What do hormones play a role in?
Brain health, heart health, bone health, mood regulation, blood sugar regulation, mineral balance, metabolic function, and more.
Do hormones themselves cause issues with clients?
No, the imbalance of hormones do.
When it comes to the menstrual cycle
What is estrogen responsible for?
- Facilitating the menstrual cycle
- Supporting antral ovarian follicle growth
- proliferating the endometrium
- stimulating the production of fertile-quality cervical mucus
What else does estrogen do besides facilitate the menstrual cycle?
- It has anti-inflammatory properties, esp with the brain
- Support the health & function of the brain
- In this way, plays an important role in regulating a woman’s mood, mental clarity, and focus.
- Promotes quality sleep and circadian rhythm balance
- Increases insulin sensitivity
- Supports bone health & density by enhancing calcium absorption
- Promotes skin health
- Contribute’s to desire to seek out sexual encounters
When is estrogen the highest?
During the follicular-ovulatory phases, which is when the female is most fertile
What contributes to a woman’s plumper physique and clear “glowing skin” and during what phase is this common?
Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase
During what phase does progesterone dominate?
During the luteal phase. In a healthy cycle, you can find it in a higher concentration than estrogen during this time.
What is one of progesterone’s primary roles within the menstrual cycle?
To oppose estrogen, which helps to protect the endometerial lining within the uterus by inhibiting excessive estrogen action.
What can excess estrogen potentially lead to?
Endometrial Hyperplasia which can increase one’s risk for developing endometerial cancer.
By inhibiting estrogenic action, what else does progesterone do?
- Supports breast health, as excessive growth can factor into the onset & proliferation of breast cancer cells
- Supports brain health by promoting the growth & repair of myelin sheaths
- Helps improve the brain’s neuroplasticity which can improve cognitive function, learning & memory
- Production of GABA, which plays an important role in modulating stress, improving sleep, and maintaining mood regulation.
Can the actionof progesterone metabolism and GABA production have an adverse effect?
Yes, it can lead to extreme physical and psychological disturbances that are common in women with PMDD
How does progesterone work with the thyroid and thyroid hormones?
- In the luteal phase, progesterone’s thermogenic effect stimulates thyroid hormone production, resulting in an increase in basal body temperature during this time.
- This increase in thyroid hormone helps to improve cholestrol clearance and estrogen metabolism within the liver.
Women produce how much testostrone compared to males?
1/10TH THE AMOUNT
What does testosterone do?
- Helps boost one’s mood, energy levels, self-confidence, and sexual arousal
- Within the menstrual cycle, it pairs up with estrogen in the pre-ovulatory phases to stimulate ovarian follicle development and a healthy libido
- Facilitates the development and maintenance of muscle mass and promote’s one’s endurance and stamina
Estrogen is produced from what?
The conversion of androgens such as testosterone, so low levels of testosterone may have a downstream effect on estrogen and progresterone production
Do synthetic hormones found within hormonal birth control have the same beneficial effects as natural hormones?
- No, HBC suppresses the menstrual cycle and along with it these hormones and their benefits.
- Hormone replacement therapy may have some positive or similiar effects as natural hormones, but it doesn’t compare to the real deal
What are Xenoestrogens?
Synthetic estrogen-mimicking compounds
What is excess estrogen?
A hormone imbalance that is caused by there being too much estrogen in the system. Typically, the body does not produce too much estrogen on it’s own, rather it’s usually the result of poor estrogen elimination and/or exogenous xenoestrogen exposure.
What causes excess estrogen?
- Can result from ecessive alcohol, drug, or toxin exposure, as these compounds can compete for elmination of estrogen, leading to a build-up of estrogen metabolites.
- May also result from obsesity, excfess body fat and insulin resistance can inrease estrogen levels by stimulating aromatization in adipose tissue
What is aromatization?
An enzymatic process where the aromatase enzymes trigger an enzymatic process, which converts the androgens into estrogen within the Granulosa cells
What is estrogen dominance?
Too much estrogen in ratio to progesterone
Can estrogen dominance still be present even if estrogen is low?
Yes, when progesterone is even lower —simply because estrogen is higher than progesterone by ratio.
Which is more common: for a woman to experience both estrogen excess AND estrogen dominance or only one at a time?
Both. However, they could just be experiencing estrogen dominance and not necessarily excess because progesterone directly opposses estrogen, when there is too little of it, it can result in estrogen-excess-related symptoms, often in tandem with symptoms of low progesterone.
What are symptoms of estrogen excess/estrogen dominance?
- Heavy periods
- Painful periods
- Breast tenderness
- Bloating
- Water-retention
- Menstrual migraines
- Ovulatory pain
- PMS
- Fibroids
- Cysts
- In some cases, endometriosis and adenomyosis
