While it is possible to do biological assessments to measure some of our hormones, the majority of hormonal imbalances do not cause any real biological disturbance. This explains why the disorders associated with them are so little treated by the medical profession.
However, the troubles are not just “in your head” even if “everything is normal, Madam”.
So how can we detect them?
Well, it's actually much simpler than you might think, since hormonal disorders are probably the ones that are most pronounced.
Each hormone has specific properties and induces observable and/or physically perceptible effects. Also, the analysis of the different symptoms and pains felt can lead us directly to the hormonal disorder that is the cause.
Pain that recurs with each menstrual cycle
If there are pains that all women know well... they are those that announce the arrival of their period!
Mild discomfort for some or fatigue and irritability for others, what is commonly called premenstrual syndrome can even become a real ordeal for more than half of women.
So what exactly is behind this set of symptoms that comes back every month, just before our period arrives?
Progesterone, an essential hormone
Although the cause has still not been clearly identified, what we know today is that premenstrual syndrome is directly correlated with... a progesterone deficiency!
And to understand what this hormonal deficiency can cause, let's start by looking at what this hormone is used for, which is so essential to women's health.
Progesterone is a hormone that our body synthesizes in the second part of the cycle , that is to say from ovulation until the arrival of menstruation. If its major role is to ensure a hormonal environment conducive to the start of pregnancy, progesterone also has many effects:
- It promotes the elimination of water by the kidney
- It provides comfort at chest level by compensating for the drop in estrogen.
- It is antidepressant
- It promotes bone formation
- It is anti-inflammatory
Progesterone deficiency at the heart of premenstrual syndrome
So obviously, when we see all the beneficial effects of this hormone so precious for the overall well-being of women, we immediately understand better why a progesterone deficiency induces water retention, inflammatory pain such as abdominal cramps or migraines, joint pain, breast tension or even a drop in mood...
And above all, we understand better why this progesterone deficiency is at the heart of what too many women know so well: premenstrual syndrome.
Heavy periods or hemorrhagic periods?
We all agree that we could do without periods!
But for some of us it's not just a monthly discomfort but a real ordeal that combines the logistics of changing with pain management. This is the case for all those women who suffer from heavy periods.
Telltale signs of heavy periods
Although the subject remains very taboo, it is considered that nearly a third of women have heavy periods, and among them, some even suffer from what is called hemorrhagic periods (or menorrhagia).
So what exactly is it? And most importantly, how do we know if our period flow is normal or not?
We can obviously look at the feeling of our discomfort.
- Periods that last a long time (more than a week)
- A fear of staining your clothes or sheets every month
- The need to change your protection every hour (or less)
- The presence of clots, overflows
- Severe pain in the lower abdomen and lower back every time you have your period
So many signs that actually show that you have heavy periods, or even hemorrhagic periods.
A solution to detect hemorrhagic periods
Although the symptoms are very suggestive and a feeling should never be taken lightly, hemorrhagic periods or menorrhagia still have a very precise definition. It is when the quantity of blood observed exceeds 80 mL.
So, to know if we have lost 80 mL of blood (or not), we can obviously try to convert that into cups of coffee (which corresponds exactly to 7 and a half espressos + a splash of milk).
Or else (simpler), we can use the Higham score calculation.
A score greater than 100 points corresponds to bleeding greater than 80 mL and therefore indicates that you are suffering from heavy periods.
Estrogen at the heart of the storm
Estrogens are the hormones of femininity par excellence.
Synthesized in the first part of the menstrual cycle, that is to say just after menstruation and until ovulation, estrogens play a key role in allowing the uterine lining to fill with blood.
Also, an excess of estrogen will induce an excess of blood and be the cause of heavy, even hemorrhagic periods.
And since everything in the body is a question of balance, this excess of estrogen leads to a relative deficiency in progesterone, which will be responsible for severe pain during menstruation.
Hormonal acne
A source of complexes for thousands of adolescents at the time of puberty, acne is not, however, reserved for young people... So what are the causes of these undesirable problems?
Testosterone takes center stage
Here again, we now know that our hormones play a key role.
It is no coincidence that young boys are often more affected by acne than young women, since we know that testosterone increases sebum production. Faced with this excess sebum, the sebaceous glands will then become infected and inflamed locally, creating these famous pimples so characteristic of acne.
But testosterone is not the only one to be incriminated because estrogens are also involved, particularly during periods of large hormonal variations (just before menstruation, in premenopause or during pregnancy).
Buttons that often appear accompanied
What many people don't know is that over 50% of adult women also suffer from acne. Among them, the majority had not been confronted with this disorder during their youth.
While for some, these spots are associated with premenstrual syndrome (see above) and appear a few days before the arrival of the period and disappear a few days later, for others these are truly persistent symptoms which often require heavy, long-term drug and dermatological treatment.
And these women who suffer from persistent acne often have other signs that all point to the same hormonal imbalance: hyperandrogenism associated with a slight estrogen deficiency.
Manly symptoms
Do you know about hyperandrogenism?
It's a very complicated name to simply say that our body produces too much testosterone... Yes, because women too, as feminine as they are, produce testosterone.
Often reduced to its impact on libido, testosterone nevertheless plays an essential role, in both men and women, in the cardiovascular system, the quality of the skin and obviously on masculine characteristics such as hairiness, voice or even the distribution of fat mass.
The reference male hormone, excess testosterone will therefore, unsurprisingly, be the cause of rather masculine, rather virile signs.
Its excess can thus induce
- Excess hair growth, particularly coarse hair, especially on the face, chest and thighs;
- An increase in sebum secretion causing acne pimples
- Hair loss on the top of the head (like the famous bald spot often found in men who have a lot of testosterone)
In women, hyperandrogenism is generally associated with a more or less marked estrogen deficiency, responsible this time for irregular cycles and very light periods.
Our hormones are at the heart of many functions and they are what allow harmony in daily life.
The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and emotional well-being. What if the key to achieving it lay in considering our hormones, too often overlooked in our allopathic medicine?
