Do you know why you need to check for female and male hormones? And why is it important for the body?
Hormones are considered key because when one of our hormones is out of balance, it can affect all systems in our body. Whether it’s insomnia, a lot of acne, or becoming prone to obesity, difficulty in losing weight, metabolic disorders, depression, or many more, they are all caused by hormonal imbalances, especially where women have irregular periods. Hormonal balancing, or hormone testing, helps the body’s systems to function better.
Why do you need a female hormone test?
The issue of hormones and women can be said to belong together like a couple. Hormone testing is a check for balance and changes in hormones to assess abnormalities or adverse reactions that can occur.
- Metabolic system
- Muscle strengthening
- Emotional regulation, stress
- Sex
- Fertility
Finding ways of bringing hormones back into balance again is important:
During adolescence, many females start to have problems with acne. Menstruation is hormone-related, and the premenstrual period can bring emotional issues, and mood swings can happen.
- The period of reproductive age involves wanting to have children or having infertility.
Some people have increased body weight, due to metabolic disorders.
Warning signs of female hormone imbalance:
- The menstrual cycle is irregular.
- Poor sleep at night, but sleeping well in the day.
- I have a lot of acne and it doesn’t go away after treatment.
- Often forgetful.
- Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, severe symptoms before or during menstruation.
- Feeling tired and exhausted all the time.
- Stress and mood swings.
- Frequently hungry, binge eating, weight gain, bloated body.
- Headache
- Vaginal dryness, lack of lubrication.
- Have decreased sexual desire.
What are the tests for female hormones?
Women’s Hormone Screening List. The main recommended and recommended tests to check for body imbalances are:
- Estradiol Hormone (E2) is a very important female hormone because it helps regulate the reproductive system.Estrogen production decreases, resulting in symptoms that signal the onset of menopause, such as hot flashes and excessive sweating. Dizziness or chills. Some people have Early Menopause symptoms because this hormone is sparse.
- Progesterone (P4) is a female hormone that plays an important role in regulating ovulation and menstruation. Currently, this hormone is synthesized to treat women who have not yet entered menopause but have missed menstruation due to lack of this hormone, and it is also used in conjunction with oestrogen to prevent endometrial hypertrophy in postmenopausal women.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is a hormone that stimulates egg growth, a hormone that directly affects the menstrual cycle. If FSH levels are too low (often found in women with PCOS: Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction symptoms) or too high (may be found in women who enter menopause early), it can lead to infertility.
- Luteinizing hormone: LH is a natural hormone created by the body from the pituitary gland.
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin: SHBG is a type of protein in the blood. It is responsible for regulating the reaction of testosterone to the body. Lower amounts of SHBG result in higher testosterone abnormalities.
Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate: DHEAs are anti-stress hormones produced by the adrenal glands, which are the precursor hormones that the body uses to produce many important hormones such as sex hormones such as testosterone or oestrogen.
Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone (Stress Hormone). Normally, the body releases the highest amount in the morning. Helps us feel refreshed and empowered to fight each new day. and will decrease to only 10% in the evening.
- Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) or parathormone is a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands as a polypeptide containing 84 amino acids. Its function is to increase the concentration of calcium in the blood, while the hormone calcitonin (secreted by the thyroid gland) acts to reduce calcium concentration.
- Testosterone is a hormone found in both males and females. For women, it plays an important role in helping build muscle and bone mass. Increase brain performance If a woman has too much testosterone she may also have problems with irregular menstruation, oily skin, acne, hirsutism, and the possibility of an ovarian cyst.
- Thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4, TSH) are involved in metabolism. temperature control create energy for the body and also affects mood.
- Prolactin is a hormone that is secreted in large amounts in cases of pregnancy and breastfeeding. But if you don’t have these two conditions and the body produces too much, for example, you have a tumour that produces prolactin. May affect the production of sex hormones, causing irregular menstrual cycles in women. or having problems with sexual performance or infertility in men
- Growth hormone (IGF-1: Insulin like growth factor binding protein 1,IGF-3-BP3 : Insulin like growth factor binding protein 3) acts to repair the body or is called the hormone of youthfulness. When you get older This hormone will decrease even more.
The hormone insulin (Insulin) controls sugar levels in the bloodstream. If the body has too much insulin It may result in insulin resistance. Increases the risk of developing various metabolic diseases such as being exposed to stress quickly. Obesity, diabetes
Preparation before testing female hormones
- There is no need to abstain from food or drink.
We recommend checking in the morning, around 8:00 -10:00 a.m., because that’s the time when cortisol and testosterone are highest during the day.
- In the case of women who still have their menstrual cycle and have problems with pronounced premenstrual symptoms or PMS and want to see the balance between oestrogen and progesterone. Recommended around the 21st day of the menstrual cycle (counting the first day of your period as day 1 of the menstrual cycle).
- If taking birth control pills or use hormone supplements, you should report this at the examination.
Check men's hormones What do I need to check? And when should you start checking?
Sex men hormone is important for the work of other systems in the body. This type of hormone helps with sexual performance. and sexual desire. In reality, Sex men hormone also plays an important role in other body functions, such as helping build muscle mass. It helps create red blood cells, helps you to feel refreshed and energetic and be animated but when you start to have symptoms of being easily irritated, irritable, bored, tired, tired, difficulty in sleeping, or a lack of desire, it is a signal to check.
Without excitement, or with decreased sexual desire or if erectile function is impaired, it may be a sign that testosterone is starting to drop. Therefore, with a test for male hormones, helping to plan treatment for various systems, the body returns to work better.
Hormonal imbalance in men is an issue that can occur at any point in life. Testosterone imbalance can be caused by stress, illness, or eating food that is not nutritious enough, a lack of exercise, including obesity, suffering liver disease and excessive fat accumulation in the body, diabetes, aging. and side effects from certain drugs.
Warning signs of testosterone imbalance:
- Easily irritated.
- Not energetic.
- Pessimistic view of the world.
- The brain is not sharp.
- Decreased bone and muscle mass.
- Obesity
- Sleeplessness
- Decreased sexual desire.
- The penis is not fully erect.
What do we need to check for sex men hormone?
For men, the hormone checklist will be different. It depends on the problem of each person, but the main things that are recommended to check. To look for imbalances in the body, including:
- Luteinizing Hormones (LH) act to stimulate Leydig cells, an endocrine gland located in the testes. Create androgen hormones (Androgen), which is a group of male hormones.
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) controls sperm production. and stimulates LH to convert most androgens into testosterone.
- Oestradiol (E2) is produced by the testicles and adrenal glands. If there is too little, it may indicate infertility or disease in the testicles. or adrenal glands If there is too much, it may indicate testicular cancer. or adrenal glands Disturbing the balance of sex hormones between women and men or are obese.
- Testosterone is the main male hormone, related to reproduction.
- Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is associated with testosterone deficiency. If there is too much, it will cause free testosterone, which is testosterone that’s not attached to proteins. Free testosterone acts on your tissues. Three types of blood tests measure these different forms of testosterone: A total testosterone test measures free testosterone and testosterone that’s attached to proteins. The free testosterone can help give more information when total testosterone is low. Both men and women can have health problems because of low or high levels of testosterone.
- Thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4, TSH) are involved in metabolism, temperature control, creating energy for the body and also affect mood.
- Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulphate (DHEAs) is one of the precursor hormones for testosterone production. Oestrogen is an important hormone in resisting stress. If there are abnormal levels, it increases the risk of testosterone deficiency. The occurrence of various diseases such as heart disease or Alzheimer’s disease.
- The function of growth hormone (IGF-1: Insulin-like growth factor 1 and IGFBP-3 : Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3) serves to repair the body. Some people call it the youth hormones, but with increasing age this hormone will decrease in potency.
- Insulin like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) can be used to screen for growth hormone deficiency.
- Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It has to do with the body’s response to stress. and plays a role in various processes within the body, such as fighting inflammation. It stimulates the liver to produce sugar into the bloodstream and helps control the amount of fluid within the body.
- The insulin hormone controls sugar levels in the bloodstream. If the body has too much insulin, it may result in insulin resistance, increasing the risk of developing various metabolic diseases through exposure to stress. Obesity, diabetes. Insulin is often checked along with sugar levels on that day in order to analyse the balance of insulin and sugar levels.
How do we prepare before the examination?
- There is no need to abstain from food or drink.
- We recommend checking in the morning, around 8:00 -10:00 a.m., because that’s the time when cortisol and testosterone are highest during the day.
Reference
- Dr. Premasanti Sangkoom, Male Sex Hormones from a Different Perspective (rama.mahidol.ac.th), June 2, 2021.
- Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital, Male Hormone Deficiency (siphhospital.com), June 2, 2021.
- Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Hormone Exploration (mahidol.ac.th), June 2, 2021.
