HORMONAL IMBALANCE:Control Your Switch

*INTRODUCTION*

Ever wondered why certain things and Situations that you used to look forward to and handle with ease, people you would normally relate so well with can suddenly leave you feeling overwhelmed and easily irritable and you even speak harshly to people unintentionally which at least 90% of the time ,you get to regret afterwards? We guess at some point,you've stopped to wonder why certain body functions shift away from the norm at certain times right?

Well, almost all the time, a hormonal imbalance is usually the major culprit in these situations. When you have too much or too little of a certain hormone, even just small changes can have serious effects all through your whole body.

Before understanding what this Hormonal imbalance is, we must first know what a Hormone and its function is in the body right?

So for ease of understanding, hormones are chemical substances produced by the body to perform and control certain body functions,behaviours and general body make up.

*WHAT ARE HORMONE IMBALANCE* :

Simply put, Hormone imbalance is when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream.

Therefore, because of their essential role in the body, even small imbalance of these hormones can cause side effects throughout the Body.

*CAUSES OF HORMONAL IMBALANCE UNIQUE TO FEMALES:*

Hormonal imbalance as a condition does not only occur in the females, but as well occurs in the males. There are different causes of hormonal imbalance, but in females when these imbalances occur, they affect mostly the reproductive hormones. Hence there are certain factors that can cause these hormonal imbalance in females. The common ones include:

1.menopause

2.pregnancy

3.breastfeeding

4.PCOS(Polycystic ovary Syndrome)

5.premature menopause

6.The use of hormone drugs like birth control pills.

7. Puberty

*SYMPTOMS OF HORMONAL IMBALANCE SPECIFIC TO FEMALES*

In women, the most common cause of hormonal imbalance is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which we will talk about in a few. Your body's normal hormonal cycle mostly changes naturally during:

Puberty, pregnancy,menopause and/or while breastfeeding. These conditions can cause a rise or decline in certain hormones in the body.

Now when these hormonal imbalance occurs, females tend to experience certain symptoms and to them these symptoms occurs at some particular point in their lives which they don't have an answer to, but this article is specifically for the females, to get understand why they are having these strange experiences over time. Some of the common symptoms are given below:

1. Menstrual disorders: Having heavy or irregular periods, including missed periods, stopped period, or frequent period

2. Some may experience excessive hair on the face, chin, or other parts of the body

3. Acne on the face, chest, or upper back which is evident by pimples been seen on these parts of the body

4. Darkening of skin, especially along neck creases, in the groin, and underneath breasts

5. Vagina dryness: which could result in Lost of interest in sex, Urinary tract infection, Vagina itching or stinging.

6. Anxiety and ease of irritability: If your anxiety and mood swings are strong enough to interfere with your daily life, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. You may be depressed or have other health issues that your doctor can help you with. While a hormone imbalance may be part of the problem, it may not be the only culprit.

PCOS(Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges of the ovaries which may sometimes cause pain.

The cause of polycystic ovary syndrome isn't well understood, but may involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors also caused by androgens.

Over 100 cases are recorded a year in Nigeria.PCOS isn't life threatening but people suffering from it are at higher risk of getting type II diabetes,endometrial cancer, CVS problems, liver inflammation and others

*it is advisable to seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist when you notice any of these symptoms or feel free to talk to any of the team members via the team page on the site if you have questions on certain symptoms you noticed and are not clear about. Your health care provider always has the best advice to help you .

By : Aigbosuria Excel Efosa, Omo-Ogbemudia Osamudiamen and Obasogie Osarenmwindamwen Harry.