What exactly are hormones? Why are hormones important for our health?
Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. They travel through the bloodstream carrying messages between our body’s cells and organs. They affect our body’s functions from growth and sexual development, to our metabolism, sleep, stress management and emotions.
Hormones are created and released by the glands in our body’s endocrine system. The major endocrine glands include the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland, thyroid and parathyroid gland, thymus, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries and testes. Hormone levels change as we grow and age.
There are many different hormones in our body that play a critical role. In this guide we will look at the body’s most important hormones and how changes in their levels can affect your body and your well-being.
1. Progesterone
Progesterone hormone is a crucial player in your menstrual cycle. Your ovaries make progesterone after ovulation to prepare your uterus for the implantation of the embryo. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the levels drop again, causing you to get your period. If pregnancy happens, your progesterone plays an important role in preparing your uterus to receive, implant, and support a fertilized egg during pregnancy. Its levels continue to slowly rise until the 32 weeks of pregnancy with the placenta taking over making progesterone after 12 weeks.
Progesterone may be low if ovulation is not occurring regularly, or if your body can not build enough progesterone. It can cause irregular menstrual cycles either long or short, heavy periods, spotting before your period.
Some conditions, such as PCOS, elevated prolactin hormone levels, or hypothyroidism can cause infrequent or absent ovulation, which would lead to low progesterone levels.
Often external progesterone supplementation in the form of tablets or creams are prescribed as a treatment. However the female body responds to these supplements by decreasing the natural progesterone production in the ovaries.
If you aim to boost your body’s natural progesterone production, do the Aviva Method exercises regularly and follow the dietary and lifestyle advice. After a few months progesterone production in the ovaries can naturally increase.
2. Estrogen
The female sex hormone, and one that teenage girls know all too well,
is responsible for setting off puberty. Along with progesterone, estrogen plays a key role in your reproductive health.
Produced primarily in your ovaries, estrogen regulates your menstrual cycle, maintains pregnancy and even keeps bones strong. It is responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, and overall body composition.
There are three forms of estrogen:
- Estradiol is the primary form of estrogen during reproductive years.
- Estriol is the primary form of estrogen during pregnancy.
- Estrone is the primary form of estrogen after menopause.
Estrogen plays a role in ovulation and thickens the lining of your uterus to prepare it for pregnancy.
Estrogen peaks in the days leading up to ovulation. In your most fertile period estrogen thins your cervical mucus, for sperm to swim through to reach and fertilize an egg.
Throughout your menstrual cycle, the presence of estrogen makes it more comfortable to have intercourse, keeping your vaginal walls thick, elastic and lubricated.
During the years of perimenopause estrogen levels start to decline. With menopause when you don’t have a period for 12 months, estrogen levels drop and you no longer ovulate. This may lead to symptoms like vaginal dryness, mood changes, night sweats and hot flashes.
Estrogen affects almost every tissue or organ system, and impacts your overall health, including:
- Circulation and blood pressure.
- Cholesterol levels.
- Blood sugar levels.
- Bone and muscle mass.
- Collagen production.
- Brain function and the ability to focus.
An imbalance of estrogen leads to:
- irregular or no menstruation
- light or heavy cycle
- severe PMS or menopausal symptoms
- weight gain, mainly in the hips, thighs, and waist
- hot flashes, night sweats
- noncancerous lumps in the breast and uterus
- mood swings and sleeping problems
- vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy
- low sexual drive
- fatigue
- depression and anxiety
- dry skin
3. FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone
FSH plays an integral role in both female and male reproductive processes.
In women, FSH helps control the menstrual cycle, the production of eggs by the ovaries, and the estradiol hormone synthesis. In men, it helps control the production of sperm. Therefore couples trying to conceive know the importance of FSH.
FSH is made by your pituitary gland, a small gland located at the base of the brain.
During the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle the growing follicle contains a developing egg. As it develops, FSH helps to initiate its production of estrogen. This helps the follicle continue to develop, and it also helps to thicken the uterine lining.
Midway through the cycle, FSH levels are at their peak. At the same time the LH-surge (luteinizing hormone) helps the follicle release the egg. This is called ovulation.
During the luteal phase, FSH levels drop slightly. The remaining cluster of cells after the egg is released, forms the corpus luteum which continues to produce both estrogen and progesterone. These hormones together support implantation and early pregnancy.
It is thanks to FSH that the early development of ovarian follicles and the corpus luteum can happen.
FSH levels can be high or low, indicating hormonal imbalance.
High FSH Levels in Women can be sign of:
- a loss of ovarian function, or ovarian failure
- polycystic ovarian syndrome
- menopause, including premature menopause
- autoimmune diseases, including thyroid disorders
- a chromosomal abnormality, such as Turner’s syndrome
Low FSH values can be the sign of:
- a woman isn’t producing eggs (not ovulating)
- a woman being severely underweight
- a man isn’t producing sperm
- improperly pituitary gland or hypothalamus function
- a tumor is interfering with the brain’s ability to control the production of FSH
There is often an underlying reason for abnormal FSH leveles which should be checked out by a doctor.
What to do to improve your FSH levels?
Generally lifestyle changes may help improve low or high FSH levels. These might be dietary changes, exercise, stress management.
4. LH – Luteinizing Hormone
LH levels are usually low in early childhood, and begin to rise in the years before the start of puberty. Puberty relies on LH. In girls, LH helps signal the ovaries to make estrogen. In boys, it helps signal the testes to make testosterone.
LH is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland. It is a chemical messenger that signals your ovaries to start processes needed to support your reproductive health.
In women, LH helps control the menstrual cycle. In the first half of the cycle LH stimulates the production of estrogen in the ovaries. LH levels rise just before ovulation which is know as LH-surge. This triggers ovulation, the release of an egg from the ovary. After ovulation LH is released at a constant pace for two weeks, which stimulates ovarian progesterone production. LH stimulates changes in your ovaries that maintain your menstrual cycle and support pregnancy.
Due to an imbalance LH levels can be higher or lower than normal.
High LH levels in women may mean:
- You are not ovulating.
- You are in menopause or perimenopause.
- You have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
- You have Turner syndrome, that can often cause infertility.
Low LH levels in women may mean:
- Your pituitary gland is not working correctly.
- You have hypothalamic amenorrhoea.
- You an eating disorder or malnutrition.
- You are under stress.
The imbalance in LH levels can be helped with diet and lifestyle changes that improve your overall health, and support brain functioning and reproductive health.
Aviva Method is a natural healing system that helps balance hormones and improves fertility. With Aviva you can support your body’s natural health, without medication.
5. Prolactin
Prolactin is a hormone that’s responsible for lactation, certain breast tissue development and milk production after childbirth.
Dopamine and estrogen control prolactin production and release from your pituitary gland.
Prolactin can also be produced by the central nervous system, immune system, uterus and mammary glands. Nipple stimulation, exercise and stress can also contribute to prolactin creation in these tissues.
Prolactin levels are normally low for nonpregnant women and high for pregnant women and new mothers.
Hyperprolactinemia means higher than normal levels of prolactin in your blood. It can cause certain symptoms, such as:
- irregular periods
- vaginal dryness
- loss sex drive
- milky discharge from the nipples when not pregnant or breastfeeding
- infertility
Several conditions can cause higher-than-normal levels of prolactin, including:
- pituitary gland tumors, prolactinoma being the most common
- certain medications such as for high blood pressure and antipsychotics
- certain health conditions such as kidney disease or hypothyroidism
Having lower than normal levels of prolactin results a lack of breastmilk production after giving birth. The reason for this is often hypopituitarism, a rare condition in which there’s a deficiency of the hormone(s) made by the pituitary gland due to it being damaged.
Abnormal levels of prolactin is a type of hormonal imbalance that should be paid attention to and needs to be checked out by your doctor.
In order to support your body’s healthy hormonal balance and fertility naturally you can try the Aviva Method.
In the next parts of the Essential Guide we will look at other important hormones to help you understand how they work and what impact they have on your body and health. Read part two here and part three here.