
Most women with hormonal imbalance have no idea that
many of their symptoms are linked directly to their hormones — even when they have
symptoms like these:
- Irregular or absent periods: Increasing irregularities
in your period signal a disruption in the hormonal activity that controls menstruation.
Often, the cause is an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone due to the strong
effects of the stress hormone, cortisol.
- Weight gain: Changes to your weight or body shape
are caused by shifting hormones, particularly in menopause, that tell your body
to store fat in the abdomen. This can occur even if you've never had a weight problem
before. High stress
and poor sleep increase belly fat that can be difficult to lose.
- Irritability and/or moodiness: Feeling out of control
or overwhelmed can be caused by sudden changes in the balance of estrogen, testosterone
and progesterone or from adrenal stress imbalances.
- Skin issues: Adult acne is associated with polycystic
ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal condition that also causes irregular or absent
menstrual periods due to ovulation irregularities.
- Hair
loss/unusual hair growth: Imbalances in thyroid function or between estrogen
and testosterone can cause thinning hair, and high levels of testosterone (such
as in PCOS) can lead to unusual hair growth, including on the face.
- Infertility: Women with PCOS often have high amounts
of androgens (including testosterone) as well as insulin resistance. Both contribute
to increased estrogen, along with lack of ovulation and infertility.
- Fatigue/loss of energy: Fatigue can occur even when
you get plenty of sleep, leaving you feeling physically and emotionally drained.
Thyroid imbalances and chronic stress are the most likely contributors to this debilitating
symptom.
Women with these and similar symptoms may not even consider hormonal imbalance as
a cause. Hormonal imbalance symptoms have a wide range that includes more common
symptoms like weight gain and fatigue, but also lesser known problems like hair
loss, skin issues and heart palpitations.
You can only live with your hormonal imbalance symptoms for so long before the problem
begins to jeopardize your health and wellbeing.
Understanding the hormonal source of your symptoms, and the confusing array
of problems it can generate, can show you the path to feeling better.
When your body’s hormones are balanced, your symptoms will recede and you will enjoy
much better health, and a lot more happiness.

You can stop hormonal imbalance from getting worse
At every age, your hormones are fluctuating on a daily basis, in mostly predictable
patterns. But sometimes your hormones fluctuate more dramatically: puberty, pregnancy
and perimenopause. When the changes become too extreme, or if your hormones can’t
return to natural balance, you'll experience problems.
You may first sense that something is "off" or "not quite right" in your body. As
the hormonal imbalance intensifies, you can experience physical and emotional symptoms
that could become severe. As an imbalance worsens, symptoms can multiply, or their
severity and frequency can increase.
The longer it goes on, the harder it can be to get back to a state of hormonal equilibrium.
So it pays to take action sooner than later.
It’s good to listen to your symptoms
It can be a “eureka” moment when you first notice symptoms because they’re sending
a clear message that your body is trying to juggle too many demands without getting
enough support.
Even if PMS isn’t a problem and you’re not yet in menopause, you can still experience symptom-producing
imbalances. Imbalances can occur in the ratios between estrogen, progesterone,
testosterone, and with other hormones in your neuroendocrine system.
When your body doesn’t get the necessary basics every day on a consistent basis,
it’s more likely that you'll develop one or more of the conditions related to hormonal
imbalance:
- Menstrual irregularities
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Estrogen dominance
- Blood sugar
imbalances, including insulin resistance
- Progesterone deficiency
- Androgen imbalance
For issues like these, many conventional practitioners focus only on
estrogen levels. While estrogen is important, so are progesterone and testosterone
— especially their ratios to each other. The levels of other hormones, like insulin,
cortisol and thyroid, matter too. For example, estrogen levels may appear to be
too high, but on closer examination, those can
be holding steady while instead, it’s progesterone levels that are dropping.
Answer when your body asks for help
If you know you have hormonal imbalance symptoms, you can provide the targeted support
your body needs to naturally rebalance its hormones.
Effective natural options can help resolve the root cause of all your symptoms,
not just a select few.
You can take our Hormonal Health Quiz
to find out more about your symptoms, whether or not you are near menopause. It’s
important to know that you can relieve your symptoms and feel better even if you’re
frustrated right now.
Eating right and
supplementing your nutrition, adding movement to your day and reducing the
impact of daily stressors will tell your body that the hormonal emergency is over
and that will make all the difference.
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