Hormones are the chemical messengers that allow your body to function in harmony. If the level of hormones gets too high or too low, this harmony gets thrown off resulting in a myriad of symptoms. The symptoms vary and are often subtle and transient. It is important however to recognize those persistent ones that are indicative of hormonal imbalances that will lead to changes in your health and wellbeing.

During  reproductive years, women’s hormones naturally shift up and down every month. These shifts are particularly noticeable around puberty, periods, pregnancy, and menopause.  In men’s body hormone levels are more stable, yet occasional flux may occur as well. But when the signs of hormonal imbalance persist, it could be a signal of true problem.  The symptoms that stem from hormonal problems are often subtle or appear so gradually; they can be hard to identify. Here are the key signs that your hormones are acting up:

Low Sex Drive

– Declining hormone levels may cause you lose interest in sex. It can also cause vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse in women, or decreased interest or difficulty achieving erections in men. It doesn’t mean you are losing interest in your partner, it may simply mean you need help getting your hormones back to balance.

Feeling Tired All the Time

-Abnormal cortisol or thyroid, declining estrogen and testosterone can all make you feel tired. You may notice sweets or salty food cravings, or depend on coffee to keep you going.

Sleep Disturbances

–Difficulty to fall asleep or stay asleep, waking up around 3 am, or feeling “tired but wired” is likely caused by hormonal imbalances. It can happen in response to prolonged stress, or be a sign of perimenopause, menopause, or andropause.

Weight Gain

– Couple of pounds up or down can easily shift due to brownies you indulged in on your vacation, but steady weight gain without a cause can be due to hormones. The telltale sign can be that you cannot shed those extra pounds no matter what you try.

Brain Fog

– If you notice difficulty concentrating, can’t recall that word that is right on the tip of your tongue, or have a hard time learning new information, that could be it. It is commonly due to declining estrogen in women and testosterone in men, but it can also happen with adrenal or thyroid imbalance. Menopause or andropause are classic for doing that to you.

Irritability and Mood Swings

– PMS is notorious for brining out the dark side of you. If it is really prominent, it can be due to hormonal imbalance even in younger years. If it happens more frequently and is unrelated to your cycle, or happens in men, there can be other reasons for hormonal imbalance. Menopause and andropause are notorious for making you irritable, anxious, angry or sad, but other hormones can cause that as well.

Night Sweats and Hot Flushes

– These are classic symptoms of menopause and are usually due to declining estrogen. Not every woman will experience it, but most do. These are very obvious signs of hormonal imbalance.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS?

If so, make an appointment with us to see what is happening to you and why. Many people find relief through proper nutrition or lifestyle modification and hormone optimization or bioidentical replacement therapy when needed.