Hormones are vital for regulating major bodily processes. Because of their essential role in the body, even small hormonal imbalances can cause side effects throughout the body.

What are the signs of hormonal imbalance?

Hormones are chemicals produced by glands in the endocrine system and released into the bloodstream. Too much or too little of a hormone leads to hormonal imbalance or hormonal fluctuations.  

Hormones play an important role in your overall health. There is a broad range of signs that could indicate a hormonal imbalance. Your signs will depend on which hormones or glands are not functioning properly.  

Some common hormonal issues affecting women can lead to the following symptoms: 

• Weight gain or unexplained and sometimes sudden weight loss
• Increased or decreased heart rate
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches or weakness, tenderness and stiffness
• Pain, stiffness, or swelling in your joints
• Sweating
• Increased sensitivity to cold or heat
• Constipation or more frequent bowel movements
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger and thirst
• Decreased sex drive
• Depression and anxiety
• Nervousness or irritability
• Blurred vision
• Dry skin
• Puffy face
• Stretch marks
• A lump of fat between the shoulders
• Thinning hair or fine, brittle hair
• Infertility

What causes hormonal imbalance?

Certain lifestyle habits and environmental factors may play a role in hormonal imbalances.

Causes of hormonal imbalances include:   

• Chronic stress
• Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity
• Hyperglycemia (overproduction of glucagon)
• Hypoglycemia (more insulin produced than there is glucose in the blood)
• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
• Over- or underproduction of the parathyroid hormone
• loss of appetite
• Anorexia
• Goiters
• Endocrine gland injury
• Cancers that involve endocrine glands
• Hormonal replacement or birth control medications
• Abuse of anabolic steroid medications
• Solitary thyroid nodules
• Pituitary tumors
• Cushing’s syndrome (high levels of the hormone cortisol)
• Addison’s disease (low levels of cortisol and aldosterone)
• Benign tumors and cysts (fluid-filled sacks) that affect the endocrine glands
• Severe allergic reactions or infections
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• Hereditary pancreatitis
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (low levels of cortisol)
• Phytoestrogens, naturally-occurring plant estrogens found in soy products
• Turner syndrome (females with only one functioning X chromosome)
• Exposure to toxins, pollutants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including pesticides and herbicides.

How to improve hormonal imbalance naturally?   

1. Eliminate refined sugar: Sugar keeps insulin high, leading to female hormonal imbalance and paving the way for insulin resistance. Food sensitivities, including gluten intolerance, can also increase inflammation and can also lead to hormonal imbalances, including elevated cortisol.   
2. Manage weight: Inefficient weight management and an unhealthy diet can also result in female hormone imbalance. Eating too much or too little can spike up insulin levels, cortisol production and can negatively affect metabolism. 
3. Eat right:  To ensure that your hormones are not underactive or overactive, it is important to have a well-balanced diet. You should include more of proteins, fiber-rich food and avoid carbs and refined sugar. Also, include healthy fats in your diet, which boost hormone production. Certain foods such as caffeine and dairy, if consumed in excess can cause hormonal imbalance.   
4. Emphasize gut health:  Keep your gut healthy with a balanced diet, lots of fruits, vegetables and whole foods. Add fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, miso, sauerkraut and kimchi to your diet in order to increase the number of healthy bacteria in your gut. Dairy products and probiotics can also help.
5. Avoid stress: Chronic stress is a major cause of hormonal imbalance in women. Therefore, women should take steps to de-stress themselves—example strategies are meditation, yoga, physical exercise, deep breathing exercises, talking it out with trusted others, etc.
6. Get adequate sleep:  Sleep disturbances can contribute to numerous health problems including female hormonal imbalance. Adequate sleep is a natural way to balance hormones. Women should try to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.  
7. Use adaptogen herbs: Adaptogen herbs and some healing plants help boost the body's immunity. Example holistic herbs and plants include ashwagandha, holy basil, turmeric, licorice, ginseng and Goji berry.
8. Get physical exercise:  The right amount and kind of exercise can positively impact every hormone. Research has suggested several benefits of higher-intensity exercise for hormone balance, but what matters is what you do. So, keep moving!
9. Use certain oils:  One of the natural ways to balance hormones is to eliminate toxins in your body by avoiding conventional body care products that are made with harmful chemicals such as DEA, parabens, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate. A better alternative is to use natural products made with ingredients such as essential oils, coconut oil, shea butter and castor oil.
10. Know your medications:   Some medicines can negatively affect hormonal balance, leading to fatigue, appetite changes, altered sleeping patterns, low libido, sadness and even depression. Some medications that result in hormonal imbalance include corticosteroids, stimulants, statins, dopamine agonists, rexinoids and glucocorticoids.