Low Estrogen, Testosterone Sex Hormones Causes Hypogonadism Symptoms
No matter your gender, you have various hormones running around in your body. And it is the sex hormones that control your sexual maturity and reproduction.
If you’re female, your primary sex hormones are estrogen and progesterone produced by the ovaries. If male, testosterone from your testes. Normally, the amount generated increases at puberty and decreases in your golden years.
Hypogonadism is the health condition that’s caused by low, or no, sex hormone production of estrogen or testosterone. This results in sexual growth and development symptoms. And it’s more prevalent in males.
The production of sex hormones is regulated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone secreted by the hypothalmus. This hormone causes the release of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in your pituitary gland, that in turn signals your ovaries or testes to produce sex hormones.
Any issue along this complex process can cause hypogonadism. If your ovaries or testes are the problem, then your health condition is referred to as primary hypogonadism.
Some of the causes for the primary low estrogen or testosterone hypogonadism are:
- hemochromatosis
- environmental toxins
- testicle injury, torsion
- liver & kidney disease
- autoimmune disorders
- undescended testicles
- developmental disorders
- infection ~ mumps orchitis
- surgery ~ complete hysterectomy
- chemotherapy, radiation cancer treatment
- early menopause ~ premature ovarian failure
- excessive alcohol, marijuana, heroin, methadone use
- genetic disorder ~ Turner syndrome (women), Klinefelter syndrome (men)
Secondary hypogonadism means your low estrogen or testosterone condition has something to do with your pituitary or hypothalamus endocrine glands. Some causes of this type of sex hormone hypogonadism include:
- obesity
- vasculitis
- HIV/AIDS
- anorexia nervosa
- spinal cord injury
- sickle cell anemia
- Hodgkin’s disease
- hyperprolactinemia
- Kallmann syndrome
- tumors ~ brain, pituitary
- extreme weight loss, anorexia
- malnutrition, nutrition deficiency
- pituitary disorders ~ hypopituitarism
- androgen deprivation therapy ~ prostate cancer treatment
- inflammatory disease ~ sarcoidosis, histiocytosis, tuberculosis
- drugs ~ opiods, spironolactone diuretic, ketoconazole antifungal, glucocorticoids
Menopause and andropause is nature intended hypogonadism.
Symptoms of low estrogen female sex hormone hypoganadism include:
- infertility
- irritability
- low libido
- hot flashes
- short height
- ammenorhea
- body hair loss
- vaginal dryness
- slow breast development
Amenorrhea can lead to osteoporosis.
In males, hypogonadism can cause:
- infertility
- weakness
- impotence
- muscle loss
- low sex drive
- growth problems
- sexual dysfunction
- breast enlargement
- delayed facial hair growth
- lack of muscle development
Low testosterone hypogonadism may cause osteoporosis as well.
Hormone replacement therapy of estrogen or testosterone treats symptoms of hypogonadism.
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