While the primary purpose of the Endocrine System is to use hormones to regulate our body, factors like stress, poor lifestyle habits and disease can disrupt this process. Hormones help balance and shape us as individuals throughout our lives by managing every part of the body. Hormone levels naturally decrease with age which can cause health problems for both women and men. Additionally, both women and men have different hormones that protect their bodies. Hormone Levels in Men: Men have two key hormones: testosterone and estrogen. Andropause is a condition where men suffer from low testosterone. Throughout a man’s life, his testosterone will decrease. If left untreated, low testosterone will lead to serious health problems. Learn more about male hormones. Hormone Levels in Women: Women have three main hormones: progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. Women experience several major hormonal shifts throughout their lives. Pregnancy, menopause, as well as gradual decreases can cause serious shifts to a woman’s hormone levels. Learn more about women’s hormones. Watch this excellent TED-EX video to learn more about hormones and their functioning within the body. Ebb + Flow As you can see above, both women and men go through several key changes in life that disrupt hormone levels. If low hormones are left untreated there could be long-term health-related problems such as excess weight gain, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and more. Check out some of the most common indicators of low hormones, below Signs of Low Hormone Levels:
- Hot Flashes
- Unpredictable Moods
- Low Sex Drive
- Feeling Bloated
- Sluggish
- Many more...