Hormonal Imbalance & Stress

The topic of stress and female hormonal imbalance begs the question: Which came first---the stress or the hormonal imbalance? Perhaps this conundrum can never be answered, but the fact is that a woman can't cope effectively when she's not at the top of her game, which is impossible if her hormones are out of whack.

Pregnenolone

• If a woman is suffering from long and drawn out stress, a change occurs in pregnenolone, which is a hormone that is vital for producing female hormones as well as enabling the individual to cope with stress. Pregnenolone is sidetracked from its normal hormone pathway. When this happens, the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, become compromised.

Results

• When female hormones aren't able to do their job because of stress, this can result in headaches, mood swings, weight gain, sleeplessness and irritability, according to Biohealthinfo.com.

Hypothyroidism

• According to Dr. Mark Hyman of Healthcity.site90.net, hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) can cause hormonal imbalances and result in physical and mental problems. When hypothyroidism occurs, and this is a particularly common condition in menopausal women, your metabolism has slowed down to the extent that it is going to cause problems throughout your body, including in your muscles, your brain, your heart and your belly. A low body temperature along with swollen eyelids and feet, enlarged thyroid gland, dry mouth, low blood pressure, coarse skin, excessive ear wax, fluid retention, a thick tongue and decreased reflexes in the ankle can indicate to a physician that hypothyroidism has occurred. Hypothyroidism causes fatigue and brain fog, as well as a host of other physical symptoms, which can make dealing with daily stresses even more difficult.

Internal and External Stresses

• A woman can be internally stressed as well as externally. The external stresses are easily identified: problems at work, loss of a loved one, losing a job. It's the internal factors that are easy to miss. If a woman has a virus, parasites, fungi, food sensitivities, or unfriendly yeast or bacteria, this can cause her added stress and further disrupt her hormones.

Low Estrogen Levels

• If a woman has low estrogen levels because of menopause, this can result in fatigue, loss of memory, hot flashes and a host of other unpleasant symptoms that can make dealing with stress even harder.

Perimenopause and Menopause Take Their Toll

• According to Bodylogic,md.com, perimenopause and menopause can do such a number on a woman's hormones that, in addition to feeling as if she can't cope any longer, she may succumb to depression. The symptoms alone---hot flashes, night sweats, inability to sleep---that women experience during perimenopause and menopause can result in stress, which can lead to frustration and depression. Three hormones play a major part in depression including estrogen, progesterone and cortisol.

The Three Hormones

• When a woman's estrogen levels drop, this can make her feel sad and hopeless. Earlier in her life when her estrogen levels were high, she was better able to fight depression and sleep well. Estrogen boosts serotonin. In addition, estrogen raises endorphins and the "calming" neurotransmitter that is called GABA. Abnormal levels of progesterone can cause bad moods and insomnia. Good levels of progesterone are comparable to taking an antidepressant. The stress hormone, cortisol, definitely can cause depression if its levels get too high or too low. Low levels of cortisol make if very difficult for a woman to deal with stress, and it also causes mood instability.