About the disease
Hormonal imbalance is very common among teenagers. It is most common during puberty period, when hormonal count of a teenager changes completely. Hormonal disbalance is more likely to develop in case a teenger leads unhealthy lifestyle, follows bad dietary habits and lives in polluted environment. Also, psychological stress can lead to development of hormonal imbalance, especially if a teenger is under emotional and educational strain, common for school students. Hormonal imbalance became more common in the past decade due to excessive exposure of teengers to different chemicals, such as flavoring and food coloring agents.
In male teenagers hormonal imbalance can lead to development of many medical conditions. Gynecomastia is one of them. It is increased size of breasts in boys. It develops if the teenage boys produces excessive amount of female hormone estrogen. Also, decreased amount of testosterone and other androgen hormones can lead to poor development of muscular mass and also insufficient growth in height. Teenage boys with insufficient amount of testosterone have decreased sex drive, lack masculinity and do not develop voice changes. It is a very serious condition as testosterone is vital for proper physical and emotional development of the man. It can also cause erectile problems in future and result in infertility if not treated on time. In case the teenage male produce too little of sex hormones, he can develop hypogonadism. It can also lead to problems with testicles.
Very often hormonal imbalance resolves on its own after the puberty is over. In case symptoms, listed below, are very acute and last for a long time, boy needs to be checked for the conditions caused by hormonal imbalance.
Symptoms
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Increased and very excessive sex drive or, in case of low levels of testosterone, decreased sex drive
- Abnormal changes in muscle mass and height
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
- Depression in some cases
- Nausea
- Acne
- Anxiety
Diagnosis
- During a general examination the doctor will examine the skin of the patient to determine if he has acne.
- The doctor will also evaluate the height and weight of the teenager to determine if he develops normally for his age.
- The doctor will examine the testicles and penis to determine if the testicles are descended and if the growth of genitals is normal.
- Hormonal testing is used to determine the levels of estrogen, testosterone and other hormones of the teenager to determine if they are abnormal.
Treatment
- Conservative treatment uses hormonal therapy to substitute the hormones that the teenage boy lacks. Hormones can be taken orally or intravenously. In case the teenage boy has high levels of some hormones, he is prescribed certain blockers aimed to reduce the levels of that particular hormone.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko
