Symptoms of hormonal imbalances that affect your metabolism include: Slow heartbeat or rapid heartbeat (tachycardia). Unexplained weight gain or weight loss. Fatigue.
A blood test is one of the most common ways to test hormone levels. This test can detect testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and thyroid levels. You should order a test that's specific to your gender, as a women's hormone test will look for different levels of sex hormones than a men's test.
The five most important hormonal imbalances are diabetes, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, polycystic ovary syndrome, and hypogonadism.
Many people first get their hormones tested by their primary care doctor or gynecologist. Others prefer to go straight to a lab facility. While both of these methods can garner accurate results, we recommend getting your hormones tested by a hormone health specialist.
Medical conditions that can cause hormone imbalances in women include ovarian cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), early menopause, hormone replacement or birth control medications, and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI).
As estrogen levels drastically change in perimenopause, high levels can cause bloating, breast tenderness, and heavy bleeding. Once these levels become more consistently low, that can cause hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, changes in fat distribution (new or growing “spare tire”), insomnia, and fatigue.
Mood swings: Estrogen dominance can cause a range of mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Decreased sex drive: As the levels of estrogen hormone rises, one may notice a dip in their sexual drive. Severe headaches or migraines: Headaches during the menstrual cycles are normal and everyone experiences it.
Some of the vitamins linked to better estrogen balance include vitamin D, the B complex, and vitamin C. Minerals such as calcium and boron may help protect against the effects of low estrogen, while some herbal supplements, including dong quai and black cohosh, are also known for their hormone-balancing effects.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
Hormones are chemical messengers that move through the body and coordinate a range of complex processes. As they are involved in almost every function of the body, a hormone imbalance can make you feel bloated, tired, stressed and depressed.
Sometimes, excess fat around the belly is due to hormones. Hormones help regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, stress, hunger, and sex drive. If a person has a deficiency in certain hormones, it may result in weight gain around the abdomen, which is known as a hormonal belly.
There are many ways in which your gynecologist can help get your hormones back on track. There are medications, lifestyle adjustments and alternative therapies that can all aid in improving your imbalance. The most common medication prescribed for treating a hormonal imbalance is a synthetic or bioidentical hormone.
The only way to confirm a hormone imbalance is to test your hormone levels. Both blood tests and saliva tests are proven techniques in assessing a hormone imbalance. i-screen uses blood tests to accurately determine sex hormone and thyroid hormone levels, but prefers saliva testing to assess cortisol levels.
Usually testing of all hormones is done in the luteal phase, day 19, 20 or 21. That is the right time to test estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. The other timed test is an FSH (follicle stimulating hormone).
Some studies have noted a link between B12 deficiency and abnormal estrogen levels that may interfere with the implantation of the fertilized egg. Dr. Michael Bennett describes a connection linking B12 deficiency with not only a failure to get pregnant but also a failure to successfully carry a baby full-term.