What Are the Causes of Hormonal Imbalance in Men?

You may think that a hormonal imbalance is something that only happens to older men.  The reality is that every male can experience some type of health issue that leads to a decrease in testosterone and other essential hormones.  Here are a few examples that may surprise you.

Side Effects of Medication

A number of medications can interfere with the natural production of testosterone, estrogen, and other hormones.  Some of the more common drugs to treat conditions like prostate cancer are known to trigger a decrease in testosterone production.  Tricyclic antidepressants can also be the reason for the hormonal imbalance.  There are even medications for ulcers that may have some impact on hormone production. When possible, work with your physician to adjust the dosage or switch to a drug that is less likely to interfere with hormone production.

Chemotherapy

Undergoing chemotherapy treatments to combat cancer also has the potential to trigger a hormonal imbalance.  Depending on the number of treatments and how many are administered each week, it may take some time for the decrease to occur.  There’s a good chance that undergoing hormone replacement therapy soon after completing the chemotherapy will reverse the problem.

Chronic Health Conditions

Did you know that mean with chronic health issues like type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of experiencing a hormone imbalance?  Along with using diet, exercise, and medication to control blood glucose levels, it pays to find out if HRT is needed to restore hormone levels to a normal range.

Ongoing Stress

There is no real way to live without some type of stress.  To some degree, a little stress is a good thing.  When the stress becomes severe and continues for an extended amount of time, it will begin to negatively impact every organ in the body.  That includes the ones that regulate and produce hormones.  Depending on how long the stress has been going on, it may be some time before it is possible to produce enough of each hormone to restore a proper balance.  In the interim, replacement therapy is the only real option.

Injuries to the Pituitary Gland or Hypothalamus

When the vital organs involved in the production of hormones are damaged due to accidents, there is an increased risk of developing hypogonadism.  Choosing to undergo HRT testosterone treatments may be the only way to compensate for the damage and prevent the development of problems like personality changes, reduced libido, and a loss of muscle mass.

Tumors located on or near these organs will also lead to a hormonal imbalance.  Removing the tumor may or may not be enough to restore full function.  If not, then replacement therapy is the best approach.

If you are diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance, don’t think that things will never get better.  Treating this type of condition is more effective than ever.  Talk with your doctor about the different forms of administration and how quickly you will begin to notice a difference.  With the right treatment series, you’ll soon feel more like yourself and ready to take on the world.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Fights Menopause

Menopause means the end of menstrual cycles, but it also means that the balance of hormones in the body is thrown out of sync for a time.  In order to provide relief from the effects of menopause, many doctors encourage women to undergo hormone replacement therapy.  The use of HRT does have a significant impact on the difficulty that comes with this transition in life.  Here are some of the things that the right type of hormone therapy will accomplish.

Reducing the Severity and Frequency of Hot Flashes

It is impossible to explain how it feels to have a hot flash.  The rush of inner heat comes out of nowhere and is often severe enough to leave you winded and feeling weak.  One of the things that hormone replacement therapy will do is weaken those flashes.  As the therapy continues and the hormone imbalance is corrected, the flashes will not occur as often.  

Restoring a Balanced Mood

The sudden shifts in temperament and mood are disconcerting for everyone.  Loved ones never know when something will trigger a bout of anger, sorrow, or irritation.  For you, feeling fine one moment and suddenly experiencing a surge of emotion for no apparent reason is unsettling.  You may even feel that it’s better to avoid social situations because you are not sure what you will say or do when such a change takes place.

With hormone replacement therapy, your mood will begin to return to normal.  Your personality will be as it was before menopause began, instead of being something that you don’t even recognize.  As the imbalance is slowly corrected, you’ll find it easier to look forward to spending time with others once again.

Getting Recuperative Sleep

Not everyone realizes what an impact a hormonal imbalance can have on sleep patterns.  As you move forward with hormone replacement therapy, those nights of tossing and turning will go away.  You’ll be able to go to sleep and stay that way until morning.  Since you are well rested, facing the day with a lot of optimism will be much easier.

Your Sex Drive Returns

Between the hot flashes, the mood swings, and the sleepless nights, is it any wonder that you have no desire for intimacy?  Choosing to undergo hormone replacement therapy provides what your body is not producing in sufficient quantities right now.  As the balance is restored, you’ll have more energy and more interest in your romantic partner.

Remember that the type of hormone replacement needed will vary from one situation to the next.  That’s why you must work closely with your doctor.  While the most common situations involve the need to replace estrogen or progesterone, there may be the need for some HRT testosterone treatments as well.

Your doctor can monitor the effects, work with you to adjust the dosage, and ensure that you are getting what you need.  Remember that what you are experiencing will not last forever.  Once the need for therapy is no longer present, the doctor will gradually reduce the dosage and you can get on with the business of enjoying life.

Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women

Until a person experiences a hormone imbalance, it’s impossible to understand how different the world feels.  Fortunately, you do not have to live with this problem forever.  It is possible to undergo hormone replacement therapy and get your life back.  Here are some of the ways that this type of therapy will benefit women who are suffering from this condition.

Preventing Mood Swings

One of the more severe signs of a hormone balance in women is mood swings.  These are not simply situations in which you feel irritated by the actions or words of another human being.  Events that you used to take with a grain of salt now seem to trigger a great deal of anger.   Things people say that would normally not bother you are suddenly reasons to feel deeply hurt.  You may question whether you have a real friend in the world.

The use of HRT to restore a proper balance of your hormones will lessen the intensity of the mood swings.  As the therapy continues, you’ll notice that the world is not such a terrible place after all.  Friends and family are no longer unbearable.  In fact, they are quite nice to be around.

Saying Goodbye to Hot Flashes

A hormone imbalance in women is likely to lead to recurring hot flashes.  These are not episodes when you feel a little flushed.  As you know all too well, they seem to begin deep inside and the sudden heat is almost unbearable.  Many women find that they feel weaker after an episode.  

As the HRT testosterone or estrogen treatments progress, those hot flashes will decrease in intensity.  You’ll also notice that they seem to happen less frequently.  Even if the therapy accomplished nothing else, being free of these hot flashes will greatly enhance your quality of life.

Intimacy is Fun Again

Owing to a hormone imbalance in women, the idea of being intimate with a partner holds little to no appeal.  As the treatments begin to take effect, it is not unusual to experience a return of the sex drive and look forward to spending time with that special someone.  When the imbalance is complicated by dryness, you may find that your body once again responds to intimate situations by producing an adequate amount of lubrication.

Less Risk of Major Health Issues

Not everyone understands what a hormone imbalance in women does in terms of increasing the risk of cardiovascular and other problems.   Once you begin the therapy, your chances of having a stroke or a heart attack will return to a normal range.  You’ll also notice that your level of bad cholesterol drops while the level of the good cholesterol increases.  Even the potential for your bones to lose density will decrease as the therapy continues.

As with any type of treatment, there are some risks associated with HRT.  Many of those risks can be managed effectively by working closely with your doctor.  Along the way, the fact that you are feeling better than you have in some time will make you happy that you chose to move ahead with the replacement treatments.