Do I Have a Hormone Imbalance?

When you’re healthy, your body produces specific amounts of hormones to regulate your internal systems and functioning. Too much or too little of any of these chemicals can lead to a hormone imbalance, which can cause several serious conditions. 

Women with hormonal imbalances and other hormone-related ailments can find help from Dr. Staci McHale and New Beginnings, OB-GYN, the 2021 Gold Best Women's Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada. We treat women of all ages with individualized, compassionate care for a wide variety of conditions.

To understand whether you may have a hormone imbalance, let’s learn about the types of hormones in your body, the causes of hormonal problems, and what symptoms to look out for. 

What are hormones?

Hormones are chemicals that travel through your bloodstream to maintain functions throughout your body. You have many different types of hormones that all play an active role in your health, helping with everything from undergoing puberty to regulating your metabolism.

Different hormones come from different parts of your endocrine system, which consists of organs like the thyroid, adrenal gland, pancreas, and ovaries.

Many hormones are produced from glands around or near the brain, such as the hypothalamus, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, and pineal glands. These glands produce many hormones that often regulate your overall mood, metabolism, and behavior, including: 

• Melatonin
• Dopamine
• Oxytocin
• Thyroxine

Organs in your abdomen, like your liver, stomach, pancreas, adrenal gland, and kidneys, produce hormones that generally regulate digestive and metabolic functions, including: 

• Cortisol
• Adrenaline
• Insulin
• Glucagon
• Ghrelin

Your ovaries and uterus create hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, prolactin, and relaxin which mostly regulate your menstrual and reproductive health. 

Causes of hormone imbalance

Many factors can cause a hormone imbalance, including medications, stress, injury, tumors, and cancer treatments. Endocrine conditions such as diabetes, overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), Cushing syndrome, and Addison’s disease can also cause imbalances in your hormones. 

Women can experience imbalances resulting from menopause, primary ovarian insufficiency (premature menopause), pregnancy, breastfeeding, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and hormone medications such as birth control pills. If you have a hormone imbalance, it can usually be managed by hormone replacement therapy. 

Symptoms of hormone imbalance

There’s a range of symptoms that could indicate a hormonal imbalance. These symptoms aren’t unique to hormonal issues and can overlap with many other conditions, so it’s important to speak to our team to understand the root cause.

Hormone imbalances can cause people to experience symptoms such as:

• Weight gain or sudden weight loss
• Fatigue and muscle weakness
• Tenderness, stiffness, or swelling in your joints
• Cold or heat sensitivity
• Constipation
• Frequent bowel movements
• Increased thirst or hunger

Women may also experience irregular periods, excessive hair (hirsutism), hair loss, vaginal dryness or atrophy, night sweats, and headaches.

There are many reasons for hormonal imbalances and they can each come with different symptoms. If you think you’re dealing with signs of a hormonal problem, make an appointment with Dr. McHale and New Beginnings OB-GYN today for diagnosis and treatment.