Shradha is a 37 years old housewife living in a joint family along with her husband and 10 years old son. Over the past few months, she was facing the problem of irregular periods. She thought it could be because of the stressful life that she is having her periods often twice a month. But, when she discussed the matter with her close friend, she suggested a consultation with a gynecologist. After a TVS ultrasound examination, her gynecologist confirmed that she has uterine fibroids and endometrial polyps in her uterus. Shradha was anxious to know what is the root cause of these unwanted findings? Her doctor said this is happening due to a hormonal imbalance in her body.Â
Hormonal imbalance in women is a common issue experienced by a majority of females irrespective of age. Stress and several other factors are responsible for showing hormonal imbalance symptoms in females.
Let us explain to you first about hormonal imbalance in women and then acquaint you with some effective natural remedies for hormonal imbalance in females.
What are Hormones?
Before understanding what is hormonal imbalance, let us first understand what are hormones? Hormones in a layman’s language are chemical messengers in our body. They are found both in a male and female body. The endocrine glands in our body are responsible for the production of hormones, which then travel all around our bloodstream. Hormones are responsible for the proper functioning of our body including major processes like reproduction and metabolism. In our body, we have different types of hormones including Estrogen, Progesterone, Melatonin, Insulin, Cortisol, Thyroid, and Testosterone.Â
What is Hormonal Imbalance in Women?
Hormonal imbalance, as the name suggests is a condition when there is either too much or too little of a hormone secreted in the body. More than men, women are seen affected by the problem of hormonal imbalance.
As we grow old, our body tends to produce these hormones differently and there might be some fluctuation in the hormonal levels. Women especially in their reproductive age these days are getting affected with various symptoms of hormonal imbalance, which should be identified early for a better cure.Â
Common Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance
By now from our discussion, it is pretty clear that hormones play important roles in our body and are responsible for keeping our health on track. Our body shows some signs when there is an imbalance of hormones secreted by the endocrine glands. Here is a list of common hormonal imbalance symptoms experienced by men and women:
- Sudden Weight Gain
- Sudden Weight Loss
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Stiffness, Swelling, and Pain in Joints
- Frequent Urination
- High Sensitivity towards Hot and Cold
- Decreased or Increased Heart Rate
- Increased Hunger or Thirst
- Low Sex Drive
- Infertility
- Anxiety, Mood Swings
- Excessive Sweating
- Change in Appetite
- Frequent Bowel Movements
- Constipation
- Hair Loss
- Pink or Purple Stretch Marks
- Blurred Vision
- Dry Skin
Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance in Women
As we told earlier, females especially in their reproductive age experience hormonal imbalance signs and symptoms. Let us look at some of these common hormonal imbalance symptoms in females:
- PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
- Irregular Periods
- Missed Periods
- Heavy Periods
- Spotting between the Periods
- Hair Loss
- Vaginal Atrophy
- Vaginal Dryness
- Night Sweats
- Headaches
- Discomfort during Sexual Activity
- Hirsutism (Excessive Facial Hair Growth on Chin, etc.)
- Acne on Breast, Face, and Upper Body
- Skin Darkening
- Skin Tags
Natural Remedies for Hormonal Imbalance in Females
1. Regular Exercise Regime
The first best trick to control your hormonal levels is by doing regular exercises. Regular workouts help to control the hormonal levels by improving the blood flow and making all our glands and organs active. If you are a beginner, don’t stress much, start with light workouts, but make sure to do them regularly to deal with your hormonal imbalance problem.Â
2. Maintain Ideal Weight
Hormonal imbalance in women is a problem that may lead to sudden weight loss or weight gain. Therefore, one piece of advice for such ladies is to pay attention to maintaining their weight. Obesity may lead to further health complications like insulin resistance, risk of heart diseases, and so on. Once you maintain your weight, your hormonal levels will also start falling in the right bracket.Â
3. Reduce Sugar Intake
Up next, we suggest you reduce your sugar intake if you want to get relief from hormonal imbalance issues. The sugar we consume is fructose and high fructose levels in the body may reduce the calorie-burning efficiency of the body making us obese. Obesity is then followed by another round of health issues.Â
4. High Protein Diet
This formula applies to both men and women who are facing problems of hormonal imbalance. They must focus on adding more protein to their diet. This in turn will help to produce peptide hormone, which is a protein-derived hormone. Peptide hormone is responsible for regulating your physiological processes such as appetite, reproduction, metabolism, and stress.Â
5. Reduce Stress Levels
If you aim to get rid of your hormonal imbalance issue, make sure to first get rid of all your stress. Stress hormone or cortisol gets disrupted if you are under stress and may affect your appetite, reproduction, and other bodily functions over some time. Try indulging in stress-relieving techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing to discard stress from your life.Â
6. Get Quality Sleep
Likewise, much relief from hormonal imbalance symptoms in females can be controlled by getting an adequate amount of sleep. Many studies have linked poor sleep with hormonal imbalance. Sleep deprivation impacts insulin sensitivity in our body and may lead to an increase in cortisol levels. Our brain needs to sleep to maintain a proper hormonal balance in our body.
The Bottom Line
Once hormonal imbalance symptoms in females are identified, then every attempt should be done to balance the hormones firstly by keeping stress at bay. This then should be followed by the above-mentioned natural remedies for hormonal imbalance in females. If the symptoms don’t improve, do consult your gynecologist and get proper treatment for hormonal imbalance without much delay.