Look over these symptoms to see if you may have a hormone deficiency.
Perimenopause, Menopause and Andropause
Hormone balancing is important for the health of both men and women. Our hormones fluctuate throughout life, but testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone gradually decreases as we age after our 20s. As time passes, we realize that we’re slowing down. We don’t have as much energy as we used. It’s harder to lose weight. Our memory isn’t as sharp as it once was. We’re not sleeping as well. We’re more easily stressed out, and our performance in the bedroom isn’t the same.
Adrenal, Thyroid, and General Health
Hormone balancing isn’t just an issue with age. Cortisol, our stress hormone, can increase or decrease depending on what’s going on in our lives. Thyroid antibodies may appear later in life and cause hypothyroidism. Pregnancy, birth control, and other medications can change hormone levels. Nutrition deficiency, liver health, and gut health also affect our hormones.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help us feel like ourselves again. However, it is important to get a thorough evaluation to see if there are underlying causes that need to be addressed.
Estrogen Deficiency
- hot flashes, night sweats
- vaginal dryness
- foggy thinking, memory lapses
- urinary incontinence
- tearfulness, depressed mood
- insomnia
- heart palpitations
- bone loss
Estrogen Excess/ Progesterone Deficiency
- mood swings, irritability, anxiety, nervousness
- tender breasts, cysts in breast, cysts in ovaries, uterine fibroids
- headaches
- heavy or irregular periods
- high cholesterol
- low libido
- sugar craving
- water retention, bloating
- cold body temperature
Testosterone Excess
- increased facial or body hair
- acne, oily skin
- anger, nervousness, irritability, anxiety
- high cholesterol
- insomnia
- difficulty urinating, prostate problems
Testosterone Deficiency
- low libido
- erectile dysfunction
- vaginal dryness, inability to achieve orgasm
- aches, pains
- foggy thinking, memory lapses, difficulty making plans
- urinary incontinence
- depressed mood, anxiety
- difficulty with sleep
- decreased interest in hobbies or friends
- decreased muscle mass
- heart palpitations
- headaches
- thinning skin
- bone loss
Cortisol Excess
- difficulty with sleep
- bone loss
- fatigue
- weight gain – waist
- loss of muscle mass
- thinning skin
- high cholesterol
- irritability, anxiety, stress, nervousness
- memory lapses
- heart palptiations
- headaches
- sugar cravings
- low libido
- hair loss
- increased facial or body hair
- acne
Cortisol Deficiency
- fatigue
- sugar craving
- allergies, chemical sensitivity
- stress
- decreased interest in hobbies or friends
- irritability
- arthritis
- heart palpitations
- aches and pains
- cold body temperature
Thyroid Excess
- heat intolerance
- irritability
- heart palpitations
- weight loss
- tremors, shakiness
- nervousness, anxiety, panic attacks
- insomnia
- infertility, difficulty conceiving
Thyroid Deficiency
- cold intolerance
- constipation
- fatigue
- unexplained weight gain
- inability to lose weight
- stress
- coarse dry skin
- lack of motivation
- aches, pains
- hair loss
- muscle weakness, cramps
