Hormonal Imbalance in Women and How to Fix It

Hormonal Imbalance in Women
Hormonal Imbalance (Source: stylecraze.com)

How often do you feel irritated, bloated or not able to be at your best? Hormonal imbalance could be the reason. Though hormonal imbalance in women occurs naturally including puberty, menopause, perimenopause, it may also be caused due to an unbalanced diet or toxins absorbed by your body.

Before moving ahead, let’s first understand:

Importance of Hormonal Balance

The hormone is a chemical substance produced in an endocrine gland and transported in the blood to a certain tissue, on which it exerts a specific effect. Our organs and glands such as thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, pancreas modulate most of our hormone production. Even the slightest of imbalance can cause major health issues. Hormonal balance is crucial to get a healthy body and mind but can be disturbed in many ways.

Puberty, unbalanced diet, pregnancy stress, contraceptive pills and menopause are the predominant factors of hormonal imbalance in women.

Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance in Women

  • Irregular Periods
  • Sleep Disorder
  • Digestive Problems
  • Constant Hunger
  • Mood Swings & Anxiety
  • Headaches & Migraines
  • Breast Changes
  • Persistent Weight Gain
  • Vaginal Dryness
  • Low Libido

Causes of Hormonal Imbalance in Women:

There are several causes of hormonal imbalance in women. Some of them include:

 1) Stress

Hormonal Imbalance in Women
Stress (Source: topcount.co)

Stress is one of the major causes of hormonal imbalance in women. Cortisol, the stress hormone which leads to the depletion of progesterone, is produced by our adrenal glands when we are under stress. High cortisol affects the master controllers of hormones, the pituitary gland, and hypothalamus.

Solution:

  • Saliva Adrenal Test will help you address the stress levels.
  • Meditate and exercise to relieve stress. It will help boost the happy/positive chemicals in the brain thereby reducing the stress levels and circulating blood to support the body’s natural detoxification process.
  • Create and follow a healthy routine.
  • Most importantly, stay miles away from stress or stress-causing factors.

2) Digestion

The major function of the digestive system is to break down food into energy and nutrients that can be absorbed by the body.

When our digestive system is out of balance, our body gets starved because of poor nutrient elicitation. Slow digestion, gas, bloating, eating unhealthy food, eating too much, not having a balanced diet are some common causes of hormonal imbalance in women.

Solution:

  • Eating healthy food can help prevent digestive problems. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.
  • Eating smaller meals throughout the day is much better than flooding yourself with heavy meals at one go.
  • Stay hydrated but avoid gulping caffeinated or soda drinks that are packed with a high quantity of sugar.
  • Practice healthy hygiene for better digestion.
  • Eliminate toxic kitchen products.

3) Perimenopause and Menopause

Hormonal Imbalance in Women
Menopause (Source: vitalextracts.com)

Hormonal imbalance in women is a common cause during perimenopause. During perimenopause, one may skip her period for a month or two. Periods may come some days earlier than usual or later and the flow or the bleeding could be lighter or heavier than usual. The duration of the period may be short or it could go on for months.

Menopause is the period in a woman’s life (typically between the ages of 45 and 50) when menstruation ceases. Hormonal imbalance in women is caused by decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone. The production of mood-regulating chemicals, including serotonin and endorphin, is also affected by menopause.

Solution:

  • Build a relationship with your body and try to understand what it says during the cycle month. There is a possibility of having certain times of the month when your symptoms may not be cognate/connected to cyclic days. There could be other conditions related to the changes you’re experiencing, so be aware and discuss the problems with your doctor.
  • You may experience vaginal dryness as estrogen levels decrease. Foods rich in soy contain lots of substances that mimic the effect of estrogen and could help with dryness.

4) Sleep Disorders

Hormonal Imbalance in Women
Sleep Disorder (Source: tmfhc.org)

Lack of sleep may cause physical stress resulting in the increase in the levels of cortisol which directly cause many hormonal imbalances. High level of cortisol at night and too low in the morning can make you feel completely exhausted.

Solution:

  • It is important to set a bedtime routine so that it helps the body.
  • Make sure to sleep for at least 7 hours but not more than 9 hours.
  • Take a warm shower/bath before bedtime.
  • Relax your body when you’re trying to sleep.

5) Diabetes

Hormonal Imbalance in Women
Diabetes (Source: lalpathlabs.com)

The sugar level in the blood can also affect mood and energy. It disrupts the insulin level which in turn is related to all other hormones produced in our body, including estrogen. Insulin helps our body turn blood sugar (glucose) into energy and supports our system to store the excess of blood glucose in the liver and fat cells so that it can be used later.

If the pancreas fails to produce the required insulin, it leads to the building of excess blood sugar in the bloodstream. Over time, cells develop insulin resistance which ultimately leads to pre-diabetes or diabetes. This excess of sugar in the bloodstream can also be one of the causes of hormonal imbalance in women.

Solution:

  • Maintain a balanced diet.
  • Choose foods that are lower in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and salt.
  • Exercise daily for at least one hour.
  • Drink water instead of soda or juices which have a lot of sugar in it.

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