General Illness Information
Medical Term: Hormonal Imbalance
Common Name: Hormonal disorders, Endocrine Disorders
Description: Hormonal imbalance is a violation of the functioning of one or several organs producing hormones, the consequence of which is the insufficient or excessive content of these hormones in the blood.
Causes:
There are several reasons why hormone imbalance may occur:
- bad ecological situation;
- stress, overwork;
- violation of diet and sleep;
- genetic predisposition;
- early or late onset of sexual activity (in women);
- taking hormonal drugs;
- bad habits (smoking, alcohol);
- weight gain or loss, etc.
Signs & Symptoms:
Symptoms of hormonal disorders are numerous and varied. These include:
- Weight change, not related to changes in lifestyle;
- Deterioration of the state of epithelial tissue: fragility of nails, dryness and flaking of the skin;
- Itching in the lower leg;
- Hair loss, early gray hair;
- Fatigue, lethargy, decreased muscle tone;
- Sleep disturbances;
- Weakened immunity;
- Decrease or a sharp increase in libido;
- Impaired reproductive function;
- Feeling of heat or increased chilliness;
- Frequent mood changes, causeless tearfulness, depression or aggression.
Unfortunately, none of these symptoms or even their combination do not form a specific picture of the disease. These signs of a hormonal disorder can equally well indicate many other problems. Fatigue, mood swings and depressive mood are so widespread that they are not even included in the signs of any violations.
In addition, most of these common symptoms are often contradictory, and their interpretations can be directly opposite to each other. For example, hyperthyroidism can provoke a sudden weight loss. In turn, a serious loss of fat mass with weight loss causes a deficiency of female sex hormones – estrogens. Moreover, thyroid hyperfunction increases the conversion of androgens into estrogens, which changes their ratio in favor of the latter. And a decrease in the level of estrogen is usually associated with an increase in the percentage of fat tissue (as occurs in menopause).
There are more specific signs that indicate the presence of a hormonal imbalance:
- Intense hair growth in areas where this was not previously observed (upper lip, posterior surface of neck, forearm and lower leg, chest);
- Sharp growth of the trunk or extremities or a marked increase in growth in adulthood;
- Changed or enlarged facial features, eyesight loss, the appearance of “goiter”;
- The appearance of feminine traits (gynecomastia, increase in the tone of voice) in men or masculine (hair, low voice) – in women.
Signs of hormonal imbalance for men and women can be very different. And it’s not just a different amount of different hormones. The body of a woman in the hormonal plan is much more complicated than a man’s. Therefore, hormonal disorders are often considered exclusively “women’s problems” – although this is completely wrong.
Diagnosis & Treatment:
For the diagnosis and treatment of hormonal imbalance, it is necessary to make a general blood test and a blood test for hormones. After it, treatment is prescribed. It aims at eliminating the causes that led to hormonal imbalance and drug therapy. In addition, the endocrinologist usually prescribes ultrasound, as well as tests for infection, to eliminate this cause.
Additional methods can be treatment of infections, compliance with a certain diet or use of vitamin complexes, in rare cases – surgery.
For the prevention and treatment of various hormonal disorders, mastodinone, restoring the menstrual cycle, climadinone that alleviates the symptoms of menopause, cyclodinone, regulating the menstrual cycle, drugs are used.
Preventive examinations at least twice a year will help prevent possible hormonal imbalance and the problems associated with it.
Possible Complications:
Hormonal disorders can be easily eliminated if treated in time. Otherwise, the consequences of prolonged hormonal imbalance are much more serious and can lead to serious complications, such as:
- Infertility, miscarriages;
- Uterine fibroids, polycystic ovaries;
- Fibro-cystic formations in the mammary glands;
- Asthma;
- Diabetes mellitus;
- Atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke;
- Malignant formations.
Prevention:
To prevent hormonal imbalance in the body, you must regularly take tests and make a medical examination. Also, try to exclude those factors that can lead to hormonal disorders.
Diet:
It is necessary to add vitamins, especially A and E, to everyday food. Also, diversify the habitual diet with products that are considered natural sources of hormones:
- Foods rich in fiber;
- Fish and meat;
- Greenery and leafy vegetables;
- Beans;
- Melon, red grapes, forest berries;
- Olive oil;
- Nuts;
- Herbal teas;
- Cereals, especially sprouted wheat;
- Eggs
Other:
Not specified.
Posted by RxMed