All About Hormones | Types, Imbalances, Conditions

Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, muscles, skin and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it. Hormones are essential for life and your health.

Hormones and most of the tissues (mainly glands) that create and release them make up your endocrine system. Hormones control many different bodily processes, including:

-Metabolism

-Homeostasis (constant internal balance), such as blood pressure and blood sugarregulation, fluid (water) and electrolytebalance and body temperature

-Mood

-Sleep-wake cycle

-Growth and development

-Sexual function

-Reproduction

Even minor changes in hormone levels can cause significant changes to your body and lead to certain conditions that require medical treatment.

Two types of communication from hormones

Your body uses hormones for two types of communication.

The first type is communication between two endocrine glands: One gland releases a hormone, which stimulates another gland to change the levels of hormones that it’s releasing. An example of this is the communication between your pituitary gland and thyroid. Your pituitary gland releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which triggers your thyroid gland to release its hormones, which then affect various aspects of your body.

The second type of communication is between an endocrine gland and a target organ. An example of this is when your pancreas releases insulin, which then acts on your muscles and liver to help process glucose.

What conditions are caused by hormone issues?

Many medical conditions are caused by hormone issues. For most hormones, having too much or too little of them causes symptoms and issues with your health. These imbalances often require treatment. Some of the most common hormone-related conditions include:

-Diabetes, including Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes.

-Thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism(low thyroid hormone levels) and hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone levels).

-Irregular menstruation (periods), caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), amenorrhea and anovulation.

-Female infertility.

-Male infertility — more specifically, low testosterone levels (hypogonadism).

-Obesity

What causes hormonal imbalances?

Each hormone-related condition can have several different possible causes. In general, the main conditions or situations that cause hormone imbalances include:

-Tumors, adenomas or other growths.

-Damage or injury to an endocrine gland.

-Autoimmune conditions.

-Hereditary gene mutations (changes) that cause problems with the structure and/or function of an endocrine gland.