Chronic Stress and a Woman's Body
When a woman experiences prolonged stress, pregnenolone, a hormone essential for both coping with stress and producing female hormones, is diverted from the normal hormone pathway. As a result, the production of female hormones is compromised. This condition can cause a multitude of symptoms including irritability, mood swings, headaches, sleeplessness, and weight gain.

Female hormone imbalances are often treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Although HRT can be temporarily effective at eliminating the symptoms of hormone imbalances, it does not address the probable root cause: stress. Before a woman begins hormone therapy, it is necessary to assess whether her hormones are reacting to factors that are internal or external.

Seen and Unseen Causes of Stress
External causes of stress can be readily identified; relocation, unemployment, or the death of a loved one, are obvious examples of stress-producing situations. Internal causes of stress, however, are difficult, if not impossible, to identify without laboratory testing. These unseen stressors include parasites, bad bacteria, viruses, fungi, unfriendly yeast, and food sensitivities.

Identifying and reducing both the seen and unseen causes of stress can help resolve many female health problems.

Tests for Hormone Imbalance
BioHealth Diagnostics offers an easy-to-use saliva test that can determine whether or not stress is the cause of female hormone imbalance.

BioHealth also offers comprehensive female hormone testing for both pre- and post-menopausal women. Like the stress test, these laboratory assessments utilize saliva samples, and can be performed in the comfort and privacy of your home.

Treating Hormone Imbalances
Using the results from your stress and female hormone tests, your healthcare practitioner can design a program that addresses your body's unique needs.

Your individual program will likely include instruction in stress management and lifestyle; learning to cope with mental and emotional stress, as well as education about diet, exercise, and sleep.

Proper nutrition plays a key role in correcting hormone imbalances. For this reason food plans and dietary supplement recommendations will be tailored to your specific nutritional needs, as indicated by your test results.

Your treatment plan might also incorporate hormone replacement therapy. If your doctor thinks you are a candidate for HRT, it is vital that you test your hormone levels before starting the therapy. Indiscriminate use of HRT can increase your risk for osteoporosis and other degenerative diseases.