Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance in Women

Hormones play a huge role in your overall health. They send messages throughout your body to multiple systems, giving them signals on what to do and when. They help control things like body temperature, metabolism, and heart rate.

When your hormones are thrown out of balance for any reason, your body will try to alert you to the problem in what can sometimes be surprising ways. Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women can include:

Fatigue

One of the first ways women notice that something isn’t right is a feeling of general tiredness, even after sleeping well the night before. You may lack your normal amount of energy, feel foggy headed, or just feel throughout the day like you need a nap.

Weight Gain

Sudden, unexplained weight gain is another sign of a hormonal imbalance. If you haven’t changed your diet, yet the number on the scale is creeping upwards, it may be a sign of an underlying hormonal issue.

Infertility

One of the most frustrating effects of having a hormonal imbalance is infertility. It may take months or even years to become pregnant, and with ongoing imbalances, miscarriage is more likely.

Muscle Weakness

Along with feeling fatigued, you may experience muscle weakness. This can make it more difficult to lift heavy objects, or perform your usual tasks, and may cause you to tire more quickly during your normal daily routine.

Decreased Libido

Many women with hormonal imbalances report a serious decline in their sex drive. This can be due to either too little estrogen production or too much testosterone. If you’ve noticed a negative change in your libido, you may have a hormonal imbalance.

Hair Loss

If you’ve been feeling like your hair seems to be considerably thinner lately, you’re not crazy- hormonal imbalances can cause hair loss, often due to an overabundance of testosterone in your body.

Hot Flashes

Most people know that hot flashes are associated with menopause, but did you know that they can happen to younger women as well? If your hormones are out of balance, your body can’t regulate its internal thermostat as well. This leads to excess sweating, feeling chilled in a warm room, or experiencing hot flashes- even for young women in their early teens.

Headaches and Migraines

Because estrogen plays a part in pain management within your body, having an imbalance of it can lead to frequent headaches or even migraines.

Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women are often easy to spot but can be tricky to manage effectively. Many women suffering from hormonal imbalances only focus on easing the symptoms rather than treating and correcting the root cause; but without balancing the hormones, the symptoms aren’t going to go away.

If you or someone you love is experiencing symptoms of hormonal imbalance, visit our Women’s Health Program to learn more about treating, and solving, hormonal imbalance today.