Why You Should be on the Lookout for Hormone Imbalance
Written by: Wan SofaSyifa
Reviewed by: Fenny Lim, BSc. (Hons) Nutrition, UKM
Hormone imbalance is a common thing you will experience in your life, especially during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and aging. It can happen to anyone, but ladies in their pre-menopausal period have a higher chance of experiencing it. What you should worry about is if your hormone imbalance lasts longer than usual and start to affect your health severely.
Before you start panicking, take a moment to understand what hormonal imbalance is all about.
What is Hormone Imbalance?
Hormone imbalance happens when there is too much or too little amount of hormone in your blood. Hormones are chemicals produced by various glands in the body as part of your endocrine system. A number of important functions in the body are controlled by the endocrine system, including metabolism, reproduction, mood, growth, and development[1].
Hormones function by sending signals to your cells on what should be done based on their function. When there is a deficit or an abundance of hormones in your body, it makes your body unable to function properly, and you may start experiencing symptoms such as;
- Dizziness
- Mood swings
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Insomnia
- Menstrual pains
What Can Hormone Imbalance Cause?
The symptoms listed above may seem mild, but deficiencies in hormones such as insulin, estrogen, and testosterone may be the cause of a variety of illnesses, including;
- Diabetes – from the lack of insulin or your body’s incapability to process insulin
- Infertility – from the lack of estrogen (in women) and testosterone (in men)
- High cholesterol – from the lack of estrogen that may cause a rise in cholesterol level[2]
- High blood pressure – from too much aldosterone that may cause a spike in blood pressure[3]
- Heart disease – that can be caused by high cholesterol
- Early menopause – from the lack of estrogen
- Depression and anxiety – from the lack of serotonin and dopamine (caused by a deficit in several hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, androgen, and more)[4]
Most of the time, hormone imbalance serves as an indirect cause. This is because most diseases are diagnosed based on organ malfunctions. Hormones, in general, are seen by their abundance or deficiency of them on lab tests. The majority of the time, you wouldn’t request specific hormone tests, but if you are diagnosed with any of the above diseases, chances are your hormone levels will be imbalanced. Basic hormone levels will normally show up on blood, saliva, and urine tests.
Conversely, these illnesses can also cause hormone imbalance and, in return, make the symptoms more severe.
How to Treat Hormone Imbalance
When you are experiencing hormone imbalance, there are normally three ways you can treat them;
- Hormone therapy
- Health supplements
- Lifestyle changes
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is any hormone-based therapeutic treatment that serves to either inhibit, induce or supply hormones to the patient[5]. One of the most common types of hormone therapy is
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) used to treat menopause and pre-menopausal syndrome. HRT functions by supplying hormones to increase diminished hormone levels, such as estrogen and progesterone, during menopause.
However, HRT is notorious for having a number of side effects[6], including;
- Bloating
- Headaches
- Cramps
- Nausea
- Vaginal bleeding
- Mood swings
- Abdominal pain
HRT is also quite selective on who can take it, and if you have any medical conditions, it is best to consult your doctor on whether you can take this treatment or not.
Dietary Supplements
Another option to treat hormone imbalance is by taking dietary supplements. This can range from commercially formulated supplements to more traditional options such as herbs and teas. The problem with most dietary supplements in the market is that they lack clinical studies on their therapeutic efficacy – or effectiveness.
The commercial dietary supplement market generally will create a formulation featuring ingredients that have been explored and proven to generally help with hormone imbalance or its effects. For example, using ingredients such as dong quai, red clover, evening primrose, and ginseng.
Lifestyle Changes
One of the main causes of hormone imbalance – aside from natural aging and growth, is your lifestyle. What you eat, whether you exercise or not, and your sleep patterns contribute to how your endocrine system functions. Your food intake is what gives your endocrine system the nutrients it needs to function.
Exercising stimulates it, and studies[7] have shown your sleep patterns do contribute to how your hormone functions. Either by creating a build-up so certain hormones peak as you wake up or slowing down your digestive system so you can sleep better.
CellLabs Solution for Hormone Imbalance
Understanding how bad hormone imbalance can be, our team has formulated a number of solutions to this problem, including our signature premium sheep placenta line. Sheep placenta contains growth factors that can regulate hormone production, which is one of the reasons we decided to use it as our featured ingredient.
To help ladies experiencing pre-menopause or menopausal symptoms, CellLabs EzyFemin features herbal ingredients which have been clinically studied and proven to reduce the symptomatic effects of menopause. It is also proven to help balance hormones with continuous, long-term intake.
Feel free to browse our hormone-balancing solutions here. If you like this article, do leave us a comment, share the blog, and subscribe to our newsletter. Reach out to us if you need any additional information.
