A woman’s hormones are constantly changing.
Sometimes these changes can lead to hormonal imbalances, which can be indicated by any number of physical or mental symptoms, making it difficult to know when your body needs a break from the stresses of everyday life.
This article will cover the signs and symptoms that you might have an imbalance in your hormones, what causes them, how they affect women differently than men, and why this is important information for every woman.
What Are The Signs Of Hormonal Imbalance in A Woman?
Every woman’s body is different, so it’s important to remember this when evaluating your symptoms.
Some common signs that your hormones may be out of balance include:
- Weight gain or loss
- Mood swings or depression
- Fibromyalgia pain
- Headaches/migraines
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Irritability/anger
- Acne/mild skin problems
- Vaginal dryness
- Hot flashes and night sweats.
How Do Hormones Change Throughout A Woman’s Life?
A young girl’s body is growing through puberty. Between the ages of 10-13, her hormone levels take some very noticeable turns for the worse. Her ovaries begin to release an egg every month, along with estrogen and progesterone. This is the beginning stage of menstruation.
Next comes pregnancy. Estrogen levels are really high throughout the nine months that you are pregnant, but they come back down after giving birth when breastfeeding is stopped or bottle-feeding begins.
After baby number one, most women will start to menstruate again. However, you could actually skip a few periods after that if you have two or more children in the same year.
Finally, when your body doesn’t need to reproduce anymore, many women reach menopause. This is the time in life when estrogen and progesterone levels are low, and tire easily.
Hormonal changes continue regardless of age when it comes to the menstrual cycle.
What Causes Hormone Imbalance In Women?
There are many factors that can cause an imbalance in female hormones.
As previously stated, menopause is one of the most common times for hormonal changes to occur.
Sometimes though, many women have early menopause or skipped periods for a few years without realizing it because there were no other outward symptoms. The signs and symptoms of hormone imbalance can sometimes be so subtle that they are easily missed.
The environment you live in can also cause hormone levels to fluctuate or become imbalanced.
For example, synthetic chemicals mimic estrogen in your body. These can be found in pesticides, plastics, and other materials that could leach into your drinking water or the foods you eat.
Cigarette smoke also has estrogens that are both inhaled daily and absorbed by the skin when combined with nicotine patches. Excessive alcohol intake also affects estrogen levels.
Finally, major life events like divorce, death of loved ones, moving to a new place, getting married or having children can all cause hormonal imbalances.
Some people recommend taking natural steps to support hormones when you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed in the previous section. Simple things like eating organic foods and reducing your intake of processed foods can help get your hormones back to normal.
Taking a multivitamin every day with proper nutrition and exercise is also recommended for women who consistently feel like their body has been put through the wringer or who simply want to get the most out of life.
Getting enough rest and avoiding stress are two more great ways to make sure you are taking care of yourself.
As always, consult with your doctor before starting any new vitamins or supplements.
When it comes to hormone imbalance, knowledge might just be the first step toward feeling better.
See Over 30 Hormonal Support Supplement Reviews
How Can Hormone Imbalance Affect Memory?
Having a lot of stress and feeling anxious can affect the mind and body in many ways. High cortisol levels can result from ongoing anxiety, which then leads to even more anxiety.
Mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder can also be caused by an imbalance in hormones, neurotransmitters, and other chemicals released during the day.
There are many symptoms that can affect your daily life, including changes in appetite, low sex drive, feeling overly tired or lethargic, or even trouble sleeping at night. The list of possible effects could go on and on depending on how severe the imbalance is. However, memory loss is one symptom that affects everyone differently.
It may seem complicated, but it’s fairly simple to understand how memory could be affected.
During the day, your brain uses glucose as its main energy source. If you are stressed out and constantly feeling anxious, the hypothalamus releases cortisol in reaction to this stress. This makes your body crave carbohydrates, which means there is less glucose available for your brain to use.
If you are not sleeping enough on top of the stress, cortisol levels remain elevated throughout the night due to blue light exposure from electronic devices like TVs or cell phones. This reduces glucose (energy) to the brain even further while it is trying to do its work at night.
All of this means that your memories aren’t being processed and stored in an optimal way. This is why people who feel overwhelmed tend to forget things like appointments or where they put their keys.
Understanding how all of these changes affect memory may help you keep track of important information better when life is busy, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to actively improve your memory.
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