The Skinny on Hormonal Health

January 23, 2024 Paige Hubert

Today, we are going to talk about hormones – substances produced by the body that carry messages and perform different duties to facilitate the body’s most important functions.

Hormones are produced chemically by different glands throughout the body, such as your adrenal glands or sweat glands, to keep you as close to homeostasis as possible. This can include everything from the stress response with cortisol (which we’ve covered before) to hormones that affect digestion, temperature regulation, and mood. The pituitary gland, located deep in the brain, is the “puppet master” that controls the release of how much hormone and when to keep the body functioning.

For all of us *ladies* out there, female sex hormones are very important for our overall reproductive and pelvic floor health. There are two main female sex hormones. Estrogen is the “main” female hormone, the vast majority of which is produced in the ovaires. A small amount can also come from the adrenal glands, fat cells and placenta (during pregnancy). Estrogen plays a major role in almost every aspect of female reproduction and growth – from puberty to pregnancy and menopause. Estrogen has a significant influence on the female body as a whole, including on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system (joints, bones and muscle), and the integumentary system (skin). Your estrogen level can be assessed with a blood test and varies significantly throughout your cycle. It also goes through MAJOR shifts during pregnancy and postpartum- enough to make you feel slightly crazy!

Progesterone is the second big player in the realm of female hormones. Also produced by the ovaries, progesterone levels increase after ovulation. Just like estrogen, small amounts are produced by the placenta during pregnancy. The main role of progesterone is to prepare the lining of the uterus for a fertilized egg, support pregnancy, and suppress estrogen after ovulation. So whereas estrogen has multiple functions and roles in multiple systems throughout the body, progesterone is a bit more of a “niche” hormone.

It’s also important to note that the female body does produce Testosterone in small amounts. The “big T” plays a role in sexual desire, regulation of the menstrual cycle, and supports bone health. If there is too much testosterone- it can play a huge role in PCOS and other issues. Fun fact- your ovaries also produce testosterone along with the other hormones. Testosterone is NOT just for men and plays crucial roles in the female body as well. Many women get testosterone when they are in peri-menopause or menopause to assist with those symptoms.

Female sex hormones play an integral role throughout your life. However, it is normal and natural for them to change at different stages such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Hormones can also be affected if you breastfeed or use oral contraceptives. While this is completely expected, sometimes our hormones can get a little bit out of whack. Up to 80% of women may experience a hormone imbalance at some point in their life.

Although there are a lot of different factors that can cause hormone imbalance, there are a few umbrella symptoms that are helpful to be aware of:

Unexplained weight gain or loss
Mood swings
Sudden heat or cold intolerance
Vaginal dryness or pain (pain with sex)
Feeling constantly fatigued or tired no matter how much you sleep
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Headaches
Hair or skin changes (like hair loss or extra hair growth near the chin/neck/face/chest, swelling, increased dryness)
Irregular periods
Sudden changes in voiding patterns (constipation or diarrhea)

Although there are so many hormones that the body uses to keep us in balance, estrogen and progesterone are among the most important for female sexual health. If these are imbalanced, it can lead to global health issues as well as pelvic floor dysfunction (estrogen helps to keep your muscles happy/healthy and strong). So we want to empower you to know what hormone imbalances may look like! So listen to your body, and if you feel off, get things looked at by a healthcare professional!

Here is a link to a website that you can take a “quiz” on to see if your symptoms mimic a common hormonal dysfunction (i.e. estrogen or progesterone dominance, PCOS, etc) —> https://nicolejardim.com/quiz/

This author (from the link above) also has a FANTASTIC book on hormones, what a normal cycle looks like and testing for issues- and no, we don’t get paid to say that. Her stuff is just awesome!