24 June 2024 , 08:39
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Many of us have that feeling of always being tired, no matter how well we sleep or how healthy our diet is. One doctor may have the answer, though, in a "surprisingly common" medical condition.
Experts at home health test service Medichecks carried out a survey that found energy changes are the most common symptom of a hormone condition causing significant impacts on daily life. The survey of almost 590 female Medichecks customers revealed energy changes were experienced by more than one-third (35.3%) of women struggling with the symptoms of a diagnosed hormone imbalance.
This includes conditions such as feeling tired all the time, general feelings of weakness and poor stamina or tolerance for exercise. Body changes and mood changes follow as the second and third most common symptoms, cited respectively by 13.3% and 10.4% of women struggling with symptoms of a diagnosed hormone imbalance, but energy changes led the pack by a wide margin. Hormones are responsible for many body functions, including growth, metabolism and reproduction, as well as having profound effects on our mood and general wellbeing.
Hormones naturally fluctuate at certain points in women’s lives, but they can also unbalance at unexpected times. This may be due to stress, medications like steroids and the contraceptive pill, or lifestyle factors like a poor diet, lack of sleep, or being an unhealthy weight.
Participants with a hormone imbalance most frequently had an abnormal result with their Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), which affected 50% of respondents with a hormone imbalance. The second and third most common hormone results reported to be abnormal were oestradiol and testosterone.
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TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to produce and release thyroid hormones, and abnormal levels of TSH can cause several unwanted symptoms including fatigue, sleep dysfunction, and increased tiredness. The survey suggested that some respondents were able to attribute their hormone imbalance to a particular cause, with 46% citing a medical condition and 37.2% citing menopause or perimenopause. However, just over 1 in 5 (20.5%) reveals that the cause of their hormone imbalance was ‘unknown’.
As hormone imbalances present through a range of commons symptoms, they can be difficult to identify without a blood test. However, the impact of these symptoms on day-to-day life shouldn’t be underestimated. Participants sharing their experiences routinely responded that they feel low, frequently experience physical pain and relationship strain, and have had to make significant changes to their life to accommodate the impacts of their symptoms, including spending less time with their children.
Dr Natasha Fernando MRCGP, medical director at Medichecks, said: “Hormone disorders are surprisingly common. This survey found that just over half (50.5%) of participants reported an abnormal hormone result in their last blood test.
“Our last analysis, looking at women who had checked their levels of luteinising hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), oestradiol, and testosterone, found that almost 2 in 5 (39.9%) had at least one result outside the normal range. And this didn’t include the other 50+ hormones in the body, like TSH, cortisol, and prolactin.
“An abnormal hormone level doesn’t always point to a problem, but sometimes it’s a sign of an underlying condition or a prompt to make positive lifestyle changes. Whilst a slightly abnormal result may not always be of clinical significance, a very abnormal result may be a sign of an underlying issue that is causing the symptoms. Many hormone problems go undiagnosed as it’s easy for people to feel that their symptoms are just a product of getting older or feeling out of sorts. That’s why a blood test can be helpful.
“For symptomatic women, we want it to be as normal to check your hormone levels as it is to check your bank balance. A hormone blood test can help you identify whether your hormones are within the normal ranges, or if they’re out of balance, and may be contributing towards your symptoms.”