What Can Happen If Your Hormones Get Out of Balance

Your body naturally produces hormones, the chemical messengers responsible for controlling much of your functions. When you have even the slightest imbalance in your hormone levels, you may experience symptoms serious enough to impact your quality of life.

At Ego, with offices in Lodi and Modesto, California, our double board-certified physician Patrick Rhoades, MD, offers comprehensive hormone therapies to help restore balance to your body, so you can enjoy fast and long-lasting relief of your symptoms.

What to know about hormones

Hormones are an essential part of your body’s communication system. They play a role in your growth and development, muscle function, metabolism, sexual function, and body temperature.

Some of the more important hormones include insulin, cortisol, and the reproductive hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. 

These hormones are made by your endocrine system, which includes your pituitary glands, thyroid glands, adrenal glands, and pancreas.

Causes of hormone imbalances

As you get older, your body slows down its production of certain hormones. Women lose estrogen and progesterone as they transition into menopause, the time when periods stop for good. Men can lose testosterone as they age.

Other causes of hormone imbalances include:

• Stress
• Injuries
• Eating disorders
• Thyroid disease
• Cancer treatments
• Use of certain medications

While your hormone levels naturally fluctuate through your life, these factors can cause you to have too much of a certain hormone or too little.

Signs of a hormone imbalance

Because hormones play a role in so many of your body’s functions, an imbalance can cause a wide range of symptoms that affect your physical and mental health. Both men and women can experience hormone imbalance symptoms like:

• Sweating
• Weight gain
• Sudden weight loss
• Muscle aches and weakness
• Joint swelling and stiffness
• Heart palpitations
• Persistent fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Dry skin
• Mood swings
• Anxiety and depression

The loss of reproductive hormones can lower your sex drive. Women with low estrogen levels may also experience pain with sex because of increased vaginal dryness and a lack of natural lubrication.

Symptoms of a hormone imbalance can range from mild to severe and affect individuals in different ways. While some may feel confused or embarrassed by symptoms of a hormone imbalance, there are several therapies available at our office that can help.

Exploring your hormone therapy options

To rebalance the hormone levels in both men and women, we offer comprehensive hormone therapy plans in-office. Dr. Rhoades customizes your treatment plan and dosage to your symptoms, so you can find effective and long-lasting relief.

Hormone therapy options for women include estrogen therapy using pills, patches, topicals, or insertable rings and creams. Viveve vaginal rejuvenation is also available in-office to stimulate new collagen growth for women experiencing vaginal dryness and irritation.

For men, Dr. Rhoades provides testosterone injections, patches, and topical gels.

Each of the available methods deliver a steady stream of replacement hormones into your body to rebalance the level of hormones your body makes naturally. It can take some time to find the right method and dosage for your needs and Dr. Rhoades works closely with you throughout your treatment to ensure your symptoms resolve.

You don’t have to struggle alone with symptoms of a hormone imbalance. Call the Ego office nearest to you today to schedule a hormone therapy consultation or book an appointment online.