A woman’s body from puberty to menopause is subject to cyclic monthly hormonal changes that affect not only the reproductive system, but also the functioning and health of the whole organism.
The level of hormones must be maintained within certain limits. A sharp change in the hormonal balance, causing various disturbances in well-being, the manifestation of symptoms of infertility, problems with menstruation, is called a hormonal failure.
Why do women need hormones
Hormones in a woman subordinate her body to one of the most important tasks of existence – the safe conception and bearing of children. It is for this that the eggs mature monthly, the structure of the endometrium and mammary glands changes.
Under the influence of hormones in the body of a woman, special changes occur that facilitate the bearing of the baby in the event of a possible conception. Now imagine what would happen if the hormones were thrown into disarray. Can conception, bearing and birth of a child be successful?
In addition, the imbalance of hormones is reflected in the appearance, well-being of a woman and the state of internal organs. Earlier, about thirty years ago, hormonal disruptions were typical for women of Balzac age, but today women’s hormonal diseases have become significantly “younger” – problems can still arise in very young girls.
Why does hormonal imbalance occur?
With a hormonal failure, there is a change in the level of several female hormones at once – estrogen and progesterone.
If there is little luteinizing hormone, failures occur in the first phase of the cycle, and the egg will not be able to mature. If there is not enough progesterone and FSH (pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone), a mature egg cannot leave the follicle – it will not happen ovulation. In case of insufficiency of the hormone progesterone, the second phase of the cycle will be disrupted, and implantation of the embryo will not be able to occur.
In addition, hormonal problems can arise due to an increase in the level of testosterone, the male hormone of the genital area, hormones of the adrenal cortex or thyroid hormones – all of them, one way or another, are involved in shaping a woman’s reproductive health.
Hormone imbalance can occur because of abortiontaking shock doses of hormonal drugs during unprotected sex, self-administered, without consulting a doctor, taking oral contraceptives, stress at work or at home, having bad habits, poor nutrition with sharp fluctuations in weight, due to chronic diseases in the body, especially damage to the thyroid gland , kidney or adrenal glands.
Manifestations of hormonal problems
The set of symptoms and the degree of their manifestation depend on age, since the manifestations of hormonal failure at the age of puberty will differ significantly from those in mature women.
In young girls signs of failure are the absence of menstruation after the age of sixteen, an irregular cycle, underdevelopment, small size of the mammary glands, increased body hair and excessive thinness. This usually indicates a lack of female sex hormones and is corrected by taking special drugs in consultation with the doctor.
In women of childbearing age signs of a violation in the hormonal background are problems with menstruation – when they are constantly delayed, allocation scanty or copious and painful. Hormones are naughty and with the development of uterine bleeding, mastopathy, lumps in the chest arealoss or, conversely, increased growth of hair on the body, with a sharp weight gain, swelling, sweating and libido disorders.
If you have noted all of these symptoms or some of them in combination with others: headaches, nausea, mood disturbances, motion sickness, drowsiness– you need to contact a gynecologist.
Why are hormonal imbalances dangerous?
By themselves, the symptoms of hormonal disruptions are often very unpleasant, especially painful menstruation or malaise. In addition, these failures lead to the development of problems in the reproductive sphere and diseases of the whole organism.
The main consequences of hormone imbalance can be breast tumors, infertility, recurrent miscarriages, uterine fibroids, asthma and migraines, polycystic ovary syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer.
Hormonal disruptions do not have the best effect on a woman’s weight: she either pathologically loses weight or gains weight very much. Hormones are responsible for the growth and beauty of hair, cleanliness of the skin and complexion: with an imbalance of hormones, the hair dries out, breaks and falls out, the skin becomes dull and pigmented, hair grows excessively on the arms and legs, acne appears on the face and body.
What to do
Unfortunately, women take these symptoms lightly, especially in their youth. As a result, they waste valuable time running the process. This leads to long-term treatment in the future and even inability to have children.
Therefore, if your menstrual cycle has gone astray, unpleasant symptoms have appeared, consult a gynecologist. First of all, the doctor will examine you, offer to do an ultrasound scan and take a blood test for hormone levels. Perhaps you are just tired and need to rest or change your diet.
If your hormone levels change, your doctor will prescribe corrective hormone therapy, usually oral contraceptives or reflexology (acupuncture). On average, the course of treatment takes from three to six months, then a blood test for hormones is monitored.
In advanced cases, combined methods of treatment are used, up to surgical treatment for ovarian sclerocystosis or the presence of fibroids.
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It must be remembered that with a timely visit to the doctor, the chances of a complete restoration of the hormonal background are very high, especially in young women. In a woman after forty years, hormone replacement therapy and herbal preparations are usually used to smoothly enter menopause and maintain beauty and health.
