Hey there, viewers!
Have you ever wondered whether or not the health problems you’re struggling with are
due to hormonal imbalance?
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands, and travel within the
body via bloodstream.
To put it simply, hormones tell the tissues and organs what to do.
But due to various reasons, your body may find itself struggling with a hormonal imbalance.
There may be too few hormones, or too many.
In today’s video, we will be discussing the symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women.
Can weight gain be due to hormonal fluctuations?
What about skin darkening and skin tags?
Is night sweating a symptom too?
We will talk about all of this and more...
Skin darkening
So you recently noticed skin darkening out of nowhere...
You take good care of your skin, yet somehow have pigmentation.
There are chances your hormones are causing this, or rather a lack of balance.
Skin darkening, also known as pigmentation, occurs in women due to hormonal imbalance.
In fact, it is called hormonal pigmentation.
Also known as hyperpigmentation, it causes a change in skin color that is noticed in
the form of different patches.
These patches are brown in color and can be easily spotted.
They mostly appear on a woman’s face.
Hormonal pigmentation can be brought on by an imbalance.
This is due to changes in levels of melanocyte-stimulating hormones, increase in the estrogen levels,
or hormonal change caused by pregnancy.
Prolonged intake of birth control pills can also increase the estrogen levels causing
brown patches on the skin.
Skin tags
Have you suddenly developed skin tags?
Are you unsure why?
It could be your hormonal imbalance!
Skin tags, also known as acrochordons, are nothing but the soft extra skin growth hanging
outwards.
Skin tags appear on any part of the body, mostly occurring in folds or creases of the
skin, or places where the skin constantly gets rubbed – like armpits.
Hormonal imbalance during pregnancy can be the reason behind skin tags.
Also, low levels of estrogen due to menopause can cause the skin to become thin and lose
its elasticity.
This change in skin, along with fluctuations in hormonal levels can create skin tags.
Even Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is also caused by hormonal imbalance, can
be a factor.
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3.
Hirsutism or excessive body hair
It is natural to have body hair.
But if you notice excessive growth without explanation, chances are your hormones are
acting up.
Hirsutism is characterized by thick, dark and coarse hair growth that appears on female
body parts where hair isn’t common.
These body parts include the face, chest, back inner thighs and lower abdomen.
Hormonal imbalance is the main reason behind this.
However, there are various reasons behind hormonal imbalance.
Women with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an imbalance in sex hormones.
This can cause excess hair growth, irregular periods and obesity.
If your body has been exposed to a high level of cortisol, it could lead to a condition
called Cushing syndrome.
This also results in hirsutism.
Another reason for excessive hair growth is the abnormal production of steroid hormones-
cortisol and caused by the inherited condition Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
Androgen-secreting tumors, and medications like minoxidil also lead to excessive hair
growth.
When androgen levels increase, other symptoms of hirsutism also appear.
This includes deepening of the voice, acne, increase in muscle mass and balding.
If you notice excessive hair growth on your face or body, it might be a symptom of an
underlying hormonal problem.
Visiting an endocrinologist or a dermatologist might solve this.
4.
Acne on the face, back and chest
If you’ve been noticing sudden acne breakouts, it could be due to hormonal imbalance.
This is known as hormonal acne.
Typically testosterone causes hormonal acne.
As androgen levels rise, they increase the production of sebum, which can lead to bacterial
colonization in hair follicles.
This occurs on the face, chest, neck and back.
Inflammation can also be a result.
Sebum is a type of oil the body naturally produces to save the skin from drying.
However, excessive androgens stimulate sebum production beyond the amount needed to maintain
healthy skin.
This increased sebum, along with dead skin cells, gets clogged in the pores of your skin.
Further logging leads to acne at the base or root of the hair.
Different types of lesions with varied sizes and severity can occur when skin surface bacteria
react with these clogs.
When the clogged pores become inflamed, they may progress to become papules, pustules,
nodules or cyst.
Large and inflamed nodules or cysts can be painful and leave a scar.
So that’s how you get acne due to hormonal imbalances.
Before we move ahead, here’s a video you’ll like.
Curious whether or not you have a phosphorous deficiency?
Watch this video and find out.
5.
Hair loss or hair thinning
Excessive hair growth can be due to hormonal imbalances and even hair loss and thinning.
Depending upon what caused the hormonal imbalance, you can see either loss or excessive growth.
Hormones are chemical messengers that provide communication between cells located in different
parts of the body.
If there’s an imbalance, the body will get the wrong message and its functioning will
be affected.
So it’s no surprise that hormonal imbalance can cause hair loss in women.
Some of the hormones that can cause this are estrogen, testosterone, insulin, and thyroid.
Estrogen is the hormone that makes your hair growth phase last longer.
But excessive estrogen levels can cause thinning.
Its levels can increase or decrease due to excessive weight gain, perimenopause, and
pregnancy.
Testosterone is mainly a male hormone, but females also produce it in small quantities.
When testosterone gets converted to DHT, it suppresses hair growth on the scalp.
Though this effect is controlled by estrogen in females, estrogen levels may decrease leading
to hair thinning.
Another reason behind hair thinning and loss is fluctuating thyroid and insulin levels.
6.
Weight gain
Are you following a healthier diet and exercising regularly?
Then why hasn’t your weight gain stopped.
You might need to look into your hormone levels.
An imbalance in hormonal levels can cause unintentional weight gain in women.
Hormones that affect weight in women are estrogen, cortisol, the stress hormone, thyroid, and
aldosterone.
One form of estrogen, known as estradiol, regulates metabolism and body weight.
After menopause, estrogen production in a woman’s body decreases.
Due to these decreased levels of estrogen, metabolism is affected, and women gain fat
around their abdomen.
Another reason could be stress.
When facing stress, the body increases the production of the stress hormone cortisol.
Cortisol is responsible for many bodily functions like regulation of blood sugar, inflammation,
and metabolism.
Cortisol is created in the body to fight stress, but long term exposure to cortisol may cause
weight gain, especially in the abdomen.
Another hormone that regulates metabolism in humans is the thyroid.
An imbalance in the production of the thyroid hormone directly affects weight gain.
7.
Heavy or irregular periods
Regular periods are a sign of a healthy working body.
Unless you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, postmenopausal, or under medication or medical condition that
causes your periods to stop, you should have a regular menstrual cycle.
If your menstrual cycle length is shorter or longer than average time, you could be
having irregular periods.
That is, if your next period is less than 24 days, or more than 38 days, you are having
irregular periods.
Irregular periods are common during the first few years of starting menstruation.
The last few years of menstruation known as perimenopause.
If you’re bleeding heavily and it becomes painfully difficult to carry out your daily
work, you may be having heavy periods.
There are various underlying hormones that can cause heavy or irregular periods.
Depending on the type of hormonal imbalance, there are medications and lifestyle changes
a doctor can recommend to control this imbalance.
8.
Night sweats
Do you wake up in the night with excessive sweating?
Night sweats can be caused by hormonal imbalance.
Previously, it was assumed that night sweats were due to a decreased level of the estrogen
hormone.
However, it is now believed that an increased level of estrogen accompanied by a decreased
level of progesterone may be the reason.
A few other hormonal imbalances may also be playing their part.
Stress, lack of exercise and diet can also affect night sweats.
With a proper healthy diet, a reduction in stress and proper medication to control hormonal
imbalance, you can get rid of night sweats.
9.
Infertility
Though there are several factors responsible for infertility, PCOS is one of the leading
causes.
This endocrine condition interferes with ovulation.
PCOS causes multiple ovarian cysts that do not release eggs.
To overcome infertility caused by PCOS, you need proper treatment from a doctor.
If obesity is a factor behind PCOS, addressing it WILL help.
Have you experienced any of these symptoms?
Do you think you might be suffering from hormonal imbalance?
Let us know in the comments below.
We’d love to hear from you!