Hormones are necessary for just about every function in the human body. Endocrine glands produce hormones and release them into the bloodstream to help with reproduction, growth, and metabolism.
When your body is healthy, your hormones act as messengers, delivering special instructions to various organs and tissues to perform tasks.
But hormones can get out of whack, leading to severe issues, including infertility in both men and women.
If you're concerned about a hormone imbalance, Dr. John Paul Roberts and his team offer testing and fertility advice at his Plano, Texas, office.
Dr. Roberts is an experienced board-certified OB/GYN who provides the appropriate testing and treatments when your fertility is affected by a hormone imbalance.
Your body makes many different hormones, each affecting various aspects of your health. Normal levels of these hormones allow your body to function correctly.
When living with a hormone imbalance, you either have too little or too much of a particular hormone. Because hormones work together, an imbalance in one hormone can lead to other hormone deficiencies.
Fertility is affected by various hormones, each of which plays a role in a specific part of your menstrual cycle.
For women, certain hormones work together to guide your body through its entire menstrual cycle. If even one of these hormones is off, it can affect your entire cycle, ovulation, and fertility.
Hormones that play a role in your ability to conceive a child include:
Dr. Roberts can evaluate your hormone levels through a simple blood test at different times during your menstrual cycle to determine if your levels are normal.
Hormones are prominent in fertility. In fact, a slight imbalance can throw everything off. Female hormones work together to produce ovulation, so a hormonal imbalance leads to problems conceiving.
Even the slightest change in your hormones triggers a problem with conception. If you're struggling with infertility, there are two main ways a hormone imbalance may affect your body.
Ovulatory dysfunction is one of the main ways hormone issues affect female fertility. Thyroid hormone imbalances and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) disrupt regular ovulation.
If you have ovulatory dysfunction, you may ovulate very early or late, or not at all. Ovulation issues make it nearly impossible to get pregnant without help because the sperm need to find a healthy egg to fertilize.
A short luteal phase can also cause problems with fertility. The luteal phase is two weeks before ovulation occurs. Your body releases progesterone to begin the luteal phase, so any issues with this hormone can lead to fertility problems without enough time for the egg to implant in the womb.
It's nearly impossible to diagnose a hormone imbalance on your own. Testing at certain times during your menstrual cycle is crucial in determining whether a hormone problem is causing fertility issues.
But you can report certain signs and symptoms to Dr. Roberts if you notice a change. Several of the signs of a hormone imbalance include the following:
Any of these signs and symptoms, along with fertility issues, are enough to warrant an evaluation. You can trust Dr. Roberts to find out what's going on with your body to help you finally achieve parenthood.
Call us today at our Plano, Texas, office to discuss infertility options, or book a consultation with Dr. Roberts on our website.
