How Can I Tell If My Hormones Are Out of Balance?

If you listen to the news or scroll through social media, you might get the impression you need hormone supplements, even when you don’t. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are hawking their products to anyone and everyone without caution.

If you’re serious about your health and want to know if your hormone levels are where they should be, don’t rely on the companies looking to make a buck — trust a medical professional with years of experience studying and treating hormonal imbalances.

Dr. Naima Cheema and Dr. Hina Abid at Nexclin Medicine understand the role of human hormones and what can happen when you run low. The best way to know for sure whether your hormones are balanced is to come in for a simple saliva test that measures your hormone levels.

Meanwhile, here are the telltale signs that your hormones may be out of whack, what could be causing the imbalance, and what we can do about it.

How to tell if your hormones are imbalanced

Hormones are your body's chemical messengers that travel around your bloodstream, telling tissues and organs what to do. You have many different types of hormones, including insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, thyroid, and sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, and they control your body’s major processes, including metabolism and reproduction.

Recognizing hormonal imbalance is the first step toward taking control of your health. Symptoms vary greatly because they depend on which glands and hormones are affected. However, common signs and symptoms of hormone imbalances can include:

• Unexplained weight gain or loss
• Difficulty sleeping
• Changes in sensitivity to cold and heat
• Changes in heart rate
• Changes in blood sugar concentration
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Excessive sweating
• Sexual dysfunction

Our Nexclin Medicine team can determine which hormones are waning or surging and help you get back into balance.

Causes of hormonal imbalance

Several factors affect your hormone levels, such as your diet, medical history, genetics, stress levels, and exposure to toxins. For example, hormonal changes during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause in women are all common causes of hormonal imbalances.

However, other less common but equally significant causes include diabetes, thyroiditis, hyper- or hypothyroidism, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity, among others.

Believe it or not, your lifestyle can impact your hormone levels. Chronic stress, for instance, can cause adrenal fatigue, which can lead to other health problems. Inadequate sleep, poor diet, and lack of exercise can also disrupt your hormones.

Practical tips to balance your hormones

There are several ways you can naturally balance your hormones:

• Eat enough protein at every meal
• Engage in regular exercise
• Avoid sugar and refined carbs
• Learn to manage stress
• Consume healthy fats
• Avoid overeating and undereating

In short, living a healthy lifestyle goes a long way toward keeping your hormones at the correct levels. However, when self-care doesn’t cut it, we can help.

How bioidentical hormones can restore your health

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been around for decades, but bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is relatively new. Because they come from plant-based sources, they match the molecular structure of your natural hormones but cause fewer side effects than traditional synthetic HRT.

The main hormones replaced in BHRT are estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, the hormones critical in several physiological processes, including metabolism, sexual and reproductive function, and mood and stress response.

Bioidentical hormones restore hormonal equilibrium and alleviate your symptoms, but beyond symptom relief, BHRT provides broader benefits for your overall health. For instance, it helps maintain your bone health, reducing your risk of fractures.

If you've tried lifestyle changes and still experience symptoms of hormonal imbalance, call us. We can run tests to determine which hormones are out of balance and develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.

Call Nexclin Medicine in Roswell, Georgia, at 770-558-2873 to schedule.