Hormones play a key role in so many more aspects of our health than we might expect, including how we feel physically, emotionally and mentally. Hormonal imbalance, as a result, can impact our daily lives profoundly. Because our hormones shift in different ways throughout our lives, achieving hormonal balance is often an ongoing and critical component of achieving optimal health.

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by various glands in our bodies. They travel through the blood to their target locations, the organs and tissues. Once at their final destination, they help regulate bodily functions. The hormonal system tries to balance these hormones in order to create optimal health within the body.

The body has many different hormones, including the most common which are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, thyroid and insulin.

As regulators of our bodily functions, hormones do quite a few things, including regulating and supporting:

Metabolism

Helping us to control weight, muscle mass and energy levels. This is mostly regulated by thyroid and insulin levels.

Growth & Development

Growth hormone is critical in childhood and adolescence.

Homeostatis

Refers to the functions of blood pressure, blood glucose levels and temperature regulation. This is all regulated by hormones.

Reproduction

Estrogen, testosterone and progesterone are essential for the development of the reproductive system and sexual development.

Mood & Sleep

Hormones and neurotransmitters have a close relationship in communicating to regulate mood and sleep. 

Stress Response

Our stress response is regulated through cortisol levels. Too much or too little cortisol can make us feel unwell.

An individual in balance, is an individual in optimal health. Hormonal imbalance occurs when our body is producing too much or not enough of one or several hormones. The quantity of individual hormones is one consideration, but the optimal balance of all of them together is also critical to look at, since all of the hormones must be kept in an ideal balance in order to work together with the body for optimal health.

Life stages, stressful events and chronic health challenges are just some situations that can cause hormonal changes, which are often accompanied with hormonal imbalance. Some examples of these could include having a baby, during menopause, or following a period of grief or loss. Whatever the cause of your hormone imbalance, individuals need help to regain their hormonal health.

Life stages, stressful events and chronic health challenges are just some situations that can cause hormonal changes, which are often accompanied with hormonal imbalance. Some examples of these could include having a baby, during menopause, or following a period of grief or loss. Whatever the cause of your hormone imbalance, individuals need help to regain their hormonal health.

There are many possible symptoms of hormonal imbalance, and patients can experience one or many of these symptoms – and more.  At times, patients can even have a hard time putting their finger on just what their symptoms are.  A woman in her 30s for example, might simply know that she is not feeling like herself, or notice she’s reacting to situations in a way that’s just not ‘her’.  Just some symptoms of hormonal imbalance include:

Because our goal is not only to improve your symptoms, but to help you achieve optimal whole health, we begin with a thorough assessment including a detailed medical history and evaluation of your signs and symptoms. Based on that, we will then conduct some tests to have the best information possible before determining your treatment plan.

Why do we start with tests (rather than going directly to treatment)? In situations with hormonal imbalance, different hormonal imbalances can actually present the same symptoms. For example, patients with elevated estrogen and patients with low progesterone often display a similar set of symptoms. Testing will identify what exactly is happening in the body and, therefore, what the most effective treatment is. Of course, you will have full access to your test results for your personal health records.

Your particular situation will determine which test(s) are most appropriate, however some of the tests we most often use in cases of hormonal imbalance include:

We typically use saliva or dried urine testing to evaluate estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA. We use blood to test for FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), LH (Luteinizing hormone), and prolactin. The main advantage of testing hormones in saliva and urine is that it best reflects the hormone levels in our tissues, which correlates the most with symptoms.