So basically what can happen is, if there is weight gain because of insulin resistance, which has happened because of the hormonal imbalance, so it forms a vicious cycle. So in order to break that, a woman must lose weight so that the insulin comes down, the other hormones fall in place. So yes, it is all interrelated and forms a vicious cycle.
And if there is a weight gain, there can even be the development of sleep apnea, which can compromise the quality of life of the woman. It can put her at risk of other diseases. And also it can lead to mood changes because of lack of sleep, weight gain, which can also lead to little kind of depressive episodes, lack of social image, because insulin resistance also causes increase in fat around the abdominal area.
All these lead to an abnormal metabolism. Of course, weight gain and thyroid are also very closely related. So if there is a thyroid disorder that is also creeping in, that can also contribute to the weight gain, which is already happening because of the insulin resistance.
And this further can lead to metabolic problems. And with all this, if there can also be skin problems that can arise because of the hormonal imbalance, the skin can become very thinned out. Or once the metabolic syndrome becomes fully developed, like if there's insulin resistance, which leads to PCOS.
So in that case, there can be problems in the skin, there can be development of acne, there can be dryness of skin, hair fall. And all these also lead to a decreased self-confidence as well as there can be patches of hair which are lost. And these are all interrelated.
A hormonal imbalance can lead to development of many diseases in women. Now this is in a woman who is in a reproductive life. A woman who has a natural hormonal imbalance, that means the hormones do start dipping around the time of perimenopause and post menopause where the female hormone almost declines to zero levels.
At that time also, a woman is predisposed to certain problems coming up. And that is a separate thing altogether. And as such, a sedentary lifestyle that can contribute to weight gain, which can again get into the vicious cycle of insulin resistance and therefore the metabolic syndrome.
Also being overweight can have an effect on the bone density. Being extremes of weight, that means being very low in weight and being very heavy can affect the bone density. So again, it can be affected.
Also because of the lifestyle changes where people are more stressed. Stress per se, wrong eating habits and a very hurried lifestyle where there's less time to relax, meditate and get in sync with your body. There could be changes of inflammatory changes in the body, which again could have a disruption of the hormonal balance.
And also eating a lot of junk food, processed food could lead to inflammation. It could lead to weight gain and the correct amount of nutrients may not be there in the body, which are supposed to be, which can lead to an imbalance. So all these can contribute definitely to the development of a metabolic syndrome, which has different long-term implications.
And yes, those are some of the ways that the chronic diseases can develop because of hormonal imbalances. Well, a disruption of the female hormones can definitely affect the woman's health on the whole and can lead to various chronic diseases as well. So basically, if there is a hormonal disruption due to any cause, maybe environmental changes, pesticides or being overweight per se, it can cause an imbalance in the insulin hormone levels, which can lead to diabetes.
Basically, there's a state of insulin resistance and which can also cause changes in the lipid profile, which can affect the long-term health of the woman. It can also lead to hypertension and all these contribute to the development of a metabolic syndrome also, weight.
Dr Nidhi Sharma Chauhan, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai
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