Women’s Health: Understanding Hormonal Imbalance

Low estrogen or testosterone can be a common underlying cause for a wide range of symptoms. From physical fatigue to weight gain to inconsistent mood regulation, hormonal imbalances are serious issues that require dedicated time, attention, and expertise to correct. At Olympus MD, we specialize in the signs of low estrogen and take care in providing tailored treatments and regimens to manage hormonal imbalances over time. Learn more about the symptoms and signs of low estrogen and testosterone that can indicate it’s time to seriously consider Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) or Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

Fatigue: The 1st Warning Sign

Fatigue can be caused by many things, from lifestyle changes to sudden stress and hormonal changes. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to gauge from fatigue alone that you may have low estrogen, but there are some steps you can take at this stage.

If you can, try to remove conflicting variables, such as an irregular sleep schedule, dietary imbalances, and excessive stress. If you can eliminate or reduce these causes but still feel fatigued, it’s time to reach out to a medical care provider. You can maintain a journal even if you can’t cross off other potential causes. Document symptoms, periods of severe fatigue, and trends over the weeks. This documentation can help you and your doctor work together to find patterns.

Brain Fog

During menopause and perimenopause, brain fog is a common symptom. Estrogen plays a vital role in brain health and can help stimulate neurons, help cells grow or form connections, and bolster your mental health against depression and low brain energy. However, just like fatigue, it can be challenging to identify when brain fog is present and what might be causing it out of myriad potential causes. If you find yourself thinking slowly, becoming readily confused or frustrated, or struggling with mental tasks, and you are suffering from higher fatigue than you expect, the two combined factors can help point toward low estrogen or low testosterone.

Mood Swings: Anxiety and Depression

There are two main ways in which low estrogen or testosterone can impact your mood or increase your risks of anxiety and depression:

1. Causal: Because estrogen plays such an essential role in the brain, it can directly increase irritability, stress, and depressive moods. It can also directly exacerbate negative feelings.
2. Indirect: Fatigue, brain fog, and irritability will naturally increase frustration, anxiety, anger, and sadness. Even if low estrogen doesn’t directly cause anxiety and depression for you, it can enhance feelings that do lead to these mental concerns.

Again, journaling is an excellent strategy for documenting signs of low estrogen over time so you can see potential increases or trends in mood swings, anxiety, and depression. However, if you are experiencing severe or extreme emotional turbulence, it is best to reach out to a doctor immediately.

Stubborn Weight Gain

Can low estrogen cause weight gain? There are three main estrogen types, some of which are linked to how female bodies metabolize food and gain weight. Estradiol, for example, helps regulate body weight and tends to decrease at the onset of menopause. Weight gain is a common sign of low estrogen during perimenopause and menopause. You are also more likely to gain visceral and abdominal fat, which presents additional health concerns.

Schedule Your Consultation

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, it’s time to start thinking about ERT or TRT and how to manage lower natural estrogen and testosterone production. At Olympus MD, our team can discuss your symptoms with you, provide tests, and recommend courses of treatment for replacing estrogen and testosterone and correcting hormonal imbalance. Reach out today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how low estrogen or testosterone may present itself.

IMG Credit: Monster Ztudio