Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Women

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disease which has an unknown particular cause and is very common among adult women. Research shows that it is six times more likely to effect women than men, and can commonly begin at the age of 30 for many women with the condition; others report that it started around the age of 40.

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

There are many vague symptoms that are linked to CFS, but are ultimately directly related to the condition. Symptoms include loss of physical energy, feeling tired even after resting, muscle weakness, depression and anxiety. People may often mistake the symptoms for something else and do not seek treatment for this. If the symptoms have persisted for six months, it is best to start talking with a physician regarding CFS.

It makes people feel uncontrollably tired and drained of all energy; this can cause the person to not perform tasks as they normally would be able to. This greatly lowers productivity and promotes inactivity among adults.

Hormone Imbalances

Hormone imbalances can occur from a number of different reasons within the female body. Many times women have hormone imbalances due to menopause, pregnancy and menstruation. That is not always the case when it comes to serious health conditions.

Cortisol May Cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Studies have shown that decreased production of the hormone, cortisol (the hormone that helps the body manage stress and helps the body metabolize food), is believed to be a link to chronic fatigue syndrome in women, along with other combined hormones. It is often considered to be partially the cause or pre-onset to CFS.

The hormone cortisol is linked to stress and that an increased or decreased amount will put more stress on the body. Stress is one of the leading factors leading to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome. This imbalance of hormones often throws a woman’s body off course and can trigger many different feelings or illnesses. Levels of cortisol were found to be lower in women in the morning than of other women who do not have CFS.

In healthy women, cortisol levels tend to be higher in the morning and lower throughout the day. If the levels of cortisol are lower during the day it makes it so the adrenal glands are overactive and lower energy. It can be dangerous if the levels do not change as well, due to different conditions.

Research Continues

Stress and depression are huge influences to the development of CFS and are causes of cortisol levels that are out of balance. With stress hormone levels out of control for women, it is difficult for women to avoid CFS, putting more at risk. It is still not exactly known how this condition occurs in people and how it can be completely cured. The more links that are found to the symptoms and onset of the disease will help there to be a medical explanation eventually.

Learn more about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome here.

Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfscauses.htm
http://www.webmd.com/news/19991109/mysteries-of-chronic-fatigue-syndrome
http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfsatrisk.htm