Hormonal changes can increase the blood flow to the body’s mucus membranes, thus increasing the risk of nosebleeds. Some people experience these more than others but if you’re undergoing major changes resulting from pregnancy, anabolic steroid use, puberty, or birth control, you may get nosebleeds.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at how hormonal changes cause nosebleeds and what you should do about them.
Puberty
The frequency of nosebleeds typically decreases after age 10, mainly because children of this age are less likely to pick their noses, stuff them with foreign objects, and suffer trauma from trips and falls. However, they may appear sporadically during puberty and while they are more common in boys, they can appear in girls as well.
Menopause and HRT
Postmenopausal women are more prone to nosebleeds. This is mainly due to the decrease in estrogen, which increases bodily fluids. The majority of women go through menopause aged between 45 and 55, which also means they are very close to the 60+ range, where the risk of nosebleeds also increases.
HRT can also cause nosebleeds if the drugs are consumed intranasally.
Birth Control
The contraceptive pill causes hormonal changes and may lead to nosebleeds. If you experience these regularly, contact your doctor. They may recommend an alternative form of birth control.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is the most common cause of nosebleeds associated with hormonal changes. Blood volume increases and the many blood vessels in the nose become more prone to ruptures. A small percentage of women also get something known as a pregnancy tumor, which can develop in the back of the nose or the gums and may cause bleeding.
Steroids
Men are more likely to get nosebleeds as they age, but this is a combination of medication, dehydration, brittle fingernails, and other factors impacted by age. They are also more likely to use anabolic steroids, and these can cause side effects such as nosebleeds, high blood pressure, strokes, and blood clots.
Although steroids are typically associated with serious health problems, they are also prescribed to individuals suffering from muscle loss and are perfectly safe when used in small doses and under the care of a physician.
If high doses are taken for long periods of time, steroids can damage the arteries, impact fertility, and greatly reduce the user’s lifespan.
Steroids are abused by both sexes, but studies suggest that males are anywhere from 4x to 50x more likely to abuse them (due to variances in study groups and the stigma associated with anabolic steroid use, it’s not easy to get an exact figure).
