women's hormones at play

The Hormones at Play

I'm popping over today to let you know about the different hormones that play a role throughout your entire menstrual cycle. If you don't have a perfect period, it's important to understand all the hormones that play a role in your cycle.

 

Here are 6 of the hormones at play. (Read about more hormones in Part 2)

 

women doing yoga.

 

Estrone (E1)

Estrone is the most inflammatory estrogen. It has 3 different metabolites and metabolites are what are excreted through the urine. 2 out of the 3 metabolites are more prone to causing breast or endometrial cancer. Obese women tend to have higher levels of estrone produced from fatty tissue.

 

Estradiol (E2)

Estradiol is the most abundant and most potent estrogen. This hormone is primarily made in the ovaries, so when menopause is reached, estradiol is obsolete. Estradiol is responsible for egg maturation, egg releasing, and uterine lining growth.

 

Estriol (E3)

The third primary estrogen, however, estriol is really only elevated in pregnancy. Estriol is produced by the placenta.

 

happy woman holding guitar.

 

Progesterone

The QUEEN….but only in its natural state. Synthetic progesterone, or progestin, has been linked to worsening symptoms of mood, and increased risk of breast cancer among others. Your natural progesterone is what rises in the luteal phase and stimulates the endometrial lining to grow to prep for pregnancy. Progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum (which is made from the mature egg follicle that was released during ovulation).

 

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)

SHBG carries our hormones around in our blood, but has a specific affinity to testosterone. SHBG is made in the liver.

 

Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S)

This hormone is produced in our adrenal glands, which sit on top of our kidneys. DHEA-s helps to make other hormones in the body, specifically testosterone.

 

We are pretty complex women, aren't we?

Did you have any idea we had all of these hormones that need to be orchestrated well together?

 

Read about more hormones in Hormones At Play - Part 2.