hormonal imbalances occur when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream. because of their essential role in the body, even small hormonal imbalances can cause side effects throughout the body.
hormones are chemicals that are produced by glands in the endocrine system. hormones travel through the bloodstream to the tissues and organs, delivering messages that tell the organs what to do and when to do it.
men and women alike can be affected by imbalances in insulin, steroids, growth hormones, and adrenaline.
women may also experience imbalances in estrogen and progesterone levels, while men are more likely to experience imbalances in testosterone levels.
everyone will experience natural periods of hormonal imbalance or fluctuations at particular points in their life.
but hormonal imbalances can also occur when the endocrine glands are not functioning properly.
several medical conditions are known to impact some, or several, of the endocrine glands. certain lifestyle habits and environmental factors may also play a role in hormonal imbalances.
hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. produced in the endocrine glands, these powerful chemicals travel around your bloodstream telling tissues and organs what to do. they help control many of your body’s major processes, including metabolism and reproduction.when you have a hormonal imbalance, you have too much or too little of a certain hormone. even tiny changes can have serious effects throughout your whole body.think of hormones like a cake recipe. too much or too little of any one ingredient affects the final product. while some hormone levels fluctuate throughout your lifetime and may just be the result of natural aging, other changes occur when your endocrine glands get the recipe wrong. your hormones play an integral role in your overall health. because of that, there’s a broad range of symptoms that could signal a hormonal imbalance. your symptoms will depend on which hormones or glands aren’t working properly.
in women, the most commontrusted source hormonal imbalance is
polycystic ovary syndrome (
pcos). your normal hormonal cycle also changes naturally during:
-puberty
-pregnancy
-breastfeeding
-menopause
testosterone plays an important role in male development. if you aren’t producing enough testosterone, it can cause a variety of symptoms. in the adult male, symptoms include:
-development of breast tissue
-breast tenderness
-erectile dysfunction
-loss of muscle mass
-decreased sex drive
-infertility
-decrease in beard and body hair growth
-osteoporosis, the loss of bone mass
-difficulty concentrating
-hot flashes