How a woman can check her harmonious background

Hormones are playing tricks on you - a universal explanation for any woman's illness, from bad moods to weight gain. But not all symptoms of hormonal imbalance can be ignored and waited for them to go away. Still, it's better to check your hormonal levels to see if there are any malfunctions. We will tell you how to check hormonal levels in women below.

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Hormonal levels in women: hormonal imbalance and how to treat it

Humans have 5 endocrine glands that produce hormones: the thyroid and pancreas, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, and gonads. Hormones regulate many processes in the body - insulin maintains blood glucose levels, adrenaline and cortisol help in adaptation to stress, testosterone and estrogen are responsible for sexual function, and thyroid hormones affect general health, metabolism, heart rate, etc.

Ideally, endocrine glands produce as many hormones as the body needs. But there are a number of external factors that can upset this balance:

• unhealthy diet;
• frequent stress;
• excessive physical activity and lack of rest;
• taking medications;
• injuries of the abdominal cavity;
• abortion
• pregnancy
• venereal and other infections;
• puberty and menopause.

As a result, one of the hormones becomes less or more abundant, and this does not go unnoticed by the body.

For example, a lack of estrogen leads to migraines, progesterone to insomnia, and thyroid hormones to constant fatigue. Conversely, an excess of testosterone provokes acne and baldness, estrogen - gastrointestinal disorders, etc. Sometimes there is a disruption in the production of not one, but several hormones at once. In this case, you need to consider them not separately, but in combination. For example, if a woman's insulin, estrogen, and cortisol levels increase, while testosterone, on the contrary, rises, she may experience a sharp weight gain.

This is what is called a hormonal imbalance, a condition that requires a competent assessment and immediate action. If left untreated, hormonal disorders can provoke the development of pathological processes and chronic diseases:

• type 2 diabetes
• infertility
• atherosclerosis
• osteoporosis;
• fibrocystic lumps in the mammary gland, etc.

When to visit an endocrinologist

At the initial stage of hormonal imbalance, there may be no symptoms. However, if you carefully analyze the state of your body, you can notice the first warning signs:

✓ frequent mood swings - from tearfulness to uncontrollable laughter within 10 minutes

✓ menstrual irregularities - when the menstrual cycle "jumps" for 10+ days in both directions;

✓ frequent headaches, migraines

✓ hair in unwanted places - on the chin, upper lip, chest;

✓ insomnia or constant drowsiness;

✓ decreased libido

✓ sudden weight gain or, conversely, rapid weight loss;

✓ excessive sweating;

✓ skin diseases and hair loss.

There are also more specific signs of hormone imbalance that cannot be ignored: constipation, dryness and irritation of the vaginal mucosa, infertility, amenorrhea (complete cessation of menstruation), hypertension, and frequent allergies.

If you have the second group of symptoms, you should not go, but run to a gynecologist-endocrinologist or simply an endocrinologist.

The first appointment of a specialist will be a referral for hormone tests. Most likely, this will be a general hormone panel that includes several types of hormones. If an imbalance is detected, it may be necessary to retest individual types of hormones to clarify the result and assess the dynamics of your condition.

Hormonal imbalance in women: what tests to take

A referral for tests to check the hormonal background in women is prescribed by a doctor. However, you can do a self-referral test in any private laboratory and go to an endocrinologist with the "papers" in hand. The advantage of this option is that you will save time and money on a second visit to the doctor. The downside is that without a medical degree, it is extremely difficult to diagnose, especially such "subtle matters" as hormones. Therefore, you are unlikely to be able to determine which tests to take on your own.

Preparing for hormone tests

Hormones are extremely unstable - their amount fluctuates under the influence of many factors, including the time of day. Therefore, it is extremely important to properly prepare for the test in order not to distort the result.

By the way, some laboratories will ask you for information about your preparation for the test - if you were unable to fulfill any of the points, you should indicate this. However, you should understand that the result may be distorted, so it is better to postpone the day of blood donation until you can fulfill each of the preparation conditions.

1. Come to the laboratory in the morning strictly on an empty stomach.
2. You should have dinner the night before no later than 8-12 hours before the blood donation.
3. On the day of the test, you can drink up to 200 ml of plain water (without gas).
4. Do not eat fried and fatty foods, sweets 1-2 days before the test. Do not drink alcohol 24 hours before the test.
5. Do not smoke for at least an hour before the test.
6. It is better to take the test after the end of treatment with any medications. The optimal time is 10-14 days after taking the last dose of the medication.
7. Avoid intense physical activity three days before the blood test.
8. After coming to the laboratory, you need to rest for 15-20 minutes. And only then go to the laboratory. Consider this recommendation when planning your visit.
9. To get the most accurate result, you should take a second test at the same time of day.

We have given universal recommendations, but the laboratory you plan to visit may have its own conditions for preparing for the tests. This information is usually freely available (on the website). But you can also find it out by phone from the manager.

How to interpret the results

Only a doctor can correctly interpret the test results. But you're eager to find out if there are any hormone disorders before you visit the clinic. Focus on the reference values in each line of the conclusion. Deviations from the norm can be highlighted in color or framed, so they are immediately visible. Do not rush to get upset and panic when you see unpleasant numbers. After all, a drop/increase in the production of one hormone can occur against the background of an imbalance of others, and only a specialist can determine what state your hormonal background is in.

Treatment of hormone imbalance

If the endocrinologist's conclusion confirms your suspicions and you really have a hormonal imbalance, you may be referred for further diagnostics (for example, ultrasound) and other specialized doctors. Remember: the purpose of the study is not to establish the fact of hormone production failure, but to understand and eliminate its cause.

Therefore, the treatment will be comprehensive:

• treatment of the underlying disease;
• lifestyle changes (nutrition, physical activity, work/rest schedule)
• taking hormonal drugs;
• vitamin therapy.

After completing all medical prescriptions, you will need to have your hormone levels checked. The doctor will tell you which tests to take - you may not need to examine the entire panel, but only diagnostic pairs (two hormones that affect each other's synthesis).

*****

You can check your hormonal levels without any special reason - just to identify problems in a timely manner. This is an example of a responsible approach to your health and your wallet, because treating a disease that has just begun to develop is incomparably easier and cheaper than dealing with it at a later stage.