A hormonal imbalance means your body is either producing too much or not enough of a hormone or hormones. Hormones are various chemicals that regulate a majority of your physiological processes, like growth, mood, tissue function, metabolism and reproduction.
Hormones are predominantly secreted by your endocrine system that travel via your bloodstream to targeted organs and tissues. Yet, hormone production is not limited to the endocrine organs and tissue, for instance your brain releases a hormone that acts as natural painkiller.
Your body produces many different types of hormones, varying widely in their multitude of effects on your health. Here’s just a partial list of some hormones you may be familiar with:
- leptin
- insulin
- gastrin
- ghrelin
- cortisol
- prolactin
- estradiol
- estrogen
- glucagon
- androgen
- thyroxine
- dopamine
- melatonin
- serotonine
- endorphins
- epinephrine
- aldosterone
- testosterone
- progesterone
- norepinephrine
- growth hormone
- luteinizing hormone
- parathyroid hormone
- follicle stimulating hormone
Your body’s natural balancing of hormone production is an intricate system. And there a many causes for throwing it into a temporary or chronic imbalance, for instance:
- HRT
- PCOS
- stress
- tumors
- obesity
- infection
- inactivity
- pregnancy
- menopause
- birth control pill
- endocrine disorder
- electrolyte imbalance
- cancer ~ breast, ovarian, uterine, thyroid
- environment ~ light, temperature, pesticides, endocrine disruptors
When your body is in a state of hormone imbalance, you’ll likely experience some sort of symptoms. Hormone imbalance symptoms may include:
- acne
- fatigue
- anxiety
- hair loss
- infertility
- hirsutism
- headaches
- depression
- skin problems
- reduced sex drive
- fibrocystic breasts
- irregular menstruation
- endometrial hyperplasia
- weight problems ~ gain, loss
In addition, hormone imbalance symptoms may be in the form of another health condition, such as:
Hormone imbalance treatment may require surgery or replacement with synthetic hormones. And an endocrinologist is a specially trained health care professional who diagnose and treat hormonal imbalances.
