Common Causes of Hormonal Imbalances

Hormonal imbalances occur any time your hormones are too high or too low, which can 
be one or many different hormones. These occur in men and women, though we are 
talking more about the hormone imbalances women experience, since it is more 
common in women. 

Keep reading to learn more about what might have caused your hormonal imbalance, 
so you know what the next steps are.


General Causes

First of all, there are many causes of hormonal imbalances that can occur with men or 
women, and due to many different types of hormones. Each hormone is going to create 
its own causes and side effects, so this is where you can look at what hormones are out 
of balance and what you are actually experiencing to make you think your symptoms 
are due to your hormones.

Some of the general causes of hormone imbalances include:

Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism 
Diabetes
PMS
Vitamin deficiency
Eating disorders
Tumors
Cancer treatment
Medications
Stress
Injury

As you can see, the causes vary widely, based on the type of hormone and how out of 
level your hormones are. For women with disordered eating habits, you might notice 
that you have weight gain or weight loss, often linked to the vitamin deficiency as well. If 
you have a thyroid disease, that is naturally from your thyroid hormone being too high or 
too low. There is no single cause for hormones to be out of balance since there is so 
much to consider.


Causes for Women

There are also causes that can be specific or more common depending on your born 
gender. For women, some of the more common causes include:

PCOS
Menopause
Menstrual cycles
Pregnancy
Birth control pills
Other hormone drugs
Breastfeeding

These are all going to be related to your reproductive system, whether or not you are 
pregnant, your age, and other factors.


Causes for Men

Hormonal imbalances in men are similar, though the causes can be quite different. For 
men, they tend to have hormonal imbalance symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, weight 
gain, issues with muscle mass, depression, and decreased libido.

Some of the potential causes for these imbalances in men include:

Stress
Low testosterone (a leading cause of hormonal issues in men)
Thyroid disease
Obesity
Diabetes
General health


For men and women, it is important to see your doctor and find out which hormones are 
out of balance first, before determining the cause and proper treatments.

