This one is for you guys! You may not believe it at first, but a hormone imbalance in men is common, particularly as they age. In the past, most men just accepted hormone imbalance symptoms as something they needed to suck up and accept. But you don’t have to settle for that!
That’s because there’s usually an underlying cause for a hormone imbalance. If you want to get back to feeling like your young self again, you need to work with a doctor who understands this. They will then treat not just your symptoms but the underlying cause as well.
Male Hormone Imbalance
5 Facts
1 Did you know that your hormones are the chemical messengers in your body? They regulate growth, mood, metabolism, reproduction, movement, stress, respiration, and tissue function? That’s some list! In addition, they’re also interconnected so that if one hormone level gets out of whack, it can affect any number of other hormones and body processes. Unbalanced hormones can affect virtually every aspect of your overall health and functioning.
2 Did you know that men of any age can suffer from a hormone imbalance? However, although most hormonal imbalances in men are part of the aging process, men of any age can have a hormone imbalance.
3 Did you know that most symptoms of “aging” are caused by a hormone imbalance? Furthermore, it’s not just testosterone that’s the problem. Out-of-range cortisol and thyroid levels can also cause symptoms and other problems.
4 Did you know that testosterone levels in men start to decrease by 1% per year starting in your 30s? Furthermore, male growth hormones steadily decrease after the age of 20. That means that at 40, you’ll only be left with half of the original growth hormones. Not only that but by age 80, you will only retain only 5%.
5 Did you know that other factors contribute to hormone imbalances in men? That includes activity level, dietary choices, genetics, injuries, medications, and stress.
Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance in Men
Despite this, it’s easy to chalk up the symptoms of a hormone imbalance to other factors like general fatigue or overwork. Over time, the symptoms tend to worsen. They may eventually seriously disrupt your quality of life. For example, depending on which glands and hormones are affected, symptoms may include:
- Sleep issues
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight gain
- Anxiousness
- Brain fog
- Memory loss
- Irritability
- Issues with sexual performance
- Bad mood or depression
- Inability to maintain muscle mass
- Cognitive decline
- Depression
- Erectile dysfunction
- Hair loss
- Weight gain
Causes of Male Hormone Imbalance
Hormonal imbalances can happen to any man at any time. Everyone experiences a natural period of hormonal fluctuation at some point in their lives. But if the body doesn’t regulate itself back to normal, something is probably to blame.
For example, hormonal imbalances can occur if your endocrine glands are malfunctioning. That’s because the endocrine glands produce, store, and release hormones into the blood. There are 8 endocrine glands located throughout the body:
- Gonads (testis and ovaries)
- Pineal gland
- Pituitary gland
- Hypothalamus gland
- Thyroid and parathyroid glands
- Pancreatic islets
- Pancreas
- Adrenal glands
Several medical conditions can impact the endocrine glands. In addition, certain lifestyle habits and environmental factors will do the same.
The following causes fall into this category:
- Stress
- Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
- Poor diet or nutrition
- Acute injury
- Anabolic steroid medications
- Tumors
- Being overweight
- Certain cancers
- Prostate cancer
- Hypogonadism (low testosterone)
- Chronic or extreme stress
- Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- Hyperglycemia (overproduction of glucagon)
- Hypoglycemia (more insulin produced than there is glucose in the blood)
- Hormonal replacement or birth control medications
- Solitary thyroid nodules
- Pituitary tumors
- Cushing’s syndrome (high levels of the hormone cortisol)
- Addison’s disease (low levels of cortisol and aldosterone)
- Benign tumors and cysts (fluid-filled sacks) that affect the endocrine glands
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (low levels of cortisol)
- Endocrine gland injury
- Severe allergic reactions or infections
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- Iodine deficiency (goiters)
- Hereditary pancreatitis
- Turner syndrome (females with only one functioning X chromosome)
- Prader-Willi syndrome
- anorexia
- Phytoestrogens, naturally-occurring plant estrogens found in soy products
- Exposure to toxins, pollutants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including pesticides and herbicides.
There are so many different causes of hormonal imbalances that the key to determining the root cause of them is to see a healthcare professional. If you know already this is you, contact us today for a consultation. Otherwise read on to discover options for treatment.
Treatment for Hormone Imbalance
Despite everything we’ve said above, we can treat male hormone imbalance successfully. Our treatment of choice is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).
BHRT is a natural solution that uses biologically identical replacement hormones. They have the same chemical structure as those the adrenal glands or testes secrete. They have virtually no side effects when used properly. You can have BHRT in pill, cream, gel, or skin patch forms, but we prefer pellets.
Moreover, we’ll customize BHRT pellet therapy to your unique needs. We can also combine it with supplements. To maximize benefits, you should also support your treatment with dietary changes, exercise, and overall lifestyle adjustments.
Despite this, you may be wondering if hormone replacement is safe? The honest answer is that no one really knows. However, we do know there are many benefits to anti-aging and maintaining your body’s health as you grow older.
Should you take hormones? Only you can answer that question. We hope we’ve answered your questions here but we’re always willing to answer more. You can also check out FAQs on our website or call us directly to speak to one of our dedicated, compassionate team members.
Get Started With BHRT?
At Health Horizons, we’d love to get you back to better health as soon as possible. If you think you think you’d like to go ahead with BHRT, schedule a consultation today.
