The hormonal health 'marketing scheme' medical experts want you to look out for

If you're scrolling through social media and see a product labeled as something to help you balance hormones, you might want to do a bit more research before you make any purchases.

"Most of the time when you see the phrase 'balancing hormones' or 'imbalanced hormones' on social media, it's part of a marketing scheme," gynecologist Karen Tang, M.D., tells USA TODAY. "It's to sell things like courses or hormone detoxes or supplements. Most of the time, if we were to check someone's actual hormone levels by drawing their blood, they would be perfectly normal."

This isn't to say hormonal imbalances don't exist — they do, but some products and influencers will have you believing it's a problem you have before a medical professional can actually do tests that would determine what you're dealing with.

"It's normal for hormones to fluctuate from moment to moment, day to day and in parts of your cycle, and hormones like insulin and cortisol fluctuate from moment to moment depending on different stimuli," Tang says. "That's actually how your body is meant to work: to regulate different functions of the body by altering and adjusting hormone levels in response."

Here's how to tell if you actually have a hormonal imbalance — and what medical experts recommend you do about it.

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Symptoms of hormonal imbalance:

The body is made up of more than 50 different kinds of hormones, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which makes it difficult to give blanket symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.

Common hormonal issues include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), diabetes, perimenopause and menopause, according to Tang. Symptoms such as fatigue, unexplained weight change, extreme thirst, change in bowel movement frequency, acne, irregular periods and hot flashes may be an indicator of one of those issues, per Cleveland Clinic.

"Those are reasons to talk to your doctor and ask about testing specific hormones," Tang says.

How to balance hormones

As Tang noted, most people don't have a "true hormone imbalance or endocrine condition that needs treatment."

If any of the aforementioned symptoms are hurting your quality of life, health experts recommend seeing a medical professional, who can run tests and properly diagnose the condition. Depending on what the issue is and what's causing it, your doctor may explore options including hormone replacement therapy, oral or injection medication, surgery or replacement therapy, per the Cleveland Clinic.

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At home, Tang recommends focusing on things like stress management, a balanced diet, sleep and exercise to keep your blood pressure and blood sugar at regular rates.