Imbalances in Women Cause Many Discomforts

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Hormones tell your body what to do and when to do it. Your brain sends out chemical messengers that blend with your blood plasma and travel to specific receptors throughout your body. But, they only target cells that can respond to their message.

The production and release of hormones decrease with age, and a decline in response by cell receptors can contribute to weight gain and weight loss resistance. It's clear that balancing them is crucial for managing your weight.

Imbalances are common in women during certain life stages like menstruation, puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Other culprits include medical conditions, lifestyle habits, environmental factors, and faulty endocrine glands. Imbalances in hormones can lead to fatigue, weight gain, itchy skin, and low mood. Dysfunction can impact both glands and organs. For example, pituitary adenomas can cause excess growth hormone to be released in adults.

Hormones Can Impact Weight Loss

When hormones are balanced, levels are neither excessively high nor low. However, imbalances can lead to a broad range of discomforts including more difficulty losing weight than adding pounds. Discussed below are often the cause of imbalances, including:

Estrogen: Estrogen plays an essential role in a female’s journey for growth and development. The primary sex hormone not only regulates menstrual cycles and reproductive system, but it also plays a role in bone formation, blood clotting as well as skin and nail health.

Progesterone: Progesterone is a powerful building block for many hormones including testosterone that is essential in defining male sexual characteristics. Progesterone also plays a role in bone mass, glucose regulation, brain activity, and overall balance for the male or female body.

Testosterone: Since issues with testosterone balance can arise due to illness or as a part of a man or woman’s aging process. Exercise, a healthy diet, and medication management can help to restore balance to your hormone production and release.

Insulin: High glucose levels can harm cells, so understanding how insulin works can be beneficial to healthy living. Released by your pancreas, insulin helps to manage your body’s metabolic processes. Along with glucagon, both hormones work to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Cortisol: Cortisol is an essential hormone that helps you deal with stress, but excessive or prolonged exposure to cortisol can have negative effects on your health. By understanding how cortisol affects your body and taking steps to manage it, can improve your overall health.

Thyroid Hormone: It's important to note that even mild cases of hypothyroidism may increase the risk of weight gain and obesity. However, taking measures to support healthy thyroid function can help regain control of one's body, leading to a positive change in appearance and well-being.

Allowing unexpected hormonal weight gain to go untreated increases your risks of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep disturbances, heart disease and certain types of cancer. In addition, imbalances can contribute to mental health problems as well.

An MRC at-home test kit can help identify any imbalances and guide you towards the right treatment.

Making smart dietary changes can support improved hormonal health and make weight management much easier. Increasing fiber intake, which can be done through fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, promotes the release of ghrelin hormone that controls hunger.