Hormonal imbalances can affect men and women at most stages of their life. The endocrine system functions in children just like it does in adults, and this system of nine glands can become imbalanced at any age.
If there’s one common misconception about hormonal imbalances, it’s that they can be easily self-diagnosed. Changes in weight, joint pain, muscle weakness and fatigue are symptoms of dozens or even hundreds of conditions. People shouldn’t attempt to self-diagnose or self-treat suspected hormone imbalances. They should seek out assistance from healthcare professionals who understand how to test for and treat hormone imbalances.
What Causes Hormonal Imbalances?
Nine glands compose the body’s endocrine system. They include the:
- Thyroid gland
- Pancreas
- Pituitary gland
- Thymus
- Adrenal gland
- Penial
- Parathyroid
- Ovaries (females) and testes (males)
- Hypothalamus
These nine glands produce hormones that play a role in regulating most of the body’s functions, which means there’s a lot that can go wrong.
The exact cause of an imbalance can be due to external stress factors, lifestyle, diet, injuries, cancer, infections, age or genetics. Different types of imbalances are more likely to affect people at different points in their life.
Common Hormonal Imbalances in Women
Women can experience a variety of potential hormonal imbalances, including things like:
- Thyroid hormone imbalance (Hypo and hyperthyroidism)
- Estrogen dominance
- Cortisol imbalances
- Insulin imbalances
- High testosterone
- Progesterone imbalances
Different imbalances result in drastically different symptoms. For example, if the pancreas doesn’t produce an adequate supply of insulin, your body will struggle to maintain metabolic balance. Low insulin can result in dehydration, weight loss, fatigue, dizziness and an overactive bladder. Excessive insulin can lead to tremors, heart palpitations, anxiety and dizziness.
Progesterone is a hormone that plays an important role in pregnancy and menstruation. High levels of progesterone can lead to bloating, weight fluctuations and a reduced sex drive, while low progesterone may result in irregular menstrual cycles, miscarriages, pregnancy pains and uterine bleeding.
The specific symptoms depend on the imbalance. Many symptoms are frequently associated with entirely different conditions unrelated to hormone imbalances, which is why screenings and diagnostic panels are so important.
Common Hormonal Imbalances in Men
- Andropause
- Thyroid hormone imbalances
- Adrenal fatigue
- Low testosterone
- Insulin imbalances
While there’s a lot of overlap between hormone imbalances that can affect men and women, there are some types that are more common in one gender than the other. For example, men are more likely to suffer from low testosterone. Others, like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, are more likely to affect women, but can affect men as well.
You might notice many doctors or healthcare professionals recommending non-medical interventions for some hormone imbalances. Adrenal fatigue is frequently linked to extreme stress, specifically when the adrenal glands release excess cortisol. Your lifestyle and emotional health can play a significant role in how your glands react. You might not have any underlying condition or genetic predisposition to certain hormonal imbalances – you could just be failing to get adequate sleep, relax or maintain a healthy diet.
How to Fix Hormonal Imbalances
You should strongly consider speaking with a healthcare provider with experience managing hormonal imbalances. There’s a good possibility they will recommend lifestyle changes that you can do on your own without a doctor’s assistance, but it’s still important to have your hormone imbalance diagnosed by a medical expert. Attempting to self-diagnose a hormone imbalance may result in you missing a more serious issue.
Dietary changes, like eating a balanced diet, reducing your sugar intake, consuming more healthy fats or eating more protein can encourage balanced hormones. Stress can have far-reaching effects on the body, including hormone-producing glands.
It’s very possible that you could experience a stress-induced hormone imbalance after the death of a loved one, a serious illness in the family or financial problems. Practicing self-care, getting an adequate amount of sleep and removing stressors from your lifestyle may be recommended.
Testing for Hormonal Imbalances in Georgia
One of the many wellness services our team provides are detailed thyroid panels and thyroid gland function diagnostics. If you suspect you may be experiencing a thyroid imbalance, we can check your thyroid hormones and thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels to find out for sure.
There are several invasive interventions for thyroid imbalances, but the vast majority of patients prefer attempting lifestyle changes, chiropractic care or supplementation before taking drastic steps like irreversible surgery. Our team excels at helping patients in Georgia find solutions for their thyroid imbalances.
Call us at 877-704-1761 to schedule a thyroid panel or make use of our other wellness and chiropractic services.
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