Hormones are chemical messengers that your endocrine glands produce. These important compounds affect all of your body's processes, including metabolism, reproduction, and growth.
During a woman's lifetime, there are times when hormones fluctuate greatly, such as puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. Hormones also fluctuate depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle.
But when you have a hormonal imbalance, the systems that your hormones regulate can get messed up.
At the Center for Women's Health in Wichita, Kansas, our experienced and compassionate providers can determine if you have a hormone imbalance and offer effective ways to get back in balance. Here, we share eight common symptoms of hormone imbalance.
You may find yourself eating more because of anxiety or moodiness. Or the hormone that regulates appetite is off-kilter, leaving you hungrier and eating more. Either way, the result is unwelcome weight gain.
Unfortunately, for many women, hormone imbalance comes with thinning hair on your head and excessive hair growth in unwanted places such as your face and body. Thyroid abnormalities can lead to thin, brittle hair, and excessive androgen levels can lead to unwanted hair growth.
Night sweats are when you wake in the middle of the night soaked in sweat. If your room is too hot or you're wearing heavy pajamas, you can easily remedy the problem. But night sweats are a common symptom of menopause and the hormone fluctuations that accompany this life stage.
Some women find themselves more anxious or irritable just before they menstruate. That's because of the hormone fluctuation that precipitates your period. If you have a hormone imbalance, you may experience that anxiousness or moodiness for more extended periods.
While researchers are unsure why women experience memory issues or fogginess, there are several theories.
The sleep problems and anxiety that can come with hormone imbalances contribute to brain fog. The hormone estrogen is considered to be neuroprotective. Declining levels of this hormone may be the culprit behind lack of focus and memory issues.
Your moodiness may be due to sleep problems if you're finding it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Hormones are part of a healthy sleep cycle. If your levels are off, it can affect your sleep. Night sweats also can make a good night's sleep challenging.
You should get your period every 21-35 days. If your period is late, early, or skips a month or two, you may have a hormone imbalance.
If you're in your 40s or early 50s, your irregular periods and hormone imbalance may be because of perimenopause, the transition phase to menopause.
You may not be interested in sex because of all the symptoms listed above. Or it could be a low level of testosterone, which is a hormone that puts you in the mood.
At the Center for Women's Health, we can diagnose and treat your hormone imbalance with BioTE® hormone pellet therapy, a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that's safe and effective.
To learn more about hormone imbalance treatment and putting an end to unpleasant symptoms, call us at the Center for Women's Health to make an appointment, or request one through our online system.
We offer telehealth appointments, too. Please call our clinic to determine if your visit is eligible for a telemedicine appointment.
