If you are a woman, you have probably been told that you are hormonal or that your hormones are out of whack. But what does that even mean?

Can your hormones get out of whack? Can they affect your moods and your body? Yes! They actually can! When your hormones get imbalanced, they can harm your body.

Check out these top questions concerning your hormones and hormone imbalances.

So, what exactly are hormones?

Hormones are chemicals within your body that help regulate different functions.

They are connected to your endocrine system and help manage your weight, mood, appetite, sleep, libido, and reproduction.

As a woman, estrogen is the dominant hormone in your body, while a man’s dominant hormone is testosterone. Estrogen helps with sexual development and menstrual cycles.

What is a hormone imbalance?

A hormone imbalance happens when your body’s production of hormones gets off track. For example, estrogen is balanced out by progesterone.

When your body makes too much estrogen or not enough progesterone (or vice versa), you have a hormone imbalance.

These two hormones are not in check, which can negatively affect the body functions they are associated with.

Are there any symptoms of a hormone imbalance?

Yes! Having a hormone imbalance can have some symptoms. The most common are fatigue, headaches, mood swings, swelling and tender breasts, weight fluctuation, constipation, and diarrhea.

However, there are some severe symptoms. These symptoms include irregular periods, risk of cancer, depression, infertility, blood pressure, and heart problems.

Because other problems can cause a majority of these symptoms, many people aren’t aware that they have a hormone imbalance, which may lead to more problems.

What causes hormone imbalance?

There are a lot of things that can cause your hormones to get out of balance. Normal body functions like puberty, menstrual cycles, and pregnancies can cause a hormone imbalance.

Taking some mediations like birth control and steroids can also create a hormone imbalance. However, more serious issues can bring out a hormone imbalance. These include being overweight, over- or underactive thyroid glands, stress, diabetes, poor diet, benign tumors or cysts, and even some types of cancer.

Exposure to hazardous toxins and chemicals can also cause your hormones to become imbalanced.

What are the ways to fix hormone imbalance?

There are several ways to fix your hormone in balance. The first is to improve your overall health.

This includes your diet and exercise. Be careful, though. Some diet and exercise plans are not sustainable and can hurt you in the long run and can damage your imbalanced hormones.

Instead, stick to a sustainable diet and do workouts that are appropriate for your experience and body.

Another way to improve your hormone imbalance is to limit your alcohol intake.

Just like your liver filters and detoxifies alcohol, your liver does the same with some hormones.

If you drink alcohol, your liver will focus on the alcohol before the hormones, ignoring any imbalances.

You can also help manage your hormone imbalance by managing your stress.

Try yoga or mediation, journaling, or seeing a therapist to help manage your stress and help keep your hormones in check.

A final way to avoid hormone imbalance is to avoid toxic chemicals like bleach and other cleaning solutions.

Swap out your toxic household cleaner for gentler, more natural ones.

If you are still experiencing hormone imbalance symptoms after trying these tips, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and your hormones.

In some cases, you might need medications to help balance and regulate your hormones.