When you are facing a diagnosis of a hormonal condition, like diabetes or thyroid disease, your doctor may suggest you see an endocrinologist. You may be wondering why you need to see a specialist instead of simply sticking with your primary doctor.

Here’s a look at five common endocrine disorders and how they can affect you.

• Diabetes. Diabetes is the most common endocrine disorder in the United States.
• Thyroid Disorders. Thyroid disorders follow closely behind diabetes in the United States.
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Low Testosterone.
• Osteoporosis.

The pituitary gland

Hormones are chemical messengers released from endocrine glands that travel through the blood system to influence the nervous system to regulate behaviors such as aggression, mating, and parenting of individuals.

“Technically, we can’t ‘control’ hormones, but we can certainly do things to influence them,” he notes. “Foods we choose to eat or drink can cause our hormone levels to go up or down. Extra weight can also have a significant impact on the way hormones work.”

An organ that makes hormones that are released directly into the blood and travel to tissues and organs all over the body. Endocrine glands help control many body functions, including growth and development, metabolism, and fertility. Some examples of endocrine glands are the pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands.

The endocrine system works in large part by acting on neurons in the brain, which controls the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland secretes factors into the blood that act on the endocrine glands to either increase or decrease hormone production.

hypothalamus