Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. Little changes in amounts of hormones can result in big changes to the whole body. A few factors that cause hormone levels to increase or decrease are stress, lack of physical activity, aging, pregnancy, and menopause.

The different hormones have varying actions and effects, which include changes in mood, sexual function, metabolism, and development, depending on whether the level is too high or low. If you have any of the following common symptoms and they have become troublesome enough to affect your daily life, it is recommended to get hormones level checked.

The main hormones to get tested for are the estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, and cortisol. It is important to monitor the levels for these hormones, especially if your doctor has you on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to correct for low levels.