a hormonal imbalance, you are not alone.

Doctors from WebMD say that some of the common causes of an imbalance in hormone production in women are pre-menstrual syndrome, pregnancy, and the menopause. However, other lifestyle factors can cause hormones to fluctuate. Being overweight, not getting enough exercise, or a lack of sleep can all throw your hormones off balance.3

Other reasons for hormone fluctuations are an underactive thyroid that doesnt produce enough thyroxine . Doctors from the Mayo Clinic say that hypothyroidism can leave you feeling lethargic, cause changes in your menstrual system, or make it difficult to lose weight.4

Also, diabetes is a common cause of hormonal imbalances and can affect, not just the insulin hormone, but also other blood sugar-related hormones, sex hormones, and growth hormones.5

Don’t Miss: Breakthrough Bleeding On Bioidentical Hormones

Signs Of Hormone Imbalance

Men and women may experience similar symptoms when hormones are out of balance. You may have trouble sleeping or struggle to get up in the morning, even if youve had a full night of sleep. You rely on caffeine to get you through the morning and afternoon.

Your emotions are erratic. You get cranky and irritable often, and you have energy crashes. Stress seems overwhelming sometimes, and youre prone to depression or anxiety.

Hormones are also important to your sexual function. Men with hormone imbalances may experience a and erectile dysfunction. Women may also feel less than amorous in the bedroom and experience vaginal dryness that makes intercourse uncomfortable and even painful.

Weight gain is common with hormone imbalances. Women may start to see pounds pile around their middle, and men find it harder to build muscle while fat accrues. Hunger is uncontrollable at times.

Physical symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, and increased sensitivity to temperature.

Potential Causes Of A Hormonal Imbalance

There are many things that can challenge your endocrine system, therefore disrupting hormone balance and function. The longer a system is out of order the more difficult it can be to bring it back into harmony. Identifying and correcting the causes of hormonal imbalance early on will help maintain your health and prevent the onset of chronic disease. Some of the most common underlying causes of hormonal imbalance include:

  • Underactive thyroid
  • Birth control or hormonal replacement
  • Poor diet
  • Cushing syndrome
  • Exposure to endocrine disruptors

So how do you know if you have a hormone imbalance? Find out the signs of hormonal imbalance to look out for, and natural remedies that can help balance your hormones.

Read Also: Does Nugenix Have An Estrogen Blocker

When Should You Get A Hormone Blood Test

If you have symptoms of a possible hormonal imbalance, you might need to get a hormone blood test. According to the Society for Endocrinology, it’s usually best to have your blood drawn for a hormone test in the first half of your menstrual cycle, because levels are more distinct at that time. However, if you’re having a progesterone test to see if you’re ovulating properly, it will likely be measured on day 21 of your cycle, which is in the middle of the second half.

How To Test Hormone Levels For Hormone Imbalance

Are Your Hormones Out of Whack? Try This Hormone Test at Home

While there isnt a universal hormonal imbalance test, physicians can use different diagnostic tests to check for hormonal imbalances. The most common hormone testing steps include:

  • Blood test Most hormones can be detected in the blood. A blood test for hormone levels can find lower levels of compounds like testosterone and estrogen.
  • Pelvic exam The doctor can perform a Pap smear to check for lumps or tumors in females or look for abnormalities in the sex organs of males.
  • Ultrasound Physicians can use an ultrasound to check for any abnormalities. Both female and male hormone tests can rely on an ultrasound to look at the thyroid glands, which produce hormones.
  • Thyroid scan This specific hormone imbalance test involves a digital image that doctors can use to examine the glands.

Other hormone imbalance tests also include biopsies, sperm count tests, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Also Check: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Testosterone Therapy

How Can I Find Out If I Have A Hormone Imbalance

The only way to confirm a hormone imbalance is to test your hormone levels. Both blood tests and saliva tests are proven techniques in assessing a hormone imbalance. i-screen uses blood tests to accurately determine sex hormone and thyroid hormone levels, but prefers saliva testing to assess cortisol levels. This is because cortisol levels follow a diurnal pattern which means tests must be conducted throughout the course of the day this makes blood testing inconvenient.

Functional Hormone Imbalance Tests

Hormone levels are continuously changing throughout the day thus blood may not always be the perfect reflection of whats going on.

You may be able to relate to this by being told everything is normal and youre good to go from your doctor, yet you still feel like junk!

Its no fun leaving the doctors office confused, discouraged, and unheard because youve been told your lab work is all normal despite feeling the complete opposite.

This is where specialized functional lab testing can be useful.

You May Like: Does Kaiser Cover Hormone Replacement Therapy

How To Test For Hormone Imbalance

Instead of self-treating your symptoms with social media-influenced products and diets, you can make informed decisions about diet protocols, supplements, and lifestyle interventions to properly address your concerns.

Hormones are downright complex. Different doctors and healthcare professionals will have their own opinions and preferences with how and what they test and typically are based on a patients specific set of symptoms.

Testing for hormones can be done in several ways, and there are pros and cons to these different types of tests. Here is everything you need to know about how to test for hormone imbalance:

Can Hormones Cause Acne

Why Men Should Take The DUTCH Hormone Test

Many women experience monthly breakouts before or during their period. However, chronic acne is something different. Acne that does not go away may be due to excess androgens, male hormones like testosterone that both women and men have. Excess levels of these androgens make oil glands extra productive. Androgens also affect skin cells that line hair follicles. Excess oil and skin cell changes clog pores, leading to acne. A doctor may prescribe birth control pills, corticosteroids like prednisone , or anti-androgen medications to treat hormonally influenced acne. High androgen. levels may sometimes indicate polycystic ovary syndrome . Women with PCOS may experience infertility. High insulin levels can stimulate the production of androgens and may be associated with insulin resistance. Weight loss can help reverse insulin resistance.

Recommended Reading: Can Having Your Tubes Tied Cause Early Menopause

What Causes A Hormonal Imbalance

The causes of hormonal imbalances vary according to the specific hormone involved. However, in general, they are due to changes or dysfunctions of a hormone-producing gland. For instance, a thyroid gland that isn’t functioning correctly may produce too much thyroid hormone, accelerating your bodys metabolism or could produce too little. Thyroid dysfunction can be caused by autoimmune diseases, thyroid nodules, medications or, rarely, thyroid cancer, among other potential causes. Imbalances in male or female sex hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, can be caused by age-related changes, such as menopause and andropause, as well as genetic disorders, stress, nutritional issues, or medications. Excessive stress, poor diet, aging and certain medications can contribute to imbalances in cortisol and other adrenal hormones.

There are many different underlying causes that can result in a hormonal imbalance. Each cause relates to different glands and hormones and, does impact your body differently. Many diseases and other conditions can result in a hormonal imbalance.

Diabetes

Diabetes is characterized by an inability to properly use the insulin hormone. An insulin imbalance can lead to other related hormonal imbalances as well such as disrupting estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, progesterone, and cortisol.

Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Cushing Syndrome

Addison’s Disease

Turner Syndrome

Prader-Willi Syndrome

Pancreatitis

Hormonal Imbalance And Men

You may think that women are the ones facing hormonal imbalances. But this is not the case. Men, as well as womens bodies, produce several hormones that are essential for wellbeing. One very well-known male hormone is testosterone. But, did you know that men, also, produce estrogen? Testosterone is mainly produced in the testicles and, a small amount is produced in the adrenal glands. It is responsible for ones manly characteristics, such as:

  • Facial and Body Hair
  • Muscle and Bone Density
  • Deeper Voice

It also stimulates the production of sperm and affects your desire for sex. It also plays a major role in the way one gains weight and, how and where the body will end up accumulating these fat cells. Finally, red blood cells production is linked to testosterone levels.

Estrogen is made from testosterone with the help of an enzyme known as aromatase. As you age, not only do your testosterone levels naturally drop, but your estrogen levels go up simultaneously. The loss of testosterone with age is referred to by some professionals as andropause male menopause.

However, testosterone levels can drop, even in young men, from several causes, such as:

  • Injuries to Scrotum or Testicles
  • Mumps
  • Testicular Cancer
  • Liver Disease

But, testosterone and estrogen arent the only hormones that can get out of balance in men. You can suffer a decrease in cortisol levels if you are under a lot of stress, or even an imbalance in the thyroid hormones.

Cortisol Imbalance

Thyroid Imbalance

Don’t Miss: Does Kaiser Cover Hormone Replacement Therapy

How Do Testosterone And Estrogen Differ

Testosterone, the key hormone in men, is the chief regulator of muscle tone and lean body mass, or the very essence of what gives a man his masculine appearance. A normal level of testosterone is a broad term, making deficiencies difficult to detect. The hormone is produced by the adrenal glands and testicles, with levels highest in the mornings and decreasing throughout the day.

Testosterone also regulates a mans sex drive. Lack of sexual desire and performance, often associated with low levels of testosterone, or low T, is a common complaint from men as they age and hormone levels drop. Sex drive and performance, however, require the presence of both estrogen and testosterone.

Estrogen, by contrast, is the hormone responsible for sexual and reproductive development in women and is also referred to as the female sex hormone. Estrogen is really a group of hormones that includes estrone, estradiol and estriol. Estrogen is produced in the ovaries but also by fat cells and the adrenal gland.

More articles

Popular Articles