Female Hormones

INTRODUCTION

Let us just say it, being a woman is one damn hard job because women are not only unique but they also have to take life with its horns. If I may be inspired by the words of Beyonce Knowles in her song, “who runs the world” I do agree that it is us women but at times we do get run over by what we call hormones.

These hormones at times might get out of hand when they become imbalanced and the problem now is that what is happening inside of us soon manifests outside of us. This simply means that a hormonal imbalance is an imbalance to your daily routine of living.

You wake up at night all sweaty or you simply can’t have enough of pizza, you even wake at three in the morning to go and binge on chocolate chip cookies. Seriously you are getting out of control and you need help.

As you read on you will get to discover that it is all about what goes into your body. Your hormones were there before so you must have triggered them to go on a rendezvous.

For you to fight with your enemy you need to know who they are and how they function then you can attack. So know the hormones, their functions, signs of imbalance and how to reset everything. It is all about eating right and eating when it is right.

All through her life, a woman is influenced by hormones/PHOTO/ functionalwellness.com

Meet the Hormones

Hormones are messengers in your body that are in chemical form. They are directly secreted into the blood so as to be transported to body organs and tissues so to be able to do some functions.

Hormones are produced in the endocrine system which is made up of several glands that are found in the various parts of the body. It is the work of these glands to release hormones.

The glands that make up the endocrine system are;

·         Pancreas

The pancreas is responsible for the blood sugar levels ensuring that nothing goes overboard. It is found behind the stomach.

·         Pituitary Gland

This is the mother of all glands as it responsible for influencing the other body organs. Due to it being the giant gland, it is the producer of several types of hormones namely;

-Prolactin

-Growth hormone

-Antidiuretic hormone

-Oxytocin

-Follicle-stimulating hormone

-Luteinizing hormone

-Thyroid-stimulating hormone

-Adrenocorticotropic

·         Parathyroid

The parathyroid is essential for the development of bones as it controls the levels of phosphorus and calcium in the body. It is located behind the thyroid gland.

·         Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus controls pituitary hormones through the release of four types of hormones namely;

-Gonadotropin

-Corticotrophin

Growth hormone

-Thyrotrophic

All the above are releasing hormones. A releasing hormone is one which controls how other hormones are released.

·         Adrenal Glands

The adrenal gland is the one which is in charge of blood sugar, distribution of stored fats, aids proper gastrointestinal function, proper use of fats and carbohydrates and it also aids proper cardiovascular activities.

·         Thymus

The thymus is a gland that is responsible for the secretion of hormones that come in handy during the puberty stage of life. The hormones released are supposed to ensure that you get to have an immune system that is totally healthy.

·         Thyroid

The thyroid is the gland that controls the body’s metabolism and it is found in front of the neck.

·         Pineal Gland

This is a gland that releases melatonin which is what actually what helps the body to know when you should hit the sack. So now you know what puts you sleep thus no need for sedatives.

·         Ovaries

Ovaries of course are restricted to women and they are responsible for the production of two hormones namely progesterone and estrogen. These are hormones that help in the very development of feminine features like breasts and also ensuring that a woman has a healthy menstrual cycle.

·         Testes

And finally the testes which we all know belong to the male species. The testes produces testosterone which as the hormones produced by the ovaries is responsible for the masculine features like body and facial hair, deepening of the voice and of course the growth of the penis. Testosterone also is in charge during sexual intercourse, sperm production and ensuring that the bone mass and muscle levels are healthy.

Shemornes-Female hormones

It is important that you know about all the hormones and what they do before narrowing into what affects you as a woman. Yes working from the known to the unknown can help you find the value of X.

Am happy that we are done with the geek stuff but now it is important to narrow into you as a woman so that you get to understand hormones better.

First of let me say that women have long been portrayed as person’s who are always at the servitude of their hormones but looking at it at a neutral angle it is true that hormones can influence but they do not control us. This is why the more we get to know about hormones and understand how they affect your body the better it will be at trying to deal with the effects that are negative.

Childhood

Most people think that hormones start raging during puberty but actually they are quite wrong. At times newborns have large breasts and it has always been suggested by experts that this could be due to the oestrogen from the mother to the placenta while she was still expectant thus the baby’s large breasts.

The other explanation is that that the oestrogen level in the mother’s body could be decreasing in the infant’s bloodstream thus the child’s brain produces prolactin which is a hormone that could enlarge the breasts.

No need to fret though because the large breasts on your baby will only last for a few weeks. For a baby girl things might be different since the issue might take longer especially if the tissue in the breast was stimulated. The stimulation can occur when the breast is squeezed. The issue can reoccur for the initial two years since the child’s own hormones are also affecting her tissues in the breast. But still do not panic, the large breasts will disappear during the years.

Puberty

Now this when hormones take over the young lady’s body for some modifications to suit her femininity.  These modifications are now permanent. Some of the changes are that the breasts get larger; there is hair under her arms and her private parts. She will also get taller and her waist will become like that of a bottle plus she might start responding to the attention she gets from the male species in a positive way since as little boys and girls they usually fight.

Another beautiful thing about a girl during puberty is that she is fully blossoming in that she will start getting her menstrual period and therefore she is not just a human being but a being that can support life. Yes in short she can get impregnated.

All the hormones in charge hop in since they have been lying in silence waiting for this important stage to emerge. This when the hypothalamus releases large amounts of gonadotrophin.

Well let me not just leave you hanging. You see when the girl is a child the levels of the gonadotropin are very low but as soon as puberty is on its way, the hormone smells the coffee and starts the process of sexual maturation.

Let us talk about sex

Now during the development of a young woman’s body for maturity and other roles in life the two most important hormones come into play and they are oestrogen and progesterone. Believe or not ovaries also produce some small amounts of testosterone.

The work of oestrogen is to ensure that the breasts grow bigger and also prepare the entire female reproductive system for the future role of motherhood. This is also the hormone responsible for the broadening of hips, round behinds and fleshy thighs. The testosterone is mainly there for the growth of the muscle and the bones.

The two hormones also share a role in regulating the menstrual cycle so that the lady can get periods that are regular. Every hormone has its own path and pattern but at the end of the day they lead to certain events in the body.

Every month, one egg that is ripe will be released from the ovary and it will head to the fallopian tube and then to the uterus awaiting fertilization by a sperm. If there is no fertilization then oestrogen and progesterone levels go down and the uterus wall is lined with blood which will be shed after a certain period usually twenty eight days.

Pregnancy

 Now if there was fertilization then pregnancy would be the result and during pregnancy hormones are ready to take everything to the next level. During this time there are no periods and that should serve as a sign to tell you that your oestrogen and progesterone levels are quite high.

The new kid of the block during this period is referred to as HCG which stands for human chorionic gonadotropin.  This hormone believe or not is produced by the placenta and its role is to ensure that the levels of oestrogen and progesterone are high enough to successfully carry the pregnancy to term.

By the time a woman is into her fourth month of pregnancy, it is the placenta that becomes the main producer of the two essential hormones. This is to make the uterine lining much thicker. The volume of blood circulating in the breasts and the womb is increased and the womb muscles are relaxed to make more room for the baby growing inside.

Progesterone, oestrogen and relaxin also work together to ensure that the muscles and ligaments are relaxed to ensure that the pelvis have enough capacity to allow the baby to pass when the time comes.

Just before delivery, several other hormones come together to enable the womb contract and also to stimulate the production of milk in the breasts.

After the child’s birth

The levels of all hormones decrease sharply and this results into several physical changes. The first of course is the womb going back to a normal size since there is no baby aboard. The muscles of the pelvic floor tone themselves and the circulation of blood around the body also goes back to normal.

The changes in hormone levels can also lead to postnatal depression but it also depends on the woman since there are those are affected by the hormonal fluctuations more severely than others.

It is also not clear if the hormonal fluctuations are responsible for premenstrual syndrome. This is even after years of study by health experts.

However due to hormonal changes, women will always feel bloated, have tender breasts, be irritable and have mood swings prior to their periods. But the symptoms leading to the period is still being debated as to whether it is due to social and emotional problems or chemicals in the brain in the brain.

Menopause

This is the life stage that is dreaded by almost every woman. This is the most important stage since it is the time when a woman stops having periods.

Women are said to have undergone menopause if they have not had their periods for one year. The average age for in many countries to reach menopause is fifty two however there could be cases of premature menopause. This is when a woman undergoes menopause when they are under forty years of age.

During the last ten years prior to a woman undergoing menopause, her ovaries begin to deteriorate in their functions thus her menstrual cycle can become longer or shorter. They could also get heavier or lighter.

Finally the amount of oestrogen produced by the ovaries becomes very minimal that the walls of the uterus fail to become thick and therefore no periods.

But shock of all shocks there are some women who seem to cheat menopause since they can still become pregnant even after menopause. It is advised that you keep on using contraceptives for two years after the time of your last period if you are below fifty years and take them for one year if you are above fifty years.

Oestrogen plays a major role in the woman’s body. It keeps your heart and your bones strong and healthy. It is also in charge of maintenance of the bladder, womb, vagina and breasts.

With the low levels of oestrogen due to menopause, a woman will tend to experience some uncomfortable changes. You sweat at night and have hot flushes plus your risk to cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis are increased.

Your sex life will also never be the same since your vagina will be dry, urine infections might reoccur and you will not be comfortable during sex. You will also be quite edgy, depressed and have poor concentration.

This does not mean that you should dread the experience of menopause since there are ways of dealing with the issue.

Hormones are part of you as a woman from the day you are born to the day that you die but do remember that they play a key role in making you the woman that you are. Try to imagine life without hormones? Well you wouldn’t feel like a woman.

So now that you know hormones and how they come into every stage of your life as a woman, you need to know when the hormonal behavior is becoming too much.