Hormonal imbalances are a fact of life for women. Sex drive, moods, energy levels and ability to think clearly are all affected by the inevitable cycles of hormone imbalances.
Many of these occur as a result of the reproductive cycle, an incredible process that requires huge physiological changes, month in and month out. These profound changes require powerful hormones to implement them, which is why their side effects are experienced body-wide.
Hormonal fluctuations and deficiencies can also result from conditions not primarily related to reproduction cycles, such as hypothyroidism. When the thyroid gland in functioning correctly, the effects can be damaging to health, even deadly. This condition affects far more women than men, and is under-diagnosed.
A lifestyle full of stress or lack of rest and sleep can have a negative effect on hormone production. Poor diet can also be a contributing factor. These negative lifestyle habits can have big impacts on stress hormones and thyroid hormones, and can also affect the major sex hormones.
Understanding the causes of hormone imbalances can help you make changes to ultimately control the imbalances rather than letting hormones control your life.
Blood Tests Help Determine Any Imbalance
To ensure the physical and mental changes you are experiencing are due to hormonal changes – and not some other hidden problem – it would be wise to get some blood tests done to outline your hormone profile. This will also determine what hormones are causing the problem and the severity.
Some conditions, severe hyperthyroidism for example, may require supplementation for the rest of the patient’s life to achieve reasonable bodily function.
Whether or not pharmaceutical intervention is needed, there are things a woman can do to mitigate the effects of her hormonal imbalances, rather than feeling victim to them.
Hormonal Effects on Mood
When you realize your mood swing is due to a hormone imbalance, you’ll want to try and lift your mood by indulging in activities such as exercise, or getting more rest or doing something that you enjoy.
Exercise will improve the blood circulation, increase your feelings of well-being and lighten your mood. Supplements are sometimes recommended to help boost the types of hormones you may be having problems with.
Estrogen Production
It’s a fact that fat cells produce estrogen – so the more fat on the body means even more estrogen during the perimenopausal years when estrogen production may already be high due to decreased progesterone output. Also, high estrogen levels encourage fat storage, this is a compounding problem.
Xenoestrogens – A Hormone Disruptor
Puberty, menopause and perimenopause aside, a woman’s sex hormone balance may be disrupted by lifestyle and toxins within the body. Man-made toxins called xenoestrogens are particularly harmful to keeping the delicate balancing act of hormones working properly.
Xenoestrogens disguise themselves as hormones and tend to overstimulate the mechanisms of a woman’s hormone-producing cells, in part by mimicking estrogen. Breast cancer and other problems associated with too much estrogen become a greater risk when xenoestrogens are involved.
So much of what we are exposed to on a daily basis contains the harmful substances which can impact hormone ratios. Xenoestrogens are found in fungicides, industrial pollutants, fingernail polish and other nail products, pesticides, plastics and many household cleaners.
You can avoid xenoestrogens which may be associated with cancer and other diseases by avoiding any produce where pesticides have been used, purchasing dairy, meat and wild-fish that are hormone-free and by avoiding plastic containers for storing foods.
Menopause and Perimenopause Can Cause Hormone Imbalances
Although some lifestyle changes will reduce the severity of hormonal imbalance, some may be unavoidable – such as going through menopause and perimenopause. As the reproductive functions slow or come to a halt, hormonal imbalances usually occur as a fact of life.
But, you can still develop healthy lifestyle habits which can soften the onset of hormonal imbalance symptoms and slow the pace of aging prematurely because of hormonal decline.
