Weight Gain From Hormone Imbalance

A hormone imbalance takes place when one or more hormones in your body are too high or too low. When this happens, it can cause other disruptions in your body, such as your weight.

There are many different reasons for this, and it can be helpful to understand what is going on and how to correct it, to prevent other health issues from popping up. 

What is a Hormone Imbalance?

When there is an overabundance or not enough of at least one hormone within your body, a hormonal imbalance is present. This is simply a  term that can mean a wide range of hormone-related issues.

Hormones are powerful messengers. Some hormonal imbalances are transient, whereas others can become life-long.

Certain imbalanced hormones will require treatment to get back to peak health. In other cases, treatment will simply be needed to get back to a better quality of life. Weight gain can fall into both of these categories.

What Conditions Cause Hormonal Weight Gain?

There are many different conditions that can lead to hormonal weight gain. Unfortunately, many of these conditions can be unavoidable as they are due to genetics, getting older, etc.

However, that doesn’t mean the conditions themselves can’t be treated in order to balance out hormones and control weight gain. Here are some common conditions that may lead to weight gain:

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a life-long condition that causes uterine tissue to grow outside of the uterus. Anywhere on your pelvis region or even your bowel , sores or patches can form. During menstruation, they stay, bleed, and swell.

Endometriosis is a highly estrogen-dependent condition. Treatment usually consists of repressing ovulation and menstruation in order to decrease ovarian estrogen production.

While there is no direct connection between endometriosis and change in weight, having too much estrogen can result in the following weight gain factors: bloating in the abdomen, retention of fluid, and appetite stimulation. 

Treatment with estrogen and progesterone-containing birth control pills can sometimes result in weight gain.

Hypothroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition characterized by an under active thyroid gland. Thyroid hormone cannot be produced in sufficient quantities by the gland to sustain daily function. It regulates body temperature as well as exhaustion, loss of memory, and depression.

You may have a small amount of extra weight if you don't have enough thyroid hormone. However, some believe that the disorder is caused by obesity. 

People treated for this problem had a reduction in lean body mass, but not fat mass, according to the researchers. 

Excess water was released as a result of controlling thyroid hormone levels. This suggests that excess weight in hypothyroidism could be due to water retention.

Menopause

Menopause is the time in an older woman's life when she has not had a period for one year. During this time, estrogen production decreases. This hormonal shift causes changes that cause weight gain during this time period. 

The following are the impacts of limited levels of estrogen in menopause that add to weight gain: loss of lean body mass, reduced metabolic rate, less calories are required to maintain a healthy weight, redistribution of body fat with more fat in the abdomen, and sleep disturbances.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a disorder where a woman's ovaries or adrenal glands produce an abnormally high amount of hormones. Cysts develop on either one or both ovaries as a result of the condition.

Women with PCOS are more likely to gain weight and become obese than women without the condition. Much of this weight gain is due to the condition's hormonal abnormalities, which can cause  a resistance to insulin, which is known to lead to obesity. 

Insomnia

Insomniacs have trouble getting to sleep, remaining asleep, or sleeping well. It can be a short-term or long-term condition.

Being stressed, depressed, having erratic sleep behaviors or other emotional issues, having a sedentary lifestyle, or commuting across time zones can all be causes of insomnia. Insomnia can also be due to side effects of other scenarios, such as night sweats during menopause.

People who do not get sufficient sleep are more likely to gain weight, according to research. Sleep deprivation is connected to these factors that may contribute to obesity:

• Insulin resistance
• Lower leptin levels
• Increased inflammatory marker levels
• Retention of salt

Final Thoughts

If you are struggling with excessive weight gain or loss at a rapid pace, your hormones might be imbalanced. If you suspect this is the case, you should consider implementing supplements into your routine. 

There are many different supplements that can help naturally balance your hormones, and therefore help with weight gain. 

Hormonal weight fluctuation occurs when the hormones that regulate weight gain and loss do not function properly. This can occur when your body reacts negatively to a hormone. It can also happen when an excessive amount or not enough of one hormone.

Hormonal weight gain can be difficult to lose until the underlying causes are addressed.

You can resume your weight loss plan once you have addressed the underlying cause of the hormonal weight gain. A nutritious diet and exercise can help you succeed and stay on track if your hormones are balanced.