Hormonal Imbalances in Women: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

June 03, 2025

While it’s normal for a woman’s hormones to fluctuate during menopause, menstruation, and pregnancy, hormones can become imbalanced for a number of other reasons. Since hormone imbalances can lead to serious health issues and typically cause unpleasant symptoms, it’s important to receive prompt treatment for them. As you try to stay on top of any potential hormonal imbalances, review our guide to the primary symptoms, causes, and treatment options for hormonal imbalances in women and people who are assigned female at birth.

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are essential for your body’s proper functioning, with the chemicals acting as messengers for your muscles, skin, organs, and other tissues. Basically, hormones tell your body what to do and when to do it. When these hormones are out of balance, the messages they send to your body can be disrupted, affecting your health and well-being.

What Are Hormonal Imbalances?

A hormonal imbalance happens when your body has too much or too little of certain hormones circulating in your blood. Since hormones act as chemical messengers controlling essential processes throughout your body, even a small imbalance can cause noticeable symptoms or health issues.

Hormonal imbalances can affect:

  • Stress
  • Sleep
  • Growth
  • Body Temperature
  • Mood
  • Reproductive Cycles
  • Metabolism
  • Sleep

Alongside affecting those functions, a significant hormonal imbalance can cause endocrine conditions, such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes, hypogonadism, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). 

Types of Hormones in Women

Understanding which hormones may be out of balance can help guide treatment. Key hormones in women and people assigned female at birth include:

  • Estrogen — regulates reproductive health, bone density, mood, and more

  • Progesterone — supports menstrual cycles and pregnancy

  • Testosterone — influences muscle mass, mood, libido

  • Insulin — controls blood sugar levels

  • Cortisol — manages stress response and metabolism

  • Growth hormone — supports tissue growth and repair

  • Adrenaline — prepares the body for “fight or flight” responses

  • Thyroid hormones (T3, T4) — regulate metabolism and energy

If you’re noticing symptoms that concern you — such as fatigue, mood swings, irregular periods, or weight changes — a healthcare provider can run simple blood tests to check your hormone levels and help you create a plan for treatment.

What Causes Hormonal Imbalances in Women?

Hormonal imbalances in women are completely normal during menopause or before/during a period or pregnancy. While some imbalances are normal, other hormonal imbalances can be caused by health issues (e.g., cysts, tumors, diabetes, certain diseases, etc.), medications, environmental exposure to chemicals, and even stress. 

14 Primary Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalances in Women

Hormonal imbalances can be a serious concern, but they’re often very treatable. Once you know the primary symptoms of hormonal imbalances in women and people assigned female at birth, you can take action quickly to receive treatment and correct the imbalance. As you try to stay on top of your hormonal health, review the 14 main symptoms of hormonal imbalances in women and how they tend to be treated:

  1. Weight Gain: Weight gain is often linked to elevated cortisol or insulin resistance. Estrogen dominance can also cause fat retention, especially around the hips and abdomen. Additionally, menopause, Cushing’s disease, and hypothyroidism can affect hormones that lead to weight gain. Treatment may involve dietary changes, stress management, and hormone-regulating medications.
  2. Fatigue: Low thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism) or imbalanced adrenal hormones like cortisol can lead to chronic tiredness. Treatment includes thyroid support, stress reduction, and sometimes hormone replacement therapy.
  3. Irregular Periods: Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone can disrupt the menstrual cycle. Birth control, hormone therapy, or addressing underlying conditions like PCOS are common treatments.
  4. Mood Swings and Anxiety: Shifts in estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol levels can affect brain chemistry, often resulting in mood swings and/or anxiety. Lifestyle changes, therapy, and hormone-balancing supplements or medications may help stabilize mood.
  5. Acne or Oily Skin: High androgen levels (like testosterone) can cause adult acne and oily skin. Treatment options for this symptom include anti-androgen medications, hormonal contraceptives, and skincare routines.
  6. Hair Thinning or Hair Loss: Low estrogen or high androgen levels can lead to hair loss. Treatment for hormone-induced hair loss or thinning may include hormone therapy, topical solutions, or supplements targeting hair health.
  7. Low Libido: Decreased estrogen or testosterone can reduce sexual desire. Hormone therapy, stress management, and addressing relationship factors may improve symptoms.
  8. Sleep Disturbances: Imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, or cortisol can disrupt sleep patterns. Common treatments for hormone-related sleep disturbances include hormone support, improving sleep hygiene, and managing stress.
  9. Hot Flashes and Night Sweats: Hot flashes and night sweats are often caused by fluctuating estrogen levels, especially during perimenopause and menopause. Hormone replacement therapy and lifestyle adjustments are common treatments for each symptom.
  10. Vaginal Dryness: Declining estrogen, especially post-menopause, often causes vaginal dryness. Usually, this symptom is treated with topical estrogen creams, lubricants, or vaginal moisturizers.
  11. Brain Fog or Memory Issues: Low estrogen and thyroid dysfunction can impair cognitive clarity. Addressing the underlying hormonal imbalance can improve mental sharpness and reduce brain fog.
  12. Digestive Issues: Hormonal changes can influence gut motility and microbiome balance, leading to bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Diet changes and hormone support may help reduce these digestive issues.
  13. Breast Tenderness: Breast tenderness is typically linked to estrogen dominance or cyclical hormonal changes. Lifestyle changes and, in some cases, hormonal treatments are used to reduce tenderness.
  14. Headaches or Migraines: Hormonal fluctuations—particularly in estrogen—can trigger headaches or menstrual migraines. Hormone regulation and medications are used for prevention and relief.

A note from our doctors: There can be other factors that can cause similar symptoms unrelated to GYN health. Patients are still advised to see their PCPs. 

What Are the Long-term Effects of Hormone Imbalances?

In addition to causing unpleasant symptoms, hormone imbalances can have long-term health effects. These long-term effects include:

  • Infertility
  • Osteoporosis
  • Pregnancy complications
  • Cancer
  • Birth defects

Since these health effects can be very serious, you should schedule an appointment with your OBGYN. Gynecologists and obstetricians are experts on hormones that affect women’s health and can help you receive the treatment you need to correct the imbalance.

How to Receive Treatment for Hormonal Imbalances in Granville County, NC

If you suspect you might need hormone replacement treatments in Oxford, Butner, or Creedmoor, NC, Granville Health System can help. As part of our women’s health services, GHS is proud to offer hormone replacement therapy and other treatments for hormonal imbalances to those who need them at our Primary Care &  OB/GYN facility in Oxford. We also provide a number of other health services, such as routine care for pregnancy and delivery, observation and management of high-risk pregnancies, routine health maintenance, and evaluation and management of gynecological problems. 

Learn more about our women’s health services in Granville County today. If you’re ready to see a healthcare provider, please call us at 919-693-6541 or make an appointment online.

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