What is a hormonal imbalance?
Periods can be tough, and if you’re having problems with them, you might know that it’s not always easy to find out what to do. This can sometimes be down to difficulties in finding the cause of your symptoms - as there are many conditions which can affect your menstrual cycle.
Below, we discuss one example of a condition that could cause disruptive periods. Remember, this is just one possible cause out of many, so having period problems doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a hormonal imbalance. However, it may be an option to explore with your healthcare team.
What is a hormonal imbalance in women?
Every one of us has a system in our body known as the endocrine system, which is made up of a number of glands that release hormones into our bloodstream. These hormones help to control various processes within our body, with different hormones being responsible for different things, and having the right levels of each of these hormones helps our bodies to function healthily.
For the most part, the male and female endocrine systems are the same - except for the reproductive glands. In those born male, the testes are responsible for controlling reproductive functions; in those born female, it’s the ovaries.
A hormonal imbalance is a situation in which there is too much or too little of a given hormone in your body, affecting the processes controlled by that hormone. In terms of disruptions to your period, these could potentially be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition thought to be related to hormonal imbalances. However, there are also many other conditions which can cause disruptions to your menstrual cycle such as heavy periods or painful periods.
What causes hormonal imbalances?
As there are many different kinds of hormones in your body, and many different glands involved with making and releasing them, there’s no simple answer as to what causes a hormonal imbalance. However, there are a number of factors known or believed to have an effect on your hormone levels which could contribute to an imbalance.
Stress
Stress can be tough to deal with if you don’t have the right coping mechanisms in place, especially when you can’t escape from whatever it is that’s causing your distress. Whether you’re tackling relationship problems, having a tough time at work or grieving a loved one, stress can also affect less visible aspects of your health, including your endocrine system.
Your hormone levels are closely linked to stress, with some hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline being directly involved with your body’s stress response. Stress is thought to alter the levels of a number of hormones, including a few you might not traditionally associate with stressful life events. This may cause short-term symptoms and imbalances which should resolve when the stressful situation ends.
However, stress can also sometimes be a cause or contributing factor of an endocrine disorder, with some research suggesting that stressful life events could be a risk factor for Graves’ disease. This is an autoimmune condition that leads to an overactive thyroid, increasing the levels of thyroid hormones and upsetting the natural balance.
Endocrine system disorders
As we’ve briefly touched on above, there are some medical conditions which may have an effect on your hormone levels. Graves’ disease is one of those conditions, affecting an estimated 80% of those with an overactive thyroid. Noticeable symptoms may include weight loss, sweating, nervousness or a rapid heartbeat.
Another endocrine disorder is Addison’s disease, which is also sometimes called hypoadrenalism. It’s a rare condition where the adrenal glands (located on your kidneys) are damaged, preventing it from producing enough cortisol and aldosterone. Symptoms may develop gradually and can vary from one individual to another, but can include extreme tiredness, muscle weakness, reduced appetite and weight loss.
Different endocrine disorders affect different glands and hormones, so the symptoms of these conditions can vary. But if you think you might have a condition like this, you should speak to your doctor about the symptoms you’re experiencing so you can begin to explore potential causes.
Diet
The phrase ‘you are what you eat’ is familiar to many, so it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that your diet can have an impact on your hormonal health. Nutrition is very important in all areas of your health, as nutrients are essentially the building blocks that make up all the vital molecules in your body, including hormones. If you’re not getting enough of these nutrients, you might not be able to produce the right levels of hormones for optimal health.
Eating disorders such as anorexia can have huge impacts on your health, but you don’t have to be diagnosed with an eating disorder to feel the effects of poor nutrition. Malnutrition is the proper term for not getting the right amounts of nutrients in your diet, and this can happen even if you’re eating a good quantity of food. Not getting the right types of food can also cause malnutrition, as can certain underlying conditions that affect how your body absorbs nutrients from your food or the amount of nutrients you need.
Lack of sleep
Ever found yourself feeling awful after a period of poor sleep? That’s because sleep is a very important process in your body that helps to regulate various aspects of your health, and not getting enough of it can - literally - throw you off your rhythm.
We all have something called a circadian rhythm that dictates a rough schedule for certain processes to happen. The term circadian means ‘around a day’, and the basic concept is that various external and internal factors let your body know when it’s time to begin some processes, including hormone regulation. For example, daylight tells your body it’s time to get up and about, while darkness encourages you to wind down and go to sleep.
Unfortunately, it’s possible to dislodge your natural circadian rhythm when changing your daily activities. A common example of this is nighttime shift work - when your biological nighttime ends up happening during daylight hours, and you get up and go to work when it gets dark. As well as the obvious effects on your sleep schedule, this can also impact when your body secretes different hormones.
Issues such as sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality can also have an impact, even when only a single night is affected or, in the case of poor sleep quality, your total sleep time is unchanged. This can lead to low energy levels and even increased risk of certain conditions such as diabetes, all because the hormones involved in appetite, glucose regulation and blood pressure are affected by your sleep cycle.
Medications
Many medications have side effects, which is why it’s helpful to read the patient information leaflet carefully before you start taking a new medication so that you know what to expect. Some medications may impact your endocrine system.
Therefore, whenever you’re prescribed a new medication, your doctor should take you through any risks associated with it to help you understand the decision you’re making, as well as making you aware of alternative medications which may be more suitable for you depending on your preferences and needs.
Natural stages of life and changing hormone levels
In some cases, where you are in your life can have an impact on your hormone levels. We’re not talking about getting married, having a career or retiring - we’re talking about the biological stages of life you naturally go through. One example of this is puberty, a time in which hormones are responsible for many physiological changes including breast growth and periods beginning. It’s not uncommon at this stage to experience changing levels of certain hormones which may cause noticeable symptoms.
Another time in your life when your hormone levels change is during pregnancy, when hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone take on new roles to help support your growing baby and prepare your body for childbirth. Later in life, menopause brings with it its own set of hormonal changes which can cause symptoms that may interfere with your day-to-day life.
Although these are considered ‘natural changes’, i.e. changes that are expected consequences of certain biological processes, medications and other treatments may help to make you feel more comfortable as you navigate these stages. It’s also the case that a more problematic imbalance, such as one caused by an underlying condition for example, could develop and be mistaken for these natural hormonal changes.
As we’ve shown above, there are lots of different factors which could contribute towards a change in hormone levels or hormone imbalance, making it difficult to know whether you’re affected. Because of that, if you suspect you have a hormone imbalance, or you simply have unexplained symptoms, you should speak to a qualified doctor about possible causes. They’ll be able to signpost you to the right people who can do tests to explore your hormone levels and help you get to the bottom of any symptoms you may have.
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