Tests to Diagnose Hormone Problems in Women

There are various tests to diagnose hormone problems in women. These pertain to interactions between the five hormones in a woman’s body, namely, estrogens, progesterone, cortisol, DHEAs and testosterone. These hormones are fundamental to the health and help in maintaining hormonal balance. Hormonal imbalance may negatively impact one’s health. Thus, tests pertain to analysing the effect of these hormones on the body.

Weight gain is one of the most important areas of testing. A rise in the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, can lead to instability in the blood sugar, thus increasing the sugar cravings. A high estrogen level may interfere with the function of the thyroid gland, resulting in weight gain. Weight gain may also be a result of a rise in the level of testosterone and/or DHEAs, related to the polycystic ovarian syndrome that makes it very difficult to lose weight.

Sleep disturbances are caused due to high or even low level of cortisol that affects sleep, just as a fall in the estradiol levels does. During the postmenopausal period, some women suffer from hot flashes and night sweats, and disturbed sleep which are often signs of hormonal imbalance.

Depression, difficulty coping with hard situations and irritability are some more signs of hormonal imbalance. Women, after they are treated for the latter, often feel relieved of these disturbances.Bone loss is another symptom of hormonal imbalance in the body. Testosterone and estradiol help in building bones. On the other hand, an increase in the amount of cortisol results in breaking down bones, thus hampering the bone building function of the terstosterone.

A very common sign of hormonal imbalance in women shows up in the form of breast cancer, caused due to an above range estradiol, below range progesterone, out of range DHEAs and above range evening cortisol.

Additionally, one may even opt for a saliva hormone test to diagnose hormone problems in women. In this, the saliva measures the hormone that has actually made it into a tissue, since hormones have to pass through the saliva gland tissue before they enter the saliva. Here, blood measures hormones that may of may not be able to enter the saliva tissue itself.

These are the basic tests to diagnose hormone e problems in women.