Top 5 Causes of Hormonal Imbalances

Hormonal imbalances may seem like a curse, with women often left feeling confused and frustrated about its causes…and how to deal with it.

Even with the availability of treatment options like hormone replacement therapy, prescribed medications, and changes in lifestyle, there is still a huge percentage of the general population suffering from the consequences of hormonal imbalances.

Lack of sex drive, persistent weight gain, unexplained cravings, weird mood swings, and breakouts of acne are merely some of its most common and unpleasant symptoms.

Your first best bet at having well-balanced hormones is to create an increased awareness about its causes.

Self-education is a preliminary step in being able to find the relief that will work best in individual cases.

Poor Diet

As they say, you are what you eat. If you choose to eat healthy, which may feel like a sacrifice for most people who are used to eating junk, you will have a better state of hormone health.

On the other hand, if you maintain a poor diet, you are a more likely candidate to a variety of health problems, including hormonal imbalances.

Experts suggest that your diet should contain a balance of green and leafy vegetables, fruits, carbs, healthy fats, and clean proteins to keep your hormones at a favorable level.

If you are experiencing hormonal imbalance, one of the reasons may be a lack of fiber in your daily diet. Make sure to eat fibrous foods like nuts, sweet potato, and kale to allow the body to eliminate excess hormones through your digestive tract.

Environmental Factors

Pollution is another common cause of hormonal imbalances. The different toxins that get released into our air supply have a negative impacts on our health.

If you live in a bustling metropolis, there is a higher likelihood of suffering from hormone disturbances.

Even at home, the cleaning, personal care, and makeup products that you use regularly may likely contain a wealth of pollutants that can affect your hormones negatively…and in more ways than one!

Petrochemicals that are found in foam packing, cleaning agents, and even your car exhaust can lead into exposure to unnatural estrogen-mimicking properties. Once these are absorbed by the body, they can thrive in your receptor cells and may inhibit the production of progesterone.

Chronic Stress

If you are subjected to stress from work, raising a family, managing your business, or even the simplest of situations or events, there is a higher tendency of suffering from a hormonal imbalance.

Every time that you are caught in a stressful situation, pregnenolone (which is essential in the production of female hormones) is diverted from its normal pathway. This in turn causes a hormonal imbalance.

In addition, if you are in your menopausal stage, which is characterized by changes in hormone activity, you might already be more stressed out on an emotional level.

Medications

There is a reason why professional consultation with a well-versed practitioner is necessary before taking any medications or supplements – to make sure that they will not have an adverse effect on your body.

Several studies in the past have shown how medicines can be a cause of hormonal imbalance. A perfect example of such would be in the case of birth control pills.

Although hormonal birth control is commonly used by some doctors to treat hormonal imbalance, there are instances wherein it works the other way around…that is: it becomes the cause and not the solution.

Taking these pills can cause an increase in the level of progesterone. Hormonal imbalance is also common for people who have suddenly discontinued taking birth control pills after prolonged use.

Aging

It is a given fact of life that you will age through your years. It is this guaranteed aging that also naturally brings hormonal imbalances.

Hormonal imbalances due to aging (as well as the aforementioned causes of imbalance) can lead to irritability, mood swings, and other common, uncomfortable symptoms.

DHEA, which is considered to be a precursor to estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, is linked to an imbalance in hormones as a result of aging. More so, once you enter your menopausal stage, it is also most likely that hormonal activities will be disrupted, leading to the imbalanced levels of such in your body.