Hormonal imbalance is famous for being a concerning condition. In this Amaka’s Note, you will learn what it is, what causes it, and how to manage it.

The Gist

Hormonal imbalance is a common occurrence in women in their 30’s or 40’s. This usually happens due to elevated levels of androgens or other hormones found in the body. It has several symptoms and possible causes, but there are also a lot of things that you can do to manage and try to prevent it.

The Science

80% of females have hormonal imbalance symptoms, typically starting in their 30’s or 40’s (Northwell Health, 2018).

The most common hormonal imbalance in women are elevated levels of androgens. Androgens to women is like what testosterone is to men. Understanding the different signs of hormonal imbalance and knowing how to handle it can improve not only your internal health, but your skin and beauty, too.

Common signs of androgen hormonal imbalance in women

Some of the most common signs of hormonal imbalance is an overgrowth of facial hair, ovarian cysts, acne, and thin hair.

A noticeable loss of libido is another sign of hormone imbalance. When your body is under stress, one of the things that you lose naturally is your sex drive. Since your body focuses on the most important organs, whatever your body deems unnecessary, such as your libido and menstruation, suffers a lot. It is a bit controversial to point out for some women, but not wanting sex can be a sign of hormone imbalance. Another issue caused by hormonal imbalance is aging. Studies have linked stress and adrenals, which causes premature aging.

Your gut is another area to look at when diagnosing hormone imbalance. Digestive issues can cause an imbalance in your hormones, most probably because your body is not digesting fats as efficiently as possible. These fats are what your body usually uses to produce hormones that can stabilize your other hormones. Gaining weight around the abdomen is also another indicator of hormone problems.

Another possible cause of hormonal imbalance is overexercising. Overexercising depletes your sex hormones, and this is most often found in professional athletes. It is common for these athletes to even have their menstrual cycles halted because of their training.

Natural remedies for hormonal imbalance in females

One way you can prevent hormonal imbalance is cutting off plastics. Apart from being very beneficial to the environment, some studies reveal that keeping your food in plastics can actually affect your hormones, causing the aforementioned increase in abdominal weight. 

You also can’t forget about hydrating yourself. Drink as much water as you need.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is to avoid processed foods. It seems kind of obvious, but processed foods are full of chemicals. These chemicals eventually lead to Estrogen dominance.

Something you need to monitor as well are your blood sugar levels. Keeping your blood sugars at a high are known to lead to insulin resistance (prediabetes), which eventually leads to an impairment in your hormone production.

Something that you can do to prevent hormonal imbalance are cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables are capable of helping your body metabolize your hormones, so they don’t get stuck and go “bad.” Another thing that you can include in your diet is spearmint tea. Spearmint tea possesses anti-fungal properties, which lower your androgen levels.

One thing that causes inflammation (which causes hormonal imbalance, acne, and other symptoms) are bad bacteria in your digestive system. One way to remove these bad bacteria in your system are probiotics. Probiotics enable your hormones to metabolize, just like the cruciferous vegetables.

The Takeaway

Hormonal imbalance is a common problem among women, but it’s not difficult to manage and prevent. The key to managing hormonal imbalance is living healthily by eating the right food, drinking enough water, and exercising properly. 

Living a healthy life doesn’t guarantee a symptom-less life, but there’s no denying that it will do you wonders.