Understanding Hormonal Imbalances
If you’ve been on my page for a bit or been watching my DM’s lately hormones have been a hot topic! Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. Remember what you learned in health class… me either! Hormones are much more interesting now as an adult than as a teen.
These powerful chemicals travel around our bloodstream telling tissues and organs what to do. They help control your body's major processes, including metabolism and reproduction. While some hormone levels fluctuate throughout your lifetime (pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, menopause, use of birth control) others tend to ebb and flow with trauma, chronic disease, environment, stress, use of medication and when your endocrine glands get the balance wrong. With all that is going on in our lives it is no wonder our hormones often get imbalanced!
As a result there is a broad range of symptoms that could signal imbalances. Keep in mind, I am not a licensed doctor, these symptoms are nonspecific and without talking to a healthcare professional or hormone specialist having any of them doesn't necessarily mean that you have a hormone imbalance.
Signs of imbalances:
Fatigue
Mood swings
Depression
Anxiety or irritability
Decreased sex drive
Weight gain
Unexplained or sudden weight loss
Pain or swelling in your joints
Dry skin
Heavy, irregular, missed or stopped periods
Hair loss
Where to start for help:
Begin by making an appointment with your doctor for a physical exam or seeking out a Hormone specialist in your area. If you are in Utah I recommend Dr. Porter 801-375-7100. Be prepared to describe your symptoms and the lifetime of these. Bring information on the medications you are using currently such as vitamins and supplements. Depending on your symptoms your Doctor may suggest diagnostic testing or you can request this. Blood test in my opinion are a great way to know exactly what is going on “on the inside.”
Online testing companies
You can always use home testing kits. Home testing kits use urine samples, saliva or blood from a fingetip to mesure cortison, key thyroid hormones and sex hormones such as testosteron, progestrone and estrogen.
https://www.letsgetchecked.com/us/en/home-female-hormone-test/
https://www.floliving.com/hormone-testing/
I hope you find this information helpful. More talk about this is in a highlight bubble on my instagram page if you’re still interested. Our bodies are amazing but with how much they go through it is easy for them to get off track sometimes.