10 Signs You May Have a Hormonal Imbalance
Hormones are powerful, and if they’re imbalanced it can lead to you feeling tired, cranky, anxious, and miserable, along with giving you a whole lot of unpleasant side effects (hello PMS!).
If, on the other hand they’re balanced, it can make you feel like superwoman - energized, focused, balanced, calm, and happy, not to mention your skin will look great, your periods will be easy, and you’ll be able to get pregnant when you want (if you want!).
Hormones are chemical substances that act like messengers in the body. They help your body communicate with itself, and they help tell you when something in your body is out of balance.
If you go to your conventional doctor and tell them about these symptoms chances are they’ll want you to take hormonal birth control. However, though birth control has played a pivotal role in the women’s rights movement and has allowed women to pursue careers and lives they want, it is important to note that birth control doesn’t address the problem in the first place, but rather acts like a bandaid. Once you come off the birth control you are very likely to have those same symptoms (possibly even worse) than you had before going on it in the first place.
Rather than rely on hormonal birth control to manage symptoms, I work with women on addressing the underlying root cause of why they have these symptoms in the first place. Once we address those issues, they find their hormones are balanced and they no longer struggle with these common symptoms.
So, what are these signs that might mean you’ve got a hormone imbalance? Here are 10 main signs to look out for, and if you have any of the following it could be your hormones trying to tell you something, so listen up!
PMS: While extremely common, PMS is actually not normal! This is something I want to scream from the rooftops because so many women struggle with PMS thinking it’s just a part of being a woman. While it’s normal to have slightly decreased energy during the time leading up to your period, the typical PMS symptoms that so many women struggle with is a red flag that your hormones might be imbalanced.
PMS symptoms could include pain, irritability, anxiety, cramps, breast tenderness or pain, headache, exhaustion, cyclic acne, fluid retention, abdominal bloating. brain fog, food cravings.
Your period is your monthly report card, so pay attention to it because it’s an amazing way to know if there’s some underlying issue that needs to be addressed.
Irregular cycle: Your period should be pretty regular and between 21-35 days. If it’s longer or shorter you likely aren’t ovulating, and you need to ovulate to make progesterone. No ovulation means no progesterone, which is no good!
Progesterone is essential for fertility and sustaining pregnancy, but it also helps balance out estrogen. Low progesterone can lead to estrogen dominance. Progesterone also helps chill us out - it has a calming effect, and helps ease anxiety, boost our mood, and facilitate memory. It also helps us sleep.
Heavy bleeding, or bleeding lasting longer than seven days or really light periods (less than 25 ml blood loss) can also be a sign of a hormonal imbalance that should be addressed.
Unexplained weight gain: This is a big one! I see so many women killing themselves at the gym, calorie or macro counting, only to be disheartened when they still can’t shed those pounds they’re trying so hard to lose. First of all, please know that this is not your fault! The calories-in-calories-out model of weight loss is so outdated and harmful, and yet diet culture is rampant.
If you’re trying to lose weight or have gained a lot of weight and have no idea why, it very well could be a hormonal imbalance you’re dealing with. You could have excess cortisol and/or insulin, or excess estrogen which can cause weight gain (especially around the hips, stomach, or thighs).
If you’re struggling with this please don’t deprive yourself and kill yourself at the gym! There are much more sustainable and effective ways to help you address excess weight if it’s an issue for you, and the first step is taking a close look at your hormones.
Sleep issues: The number of women I see in my practice with sleep issues might shock you. If you have trouble either falling asleep, or staying asleep, it might mean you have some hormone imbalances. Remember - progesterone helps us sleep, and we need to ovulate to make progesterone, and so if you’re not ovulating you may not have enough progesterone. The best way to know if you’re ovulating is to track your cycle.
Cortisol (your stress hormone) imbalances are also incredibly common, and can also contribute to sleep issues.
Memory problems & brain fog: Did you forget where you put the keys? Or that meeting you were supposed to go to? Or can’t think of that word that’s on the tip of your tongue? Or just feel like you can’t think clearly? Memory problems and brain fog are a big sign you might be struggling with hormone imbalance.
Changes to estrogen and progesterone can affect alertness and memory. Estrogen can affect neurotransmitters in the brain, which is partly why memory and attention are affected in perimenopause and menopause.
Digestive issues: You might be surprised to hear that our hormones and gut health are very interconnected. You have estrogen and progesterone receptors in your gut that respond to these hormones, and therefore hormonal changes can affect our digestion, and might manifest as bloating, stomach pain, nausea, or diarrhea, especially if you’re getting these symptoms before and during your period.
Chronic acne: Chronic acne is different from cyclical acne, which comes and goes with your cycle. However, chronic acne may still be a symptom of hormonal imbalance.
High levels of androgens (the “male” sex hormones, though women still have and need them), can cause oil glands to be too active, and affect the cells in and around our hair follicles causing acne. If you’re struggling with this you may also have androgen-like hair growth, which is thicker hair on your face and body, and hair thinning or loss from the hair on your head (similar to male-pattern baldness).
This may be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, which is a common hormonal disorder that affects 5% –10% of women, and is a condition associated with hormonal imbalances that cause the ovaries to overproduce androgens. Symptoms of PCOS include hirsutism, acne, irregular, absent, or heavy menstrual periods, lack of ovulation, and infertility. There is so much you can do through diet, supplements, and lifestyle to address PCOS.
Depression & mood swings: Changes to your hormone levels may cause low mood, mood swings, and even depression. Estrogen has an impact on your brain’s chemicals, such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Ever feel like you’re cranky or short-tempered around your period? That is very likely a sign something is off!
Low libido (low sex drive): Low libido is a big sign that your hormones might need some attention. Low testosterone levels can decrease libido, and you might notice a lower sex drive than normal. Low estrogen can also mean your body produces less vaginal fluid, which can lead to vaginal dryness and pain during sex.
Fertility problems: Last but not least, fertility problems can be a surefire sign your hormones are imbalanced, and hormonal imbalance is one of the leading causes of female infertility. Women spend anywhere from $30-$60,000 on IVF treatments, much of the time without even trying to address the fertility issues from a more holistic approach first.
It may seem obvious, but if you’re not ovulating, you’re not going to get pregnant. So how do we address this? Make sure you ovulate! Dietary, supplement, and lifestyle interventions are incredibly helpful for increasing ovulation and fertility.
Are you struggling with any of these 10 issues? If you are please know that you don’t have to struggle - you can feel like a superwoman, you just have to take the next step in your hormone healing journey!
If you’re interested in balancing your hormones, optimizing your cycle, improving gut health, and ditching PMS so you can have easy, pain-free periods, get pregnant when you want, and live a vibrant, joyful life, I encourage you to schedule a FREE strategy call with me so we can uncover what’s holding you back from living this way and make you a game plan to help you feel amazing in your body.
You can schedule that free strategy call here. Please feel free to reach out with any questions!