As a woman, your struggle with hormones is a lifetime thing. You experience fluctuations when you start with your period and continue until menopause. Everything seems to go haywire during your monthly periods as you feel stressed, bloated, and lethargic. Pregnancy can wreak havoc on your hormone levels, so you end up feeling worse between bouts of morning sickness, hunger pangs, and mood swings. Besides these testing times, your endocrine system may be out of order in general. It can cause health issues, weight gain, and depression. So it is vital to keep track of hormonal fluctuations and work on balancing them to be healthy and happy. Here are some early signs to watch out for.
Your skin is dry
Dry skin may not happen only because of using the wrong products or going slack with your skincare routine. The reason could be hypothyroidism, which is a hormonal disorder that slows down the production of thyroid hormone. The condition reduces the skin’s metabolism, affecting its ability to produce natural oils that keep it moist and supple. The next time you notice dryness and flakiness on your skin and it does not go away with the best moisturizers, see an endocrine specialist.
Your hair stops growing
Another warning sign indicating hypothyroidism is hair fall and reduced hair growth. It may also be a sign of an excess of cortisol, the stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Likewise, hair loss may be caused by an imbalance in the sex hormones. You are likely to experience slow hair growth when suffering from PCOS or entering menopause or perimenopause. Your hair feels coarse, and you will have less of it everywhere on your body.
You poop more or less than normal
A sudden change in your toilet habits is a reason to worry because your thyroid hormones may be out of whack. You may switch between constipation and diarrhea at all times. The confusing part is that it may happen either due to hypothyroidism (deficiency of thyroid hormones) or hyperthyroidism (excess of them). Your doctor will recommend a hormone test to diagnose the imbalance and start treatment right away. Keep track of this sign, and act early to prevent major issues.
You pee all the time
Besides disrupting your motion, a hormonal imbalance can cause excessive urination too. You may notice the urge to pee all the time. It may happen due to the weakening of the bladder muscles as you age. But a more serious concern is the improper functioning of the pancreas due to diabetes. Your kidneys have to work harder to expel the excess sugar from your body. Diabetes is a chronic condition, so you must take this sign seriously and get help sooner rather than later r.
You seem to struggle with weight gain
Even the slimmest and fittest women may experience excessive weight gain when their hormones go out of control. The worst part is that losing weight gets challenging, no matter how regular you are with exercise and how conscious you are with your diet. Excessive weight gain often happens when estrogen, cortisol, and insulin levels increase. You may gain extra belly fat due to low levels of thyroxine.
You have a lower libido
Most women encounter a slowdown in the bedroom during the menopausal years because of a drop in estrogen and progesterone levels. Even younger women can face the issue due to an underactive thyroid. Whatever the reason, you should not let hormones claim your love life. The solution is simple as you only need a timely diagnosis and treatment to get your hormonal levels and love life back on track.
You tend to forget things
Brain fog is another sign you should not overlook because it is a symptom of hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormones control the brain’s metabolism, so they deserve all the attention you can give. Disruption can cause the brain to function slowly, which affects your short-term memory and ability to pay attention. You may even end up forgetting day-to-day things and losing track of more important ones eventually. Do not consider memory lapses as an effect of aging, and get a hormone check right away.
Hormones regulate several processes in your body, from managing your appetite and metabolism to regulating sleep cycles and controlling general mood and stress levels. Ensuring they are at optimal levels is crucial for physical and mental well-being. The best way to do it is to assess yourself and look for these early signs. If you notice one or more of these symptoms, consider visiting an endocrine specialist at the earliest.