Signs of Hormone Imbalance in Males and Females & What To Do About It
By Britni Vincent, RD, LD
October 6, 2025
When you think about hormones most people think about how hormones effect females. A woman's hormonal fluctuations are a bit more obvious than a man's— monthly menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breastfeeding, perimenopause and menopause. Hormonal balance is just as important in men, even if the signs are less obvious. Hormonal imbalances can affect men in many ways, influencing their energy, mood, and fertility, and the effects can be just as significant as those experienced by women.
Both males and females produce estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. They are produced in different amounts and provide different functions, but a balance of the three hormones in both males and females are crucial for optimal health.
Lifestyle, environment and genetics can all play a role in hormone balance; however, lifestyle and environment are the biggest influencers on hormones.
Sleep, stress, gut health, toxin exposure, diet, exercise can all have major impacts. In recent decades Americans have more stress, are more sleep deprived, eat more sugar, are exposed to more toxins, have poorer gut health and are less active. This is a recipe for hormone imbalance- it's no surprise research and what I see in clinic support this.
Between 1973 and 2011 there has been a 50-60% decline in sperm counts among men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.¹ Although male infertility is talked about less often, it contributes to about 50% of all cases of infertility.² At the same time, girls are going through puberty earlier than they ever have. According to a recent study, the average age of puberty is about 6 months earlier from 2000-2005 than it was from 1950-1969. Even more concerning is that the percentage of girls getting their period before the age of 11 grew from 8.6% to 15.5 %, and those who began menstruation before age 9 more than doubled.³
These are just two startling examples of how imbalanced our hormones have become. It's apparent that this is a real issue that has major effects outside of just not feeling well. You may be wondering if your symptoms or health conditions can be tied back to hormonal imbalance.
Here are some symptoms of hormone imbalance for both males and females with the potential cause in parentheses. Since many people don't talk about this topic openly you may not have even realized what you are feeling or experiencing isn't “normal.”
Hormonal imbalance symptoms in men:
- Low libido (low testosterone/estrogen dominance/ insulin resistance)
- Inability to gain muscle (low testosterone/insulin resistance/estrogen dominance)
- Frequent urination (estrogen dominance)
- Enlarged prostate (estrogen dominance)
- Erectile dysfunction (low testosterone/estrogen dominance)
- Weight gain in the breasts (estrogen dominance)
- Hair loss (higher production of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) - a more harmful form of testosterone & less commonly estrogen dominance)
- Prediabetes, type 2 diabetes (insulin resistance/ low testosterone/ estrogen dominance)
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Infertility (estrogen dominance/ low testosterone & can be other causes not related to hormones)
Hormonal imbalance symptoms in women:
- Low libido (estrogen dominance/low testosterone/low progesterone)
- Weight gain in hips, thighs, butt and arms (estrogen dominance)
- PCOS (insulin resistance/estrogen dominance/low progesterone)
- Irregular menstrual cycle (estrogen dominance/low progesterone)
- Acne, especially cystic on the jawline and chin (estrogen dominance)
- Migraines triggered by ovulation and/or menstruation (estrogen dominance)
- PMS (estrogen dominance)
- Incontinence (estrogen dominance & can be other causes not related to hormones)
- Hot flashes (estrogen dominance)
- Insomnia (estrogen dominance/low progesterone & can be other causes not related to hormones)
- Vaginal dryness (estrogen dominance)
- Early puberty (estrogen dominance)
- Ovarian cysts (estrogen dominance)
- Uterine fibroids (estrogen dominance)
- Endometriosis (estrogen dominance)
- Fibrocystic breasts (estrogen dominance)
- Menstrual cramps (estrogen dominance)
- Infertility (estrogen dominance/low progesterone & can be other causes not related to hormones)
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Hair Loss (androgen excess (often Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)), elevated cortisol from chronic stress, thyroid dysfunction & other causes not related to hormones)
As you can see many of the symptoms listed above can be caused by estrogen dominance.
Estrogen dominance in women:
Estrogen dominance in women means that there is too much estrogen in comparison to progesterone.
Causes of estrogen dominance in women:
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Occasionally, estrogen dominance can be due to low progesterone production, which likely means you aren't ovulating. This naturally occurs during perimenopause and can also happen earlier from chronic stress, anovulatory cycles (progesterone increases after ovulation), thyroid dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, PCOS and sometimes a history of being on a birth control pill.
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More often, estrogen dominance is because the body has too much estrogen in comparison to progesterone. Too much estrogen in the body can be caused by your body making excess estrogen (most commonly caused by fat cells), your body can't detoxify estrogen efficiently, you're exposed to xenoestrogens (these are endocrine disrupting compounds found in the environment that mimic estrogen in the body) or from birth control pills. Commonly, it's a combination of some or all of those reasons.
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In some cases, estrogen dominance occurs when you have both low progesterone production and too much estrogen in your body; the combination of the two often makes symptoms even worse.
Estrogen dominance in men:
Estrogen dominance in men means that there is too much estrogen in comparison to testosterone.
Causes of estrogen dominance in men:
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This can occur from low testosterone, which reduces with age, from insulin resistance, and stress.
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It can also occur from excess estrogen even if a man has a healthy testosterone level.
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It can be a combination of excess estrogen and low testosterone, making the imbalance even worse.
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Men can also be affected by xenoestrogens, just like was mentioned above with females.
Steps to rebalance hormones:
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Get at least 7 ½ hours of sleep. Here are some articles and podcasts about sleep.
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Water - drink filtered water throughout the day to stay hydrated and prevent dehydration. Filtered water helps reduce exposure to toxins that are often present in tap water.
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Reduce your sugar— remember, all carbs (fruit, pasta, bread, crackers, baked goods...) break down to sugar in your body.
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Increase your vegetable intake, specifically cruciferous veggies (bok choy, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale). These help support healthy estrogen metabolism and improve liver detoxification.
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Reduce your stress: incorporate ways to include more rest and recovery while working on the stressors you can control (sleep, diet and other lifestyle changes).
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Balance your blood sugar by pairing carbohydrates with healthy fats (avocados, olives, olive oil, nuts, butter), protein (meat, eggs, fish, seafood, and dairy if tolerated), and fiber (non-starchy vegetables, flax, chia). Reducing processed carbohydrates like baked goods, cereal, crackers, and pasta can significantly improve blood sugar control and lower insulin resistance. Keeping blood sugar stable not only supports metabolic health but also helps improve overall hormone balance. Here are some articles and podcasts about insulin resistance to learn more.
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Reduce your exposure to toxins. Refer to the Skin Deep database to see how toxic your beauty care and household products are and to find non-toxic alternatives. Refer to the EWG Water Database to see what toxins are in your water.
Hormones can be confusing and overwhelming. If this article resonated with you, I'd encourage you to make a virtual one-on-one appointment with me or one of the other dietitians/nutritionists. We will help you come up with an individualized plan and provide you more education so you have a good understanding of what may be going on in your body with your hormones.
For more information on hormones, check out these resources:
Listen:
- How Hormones Affect Your Breast Cancer Risk
- The Top Prostate Health Questions Answered
- Boosting Hair Health - Ask A Nutritionist
Read:
Inspiration:
“I feel like a woman again, finally getting my period after two years of not getting it. I feel so healthy, less anxious and more balanced than I ever have!” – Ali's story
Resources:
