Hormones play an immense role in influencing your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They are chemicals that act as messengers in the body, facilitating conversations between cells and organs. At times, we produce too many or too few hormones that cause an imbalance. The effects of a hormone imbalance differ, with the common signs and symptoms including weight gain, headaches, depression, fatigue, and menstrual cycle changes. Women are prone to hormonal imbalances due to puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and other changes. It is among the top reasons you should seek Garden City gynecology services to help you understand how the changes impact your body and the potential complications associated with a hormone imbalance. Here is a glance at the common impacts of hormonal imbalance in women.
Menstrual Cycles
Hormones control the timing and duration of a menstrual cycle. Estrogen and progesterone are the hormones involved in the menstrual cycle. Estrogen is responsible for initiating the cycle and stimulating the growth of the uterine lining. Progesterone maintains the uterine lining until the egg is released during ovulation. If the egg is not fertilized, the levels of hormones drop, resulting in the start of the menstrual cycle.
If there is an imbalance in these hormones, the results will be irregular menstrual cycles, such as missed, heavy, or cramps and painful periods. These irregularities can even interfere with your ability to conceive.
Infertility
Hormones can play an essential role in fertility. Fertility hormones act on the reproductive organs and regulate their functioning. The hormones involved in fertility include:
- Follicle-Stimulating Hormones (FSH)
- Luteinizing Hormones (LH)
- Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)
FSH and LH facilitate the ovarian follicles to produce the egg, while hCG helps to sustain a pregnancy. It means imbalances can affect your ability to conceive and carry a pregnancy to term. Decreased egg supply, difficulties with implantations, and early menopause are also fertility effects of hormone imbalance.
Mental Issues
Hormones circulate in the body to regulate moods and produce feel-good chemicals. Hormonal imbalances can cause depression, memory loss, and extreme mood swings. Due to hormonal changes during the woman’s life, they may be overwhelmed with emotions or experience an inexplicable sudden burst of sadness.
Sexual Concerns
Hormonal imbalances can interfere with your ability to enjoy a healthy sex life. Estrogen and progesterone imbalances can decrease libido, sexual arousal, and pleasure. Estrogen assists in the production of vaginal lubricants, which reduces friction during intercourse. As such, if it decreases, you may experience excess friction, discomfort, and pain before, during, and after sex.
Skin Damage and Hair Loss
Hormonal imbalances can increase oil production on the skin, clogging pores and making you more prone to breakouts. Uncontrolled imbalances also influence eczema and psoriasis, causing flare-ups of those skin conditions. When there is excessive production of certain hormones, you experience hair loss. An imbalance in estrogen and progesterone can trigger the overproduction of androgens, leading to conditions such as hirsutism (excessive body and facial hair growth and thinning hair).
Hormonal imbalances can cause significant concerns that can take a toll on the quality of your life. Call Women’s Healthcare of Garden City today for more details on hormonal imbalances and the various treatment options available.
