Hormone Imbalances in Women

During a woman's lifetime, chances are good that she will experience hormone imbalances. Most automatically think that hormone imbalances are due to menopause, but there are other factors that can throw a body off and cause hormone imbalance.

Premenopause

• Women in their 20s and 30s can experience the "joys" of hormone imbalance, in a process termed premenopause. Premenopause is the time prior to menopause, when women still have their menstrual cycles, but cease ovulating. When a woman ceases to ovulate, her body will not produce the hormone progesterone, which helps keep estrogen in check. When progesterone is not produced, estrogen will build up and cause a hormone imbalance.

Menopause

• While menopause doesn't tend to be recognized until women are in their 40s and 50s, some women can go into menopause as early as their 30s. Menopause is when women cease to cycle, which causes two of the three primary estrogen hormones and testosterone to not be produced. After a period of time, when the ovaries are not producing these hormones, the menses will cease, causing the body into hormone imbalance.

Regulation of Hormones

• The hormones are produced by the endocrine and pituitary systems located in the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a primary system within the brain that controls specific nerve functions. Its control of the impulses to the pituitary glands assists the glands in the proper hormone production. When the impulses are disrupted, due to damage or age, hormones can begin to cease.

  The hypothalamus regulates the hormone production, which means that it is responsible for regulating blood pressure, thirst, hunger, body temperature and metabolism. With the hypothalamus so closely tied with such major functions, the symptoms of hormone imbalances becomes understandable.

Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance

• When the hypothalamus is malfunctioning, particularly in menopausal women, women will see weight gain, hot flashes and night sweats, among other symptoms. Since the hypothalamus is responsible for the regulation of body temperature, a hormone imbalance will result in the sudden onset of hot flashes and night sweats, as the body is responding erratically to hormone imbalance.

  Hormone imbalance also contributes to sudden weight gain in women. With the hypothalamus responsible for metabolism and body temperature, when the hypothalamus isn't functioning properly, metabolism can slow, causing the thermogenic process for fat burning to slow as well, causing significant weight gain.

Other Hormone Imbalance

• Some women can experience a hormone allergy which can cause a hormone imbalance. Prepubescent girls can experience a hormone allergy or sensitivity, which can cause weight problems, fatigue, severe skin problems, thinning scalp hair, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and migraines. Hormone allergies are the body's reaction when the hormones begin to cyclic produce. Once a girl hits puberty, the symptoms can become more severe and cyclic. Most doctors do not recognize the symptoms as symptoms of hormone allergies, and consider it symptoms of menses.

Rememdies for Hormone Imbalances

• When hormone imbalances occur in premenopausal and menopausal women, doctors will address the issue with hormone replacement therapy. Premenopausal women may have or be given birth control pills which are higher in estrogen and progesterone to insure that the hormones are in balance. Menopausal women will receive hormone replacement therapy to increase the hormones and alleviate the menopausal symptoms.