Dealing with your hormones

If you're experiencing hormonal problems during pregnancy, you're not alone. Aside from the well-known hormonal-induced emotional swings of pregnancy, you might be unfortunate enough to have more serious problems. Two of these problematic hormonal problems are hirsutism (her-SUIT-iz-um) and hyperandrogenism (high-per-ann-DRAW-jen-iz-um). Hirsutism is characterized by excess facial and body hair growth due to an increased production of testosterone. Hyperandrogenism shows up as increased levels of male hormone production in women. Hormone levels can usually be controlled with medication, so talk to your doctor if you notice abnormal hormonal changes during pregnancy.