Sweating and hormones: a map of changes from the teenage years to later life
Hormones control sweat more than you might think. They are why a teenager suddenly starts to smell, a woman notices a difference between weeks of her cycle, and a man on hormone therapy wakes up drenched. This article is a map: which hormones affect sweat, at which stages of life, and where we cover each topic in detail.
Short answer
Sex hormones switch on the apocrine glands at puberty, shift the sweating threshold in the second half of the menstrual cycle and cause hot flushes in pregnancy, at menopause and in men when testosterone falls. Sweating is also affected by thyroid hormones, insulin (through low blood sugar) and, rarely, an adrenal tumour that makes too much adrenaline. New sweating without a clear reason, especially at night or with other symptoms, is a reason to see a doctor.
The teenage years: apocrine glands switch on
Before puberty, children usually have no noticeable body odour. Cleveland Clinic explains that the apocrine glands in the underarms and groin only start working in adolescence, and that is when odour appears. Sweat may become heavier too.
How to talk about it with your child without awkwardness and what to choose for a teenager is covered in “Teen sweating: how to talk to your child without awkwardness”.
The menstrual cycle
In the second half of the cycle, after ovulation, progesterone levels are higher. A review by Japanese physiologist Nagashima (Temperature, 2015) describes how in this phase body temperature is higher and sweating starts at a higher temperature than in the first half of the cycle. That is why how you feel in the heat or during exercise can change from week to week.
If you feel that sweat and odour depend on your cycle, mark it on a calendar for two or three months: it makes the pattern easier to see and to discuss with a doctor.
Pregnancy and menopause
In pregnancy hormones change and blood volume rises, so many women feel hot more often and sweat more. At menopause, falling oestrogen causes hot flushes and night sweats. Both topics have their own articles: “Sweating during pregnancy: why it happens and what you can do” and “Sweating during menopause: what is happening and what helps”.
Men get hot flushes too
Hot flushes with a wave of heat and heavy sweating also happen in men when testosterone drops sharply. Most often this occurs during hormone therapy for prostate cancer. Guy’s and St Thomas’ (NHS) describes these flushes as a sudden wave of intense heat, often with heavy sweating and sometimes chills afterwards, lasting from a few minutes to about half an hour.
If the flushes bother you, tell your treating doctor: there are ways to ease them, and herbal remedies can interact with medicines.
The thyroid, blood sugar and adrenaline
Sex hormones are not the only ones that change sweating:
- too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) speeds up metabolism and increases sweating, more in “Sweating and the thyroid: when to check your hormones”;
- in diabetes, a sudden cold sweat most often means low blood sugar, see “Sweating and diabetes: when sweat signals low blood sugar”;
- a rare adrenal tumour, phaeochromocytoma, according to the NHS causes attacks of heavy sweating together with headaches, palpitations and high blood pressure.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor if sweating has started suddenly and without a clear reason, if you often wake up drenched, or if sweating comes with weight loss, fever, palpitations or attacks of headache. A doctor may order hormone tests. Other causes of night sweats are covered in “Night sweats: when they are normal and when to see a doctor”.
Bottom line: a doctor treats hormones, an antiperspirant handles local sweat
An antiperspirant does not affect hormones and does not treat hormonal disorders. Its job is more modest: to reduce sweat where it bothers you most, in the underarms, on the palms, on the feet. That is useful at times when hormones are already making you sweat more: in the teenage years, during hot flushes, while being treated by an endocrinologist. If you are pregnant or on any treatment, check with your doctor whether an antiperspirant is right for you.
OKEY is a long-lasting, fragrance-free antiperspirant for women and men in a 35 ml roll-on bottle. It suits all areas prone to excessive sweating. According to the instructions, it is applied in the evening before bed in a thin layer to clean, completely dry and intact skin, and any residue is washed off in the morning. OKEY is available on Kaspi for 7990 ₸ with a 14-day bottle return. Regular customers can buy it on our website okeystaydry.com for 6990 ₸ with free delivery to a Flip pickup point, without a return option. The buy button is below.
