Are you Aware of the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance?
If not, it’s time to get your hormones checked to maintain a proper chemical balance in the body.
When hormones get out of whack, they can disrupt various functions of the body.
Resultingly, you might notice extreme changes in your body weight or hair growth. Fatigue and painful or irregular periods are also a few of the subtle signs your hormones are out of whack.
However, sometimes weight gain, hair loss, and fatigue might not necessarily be symptoms of hormone imbalance. There are many such enigmatic issues in the body which could be due to other reasons.
Moreover, such symptoms are possible due to underlying causes. But generally, people tend to ignore this fact and tend to suspect hormonal imbalance.
If you experience any symptoms similar to signs of hormonal imbalance, get your hormones checked. Being uncertain about your hormone levels could exacerbate other underlying causes of the symptoms.
Hence, continue reading if you’re unaware of even subtle signs your hormones are out of whack and wondering how to get your hormones checked.
11 Subtle Signs that your Hormones are Out of Whack
Hormones are a fundamental element for every function of the body. Even a little imbalance in hormones can cause serious health issues.
It is important to notice unnecessary changes in the body, which might be suspicious. Also, pay attention to discomfort or health issues which start appearing recently.
As per research reports, some of the conditions that can trigger the signs of hormonal imbalance include age, starvation, chronic disease, and exercise. These are commonly not taken into consideration for affecting the hormones.
For this reason, you must know the symptoms to judge a hormone imbalance. There can be times when you’re unsure about it. Hence, this section mentions a few subtle signs your hormones are out of whack.
#1. Extreme Hair Loss
Hair loss and stoppage in hair growth are the symptoms of hypothyroidism. The thyroid hormone is responsible for the growth of hair in the body.
If one starts noticing hair is getting coarser, it’s high time to get a hormone test. An imbalance in thyroid hormone can also cause hair reduction in the head and body.
#2. Painful and Heavy Periods
This is one of the major symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women. It is often due to disruption in estrogen and progesterone levels.
Painful, heavy, or irregular periods are quite common among females. The imbalance in fertility and growth hormones directly influences these signs of hormonal imbalance in women.
Further, if you notice this symptom for unusually long, get tested for hormone imbalance immediately.
#3. Weight Gain
An unexplained sudden weight gain indicates many conditions related to hormone imbalance. A lot of factors associated with hormone imbalance cause weight to increase.
Moreover, some major reasons for it include hypothyroidism, menopause, and PCOD. Notice any weight gain with no change in your diet and physical workout level? It is a big yet subtle sign your hormones are out of whack.
#4. Constipation
If you poop more frequently or less than normal, your thyroid hormone is imbalanced. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism mess with the poop cycle, causing prolonged constipation.
However, this is something not to be ignored at all. Most people tend not to pay attention to extreme constipation. If this persists for unnecessarily longer, you need to get tested for hormone levels.
#5. Fertility Issues
Fertility in both men and women is regulated completely by hormones. Multiple hormones make up the basis for reproductory functions in the body.
It is extremely essential to have healthy hormone levels for good fertility. From conceiving to delivering a baby, hormones play the most crucial role in the body.
LH, TSH, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are some important hormones related to fertility. Even a mild imbalance in any of these results in reduced fertility.
In fact, though a female hormone, an imbalance in estrogen levels can affect men’s health in many ways.
Additionally, many other health problems and risks associated with fertility and gestation can occur. Therefore, make sure to check your hormone levels to make sure you’re at no risk of all this.
#6. Brain Fog or Forgetfulness
Brain fog is a commonly known and popular symptom of thyroid imbalance. It does not come as vividly but can be noticed over quite some time.
Brain fog is simply a condition where you frequently tend to forget little things in daily life. this is similar to short-term memory, which is not very serious at first but can worsen.
Therefore, if there are signs that you’re frequently forgetting things, get a hormone test.
#7. Vaginal Dryness
Dryness in the vaginal area is a common sign of hormone imbalance in women. Talking from personal experience, I realized my hormones are out of whack with this symptom.
It can be directly caused due changes in estrogen levels that control the menstruation cycle.
Thus, if you suspect it could be due to hormone imbalance, take a test and be sure about it.
#8. Gum Bleeding
Progesterone is a pregnancy hormone that increases blood flow in the body. This causes water retention in many body parts.
During pregnancy, progesterone levels can get imbalanced. While brushing teeth, there can be frequent bleeding from gums since they are swollen.
Therefore, it is important to consult the doctor about gum bleeding. In some cases, if not paid attention to earlier, this condition could worsen.
#9. Extreme Mood Swings
Estrogen is a female sex hormone and is responsible for many functions of the body. This hormone influences the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter from the brain.
Serotonin is a chemical that boosts mood. Even a little imbalance in this chemical can cause extreme mood changes in a person. It can make you feel anxious or depressed.
Having uncontrolled mood swings and panic feelings are some subtle signs that your hormones are out of whack and can hamper your daily life. If this condition gets more uncomfortable, seek medical help and get your hormones checked.
#10. Dry Skin
Extreme dryness and itchiness in the skin are signs of hormonal imbalance. Either hypothyroidism or an imbalance in other androgen hormones renders the skin dry.
Producing lesser thyroid hormone reduces the metabolism of the skin too. This causes it to become dry, scaly, and itchy.
Dry skin is a common and treatable symptom of disrupted hormone levels. Pay attention to this sign and get checked for hormone levels.
#11. Yeast Infections
If you’re prone to yeast infections, you sure have imbalanced hormones. Especially the hormone insulin, which causes diabetes is the root cause of yeast infections.
This hormone causes increased blood sugar levels. Sugar accelerates the growth and infestation of fungi, eventually causing infections.
Furthermore, these infections shouldn’t be allowed to exacerbate, as they pose serious health risks.
The 11 general symptoms mentioned above indicated a definite imbalance in the hormone levels. It is necessary to pay attention to your health.
If any of these signs are seen, make sure to get a hormonal imbalance test done. This will rule out other underlying causes, helping you get appropriate treatment.
However, you might wonder how to get your hormones tested. Getting the hormonal levels checked is not a rocket-science.
There are many methods these days, through which you can easily test the hormones. The next section deals with all the required information about hormonal tests.
How to Get Your Hormones Checked?
Hormones are key to many essential functions of the body. Keeping them in check is necessary. Frequently checking hormone levels is a must and helps you avoid many health risks.
There are multiple methods available these days for hormone testing. There are usually three types of tests, as mentioned below.
#1. Urine Test
A urine test is a common and reliable method of testing multiple hormones. For this purpose, a urine sample is taken from the patient.
A plus point to this test is that it provides results for hormones over 24 hours. This helps to rule away any unnecessary fluctuations in hormone levels. This is an extremely accurate test and results in a high level of information.
However, a urine test is more expensive than other methods of hormone testing.
#2. Blood Test
Blood testing for checking hormones is an excellent approach. It is reliable and easily accessible. It requires a minimal procedure and the results are fast and accurate.
This test requires you to prick the finger and get a little blood sample. This blood sample is quickly dried and sent to the lab for testing.
Moreover, this test can accurately measure the major hormones such as:
- Thyroid
- Estrogen
- Testosterone
- Insulin
Apart from these four, it is also efficient in testing other hormones as well. To be added, a blood test can be administered at home.
#3. Saliva Test
The saliva test is the easiest way of testing hormones. It is very simple to make and can be easily done at home.
The person just needs to spit in a saliva-collection tube. This saliva collected is then sent to the lab for testing particular hormone levels.
A saliva test can only check hormones that readily show up in the body. Examples of such hormones are:
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
Apart from the above-mentioned hormones, it can also check estriols levels.
The three different methods of hormone testing are the most common. There are other ways to test the hormones too, such as blood-serum tests.
Furthermore, these days hormone testing is possible either at home or lab. Many of the tests conducted can also be done at your home. While some tests only require you to go o the lab and check.
But there is a huge confusion which might lead to an inclination as to which method gives more accurate results.
At Home vs Lab Test: Which is Better?
Nowadays, it’s possible to test hormone levels at your ease. There are methods that can be easily administered at home.
While there are other methods that require lab testing. People can choose any of the options to test their hormone levels.
The following table shows the pros and cons of at-home vs lab tests for hormone imbalance.
| At Home Tests |
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| Lab Tests |
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The bottom line of the above-mentioned information is; to choose the method best suited for you. Both at-home tests and lab tests have equal pros and cons.
They differ slightly in the procedure or result in factors. However, make sure to select the testing method which best suits your need for testing.
There is enough information to help you decide which one is best for getting your hormones tested and is better at delivering results.
One must not ignore any of the subtle signs that your hormones are out of whack for overall mental and physical health issues.
Final Thoughts
Hormone testing is a crucial part of health monitoring. It is important to monitor hormone levels as they influence many bodily functions.
Further, you must be able to acknowledge signs and symptoms that indicate imbalanced hormones.
To aid you in doing so, we have mentioned 11 subtle signs your hormones are out of whack in this article. These are the major signs which cause an alert for hormone testing.
There are multiple methods of testing whether the hormones are out of whack. Those methods are either at-home tests or at-lab tests. Each one has its pros and cons.
Moreover, checking hormone levels is crucial to avoid any potential health risks. It opens the way for appropriate treatment for hormonal imbalance.
Make sure your hormone levels are healthy and fine. It will ensure the proper functioning of the body and reduce the risk of health issues.
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