HHC July18_The Most Common Conditions Associated with Hormone Imbalance - Part 3_Final
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>> Hello.
Welcome back for the third and final part of our discussion
of the most common conditions
associated with hormonal imbalance.
In this segment, we're going to focus on symptoms
and conditions that can arise as the results
of both normal fluctuations and abnormalities
in a woman's reproductive system.
Let's get started.
The first is amenorrhea,
which is a term that describes the absence
of a woman's period altogether.
This has two different classifications.
Primary amenorrhea, which is when menstruation
hasn't yet started by the age of 16,
and secondary amenorrhea,
which is when a woman who previously had normal periods
hasn't menstruated for more than three to six months,
and more than nine months for women
with oligomenorrhea or irregular periods.
For a woman of reproductive age,
amenorrhea isn't normal
unless she's pregnant or breastfeeding.
More often than not,
the total absence of a period in a cycling woman
is the signal of a much more serious condition.
The most common causes of primary amenorrhea
are a chromosomal or genetic abnormality
that can cause the ovaries to stop functioning,
problems with the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland
which can cause reproductive problems
and prevent periods from starting,
and lifestyle factors such as excessive exercise,
eating disorders, extreme stress, or a combination of these.
Secondary amenorrhea can result
from natural causes like pregnancy, breastfeeding,
or menopause,
medications including certain antidepressants
and blood pressure medications,
hormonal contraceptives like the birth control pill,
injectable contraceptives, and intrauterine devices,
medical therapies like chemotherapy and radiation,
scar tissue buildup from medical procedures
on the uterine lining,
like the removal of uterine fibroids or scar tissue
that builds up after C-section,
problems with the hypothalamus,
referred to as hypothalamic amenorrhea.
This occurs when the hypothalamus
stops producing gonadotropin-releasing hormone,
which is responsible
for starting the menstrual cycle every month,
low body weight, low body fat, eating disorders,
emotional stress, excess exercise
or other physical stressors,
and other conditions such as PCOS,
thyroid disease, or pituitary tumors
can also result in secondary amenorrhea.
Women who don't get their periods
aren't experiencing ovulation either,
which brings us to the next condition
associated with hormonal imbalance, infertility.
One of the biggest hallmarks of a healthy, fertile woman
is that she ovulates.
When a woman can't ovulate, she can't get pregnant,
resulting in the diagnosis of infertility.
The inability to conceive naturally at a reproductive age
means that the woman's body is trying to tell her
that something is wrong on a deeper level.
Much like PMS or other menstrual irregularities
like amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea,
infertility is the body talking to us.
These signs should not be covered up
with medications or ignored as normal.
When these issues are ignored
or medicated without looking deeper at the root cause,
it's akin to turning off the fire alarm
while the fire rages on.
Let's look at just a few
of the many possible causes for infertility,
structural damage or abnormalities
to other female reproductive organs
like the cervix, uterus,
or the fallopian tubes can result in infertility,
issues with ovulation,
these are often caused by hormone imbalance
caused by a number of conditions
such as low body weight or body fat,
often due to disordered eating, extreme calorie restriction,
or excess exercise, thyroid disease or dysfunction,
obesity, stress, infection,
and diseases of the female reproductive system
like pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis,
or uterine fibroids or polyps.
Next we have perimenopause and menopause,
which are grouped together
because they're part of the same hormonal shift
that a woman experiences as her body shifts
toward the end of its reproductive cycle.
As the female body approaches middle-age,
hormones like estrogen and progesterone
begin to decrease in production.
These hormones aren't just for baby-making,
they also play a huge role
in the body's regulatory functions.
This is why when hormone production begins to wind down,
women start to feel some pretty intense symptoms.
You've likely heard of the huge hormonal shift of menopause,
but perimenopause is a little different.
This is what happens
well before the official onset of menopause,
sometimes as early as 10 to 20 years before.
It's similar, but there are some differences in symptoms.
During a woman's late 30s to early 40s on average,
the ovaries begin to eliminate ovarian follicles
as a type of quality control mechanism.
Remember that every egg a woman
will ever have was made while she was still in the womb.
So these eggs are as old as she is.
The ovaries don't want to waste the time to develop eggs
that are unlikely to produce a viable baby.
So they start cutting back.
As a result, fewer ovarian follicles
are available to make estrogen
during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle
and therefore less progesterone
is made during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.
However, these changes are different from woman to woman
and they may also vary
from cycle to cycle for an individual,
leading to sporadic increases
and declines of these essential female hormones
during this time.
This can cause irregular periods, mood disorders,
and other symptoms associated with light
or sporadic periods.
Perimenopause can last for as little as a few months
and as long as several years.
The end of perimenopause
is marked by the onset of menopause,
which officially marks the end of female reproduction.
At the onset of menopause,
the ovaries produce so little estrogen
that eggs are no longer released.
This will also stop a woman's period.
Many of the symptoms of perimenopause
and menopause are the same
but some are quite different.
Symptoms of perimenopause include irregular periods,
periods that are lighter or heavier than normal,
PMS, breast tenderness, changes in hair growth,
unexplained hair loss, unwanted weight gain,
headaches, low libido, brain fog, muscle aches,
frequent infections, and infertility.
On the other hand, symptoms of menopause
can include hot flashes, night sweats, depression,
anxiety or irritability, mood swings, insomnia,
fatigue, dry skin, vaginal dryness,
and frequent urination.
High cholesterol and risk of heart disease
have also been associated with perimenopause and menopause.
This could be due to the decrease in estrogen levels
but more research needs to be done.
Last but certainly not least,
we'll go over some of the hormone fluctuations
and imbalances that can rise from pregnancy,
childbirth, and postpartum.
It probably comes as no surprise that pregnancy,
childbirth, and the months that follow
have a significant impact on a woman's hormones.
But what exactly is going on and how do these huge shifts
in hormones affect a woman's health and mood?
We'll talk about pregnancy
in much more detail later on in this course.
But for now, all you need to know
is that there are six main hormones
that play critical roles in creating
and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
Human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG,
progesterone, estrogen, oxytocin,
prolactin, and relaxin.
Many of these same hormones play a huge role
in a woman's body after the birth of her child too
but with much different functions.
A woman will produce more estrogen
during one pregnancy
than throughout her entire life when not pregnant.
Since most of the progesterone
during pregnancy is created by the placenta,
progesterone drops back down to pre-pregnancy levels
almost immediately after childbirth.
Estrogen also begins to take a nosedive as well.
But this is a slightly slower process
because excess estrogen production
is a much more complicated situation.
Internal hormonal signaling loops
must be recalibrated before estrogen
is fully returned to pre-pregnancy levels.
But despite all this,
the change is usually completed within a few weeks.
Together, this hormonal shift is huge for the mother.
Even the smallest changes in hormone levels
can affect a person's mood and physical well-being.
So imagine what a giant shift like this might feel like.
Let's give these ladies a round of applause.
Much of the hormonal imbalance that develops postpartum
is due to this massive drop in progesterone
after the birth of the progesterone producing placenta.
Progesterone is known for its calming,
mood-elevating effects.
So such an immediate and dramatic drop in this hormone
can cause mood shifts that range from the baby blues
to full-on postpartum depression.
It hasn't been until recently that this condition
has been viewed as a serious
and legitimate experience for new mothers.
While progesterone is in the tank,
estrogen levels stay relatively high,
causing symptoms of estrogen dominance
like breast tenderness, thyroid dysfunction, lower libido,
depression, anxiety, unwanted weight gain,
fatigue, brain fog, headaches, irritability,
insomnia, mood swings, PMS symptoms,
water retention, bloating, and more.
Thyroid disorders are also quite common after birth.
Estrogen dominance can cause the liver
to produce excess thyroid-binding globulin
which binds thyroid hormone
so it can't be used properly in the body.
This can result in low thyroid function after birth.
Estrogen dominance can also contribute
to postpartum adrenal fatigue.
High estrogen and low progesterone
interfere with the production and use of cortisol.
This decreased production of cortisol
can only contribute to one thing, worn-out adrenals.
I'd like to point out that not every woman
has the same experience after giving birth.
These are a general list of hormones
to keep in mind and symptoms to watch out for.
And that wraps up our three-part series
on the most common conditions
associated with hormone imbalance.
In this lecture, we went over amenorrhea,
infertility, perimenopause and menopause,
along with the conditions related to pregnancy,
childbirth, and postpartum.
Each of the conditions we went over in this module
involve a very complex balance of hormones,
a balance that's affected by physical, emotional,
and mental stressors, disease states,
medications, and so much more.
Hopefully, this three-part series
has given you a deeper understanding
of how hormones can often be the root cause
of a number of conditions
that affect a growing number of women every year
and an understanding that as we work to balance hormones,
we also work toward improving overall health and well-being.
Now that you have all of this great information,
it's time to rehearse it and test your knowledge.
While this is all fresh in your head,
open up and complete
the Hormone Imbalance Fill-in-the-Blanks worksheet.
We've also provided you
with a worksheet called Exploring Symptoms
to apply this information to a realistic coaching scenario.
Remember, continued application of this information
will help it sink in.
Eventually, it will all become second nature to you.
When you're all done, head on over to the Facebook group
and join the conversation.
What stood out to you?
What questions do you have?
We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you soon.