Symptoms of hormones out of balance.
From Dr Sara Gottfried with Sally's comments added
High Cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that tells your body how to react in times of stress--high levels can lead to accelerated aging and cause too much breakdown of cells and tissues. High cortisol can also make you feel "tired but wired" and cause sleep difficulties, such as difficulty falling asleep or disrupted sleep. Because it causes your body to store fuel, as fat, in places it can be used easily--such as your waist--it can cause a thickened waistline, more colloquially known as the dreaded “muffintop." You might also experience memory lapses or feel distracted, especially under duress, and experience skin conditions such as eczema. Other effects can include anxiety or nervousness, quickness to anger, sugar cravings, and high blood sugar and/or blood sugar instability.
What to do. Keep in mind that this is the most common hormone imbalance I see in people, so please keep up the good work of managing your stress skillfully, such as with a regular contemplative practice, limiting alcohol and sugar, and getting plenty of restorative sleep. Meditation controls cortisol levels … even focused breathing for a few minutes, is greatly beneficial. Remember that progesterone is “Nature's Valium” and you respond calmly to the stress rather than react to it.
Low Thyroid.... can cause decreased mental acuity, fatigue, and constipation. Long-term low levels are associated with delayed reflexes and a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease. Low thyrod can slow your metabolism, causing your weight to climb--even if you eat less and exercise more. Other effects can include sluggish reflexes, low sex drive, and depression or moodiness.
What to do. Please keep in mind that 1 in 5 women develops thyroid difficulties over her lifetime. Be on the lookout for symptoms of low thyroid function -- particularly rising cholesterol, hair loss, weight gain, and fatigue. Natural Progesterone therpy often is enough to sort this problem out
Low Oestrogen. Oestrogen is actually a group of hormones responsible for keeping women juicy, joyous, and jonesin' for sex! Low oestrogen causes your mood and libido to tank and makes your vagina less moist, your joints less flexible, your mental state less focused and alive.
What to do. Keep in mind that this occurs in most women in the year prior to their last period and thereafter. This is where Natural Progesterone therapy really helps, as it is not only the antagonist to oestrogen but also manufactures the right oestrogen for that particlar stage in life
Low Cortisol..... is the long-term consequence of high cortisol--you could have low cortisol AND high cortisol simultaneously, making you feel exhausted and drained, like a car trying to run on an empty gas tank. This can lead to fatigue or burnout, loss of stamina, crying jags, feeling stressed, insomnia, and salt cravings.
What to do. Because low cortisol comes from long-standing high cortisol, you want to take care to prevent low cortisol from happening to you by skillfully managing stress, regularly de-stressing, eating nourishing foods, and limiting alcohol and sugar, plus getting plenty of restorative sleep.
Low Progesterone. Progesterone counterbalances oestrogen by helping regulate the uterine lining (i.e., keeps the lining from getting too thick), emotions, and sleep. Low progesterone can cause infertility, night sweats, sleeplessness, and irregular menstrual cycles. It also causes memory problems as 50% of the progesterone receptor sites are found in the brain, so supplementing with a natural, bio-identical progesterone cream is the answer
What to do. Because this is the MOST COMMON hormone imbalance that arises for women after age 35, make sure you track your symptoms carefully and retake this quiz if you start to show more symptoms, as you enter perimenopause. Natural progesterone supplementation is really helpful at this stage of life.
High Oestrogen. Leads to Oestrogen dominance. You need oestrogen and progesterone in balance, so supplement with a natural PROGESTERONE CREAM to up your progesterone levels.
What to do. Keep in mind the overlap of these symptoms with symptoms of low or slow progesterone, particularly in perimenopause.
High Androgens...... can cause hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia and/or unstable blood sugar; reactivity and/or irritability or excessively aggressive or authoritarian episodes; and depression or anxiety.
