Hormonal Harmony
We often go through life not taking much notice of our monthly cycles and what a difference they make to our mood and energy levels. If we work with them and start to understand them the more we can feel so much better.
Let’s just take a ride on the hormone rollercoaster for a month.
First of all, we have the menstrual phase where both progesterone and estrogen are low, this is often a time when we want to retreat and rest, and if possible this is the best thing we can do.
The follicular phase is also part of phase one, where your ovarian follicles enter a race to ovulation.Just one will end up being the chosen one and your body will decide which one best suits the job. These follicles started this race 100 days before and in these 100’s if you had a problem with your health this can impact the period the follicle gets chosen for. Health is a long term job, and when your follicles enter the final leg of the race the hypothalamus sends GnRH to the pituitary gland to tell it to make FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) Your follicles then start making a type of estrogen E2, this hormone boosts serotonin and makes you happy and horny. It’s also great for sleep, bones, your heart and mood. It thickens the uterine lining too.
Ovulation then happens when the chosen one is picked and is triggered by LH (luteinizing hormone) which helps pop that egg out of the follicle. This is ovulation and without it there is no progesterone.
Your egg gets released enters the Fallopian tube. This is where it party’s with the sperm and makes a baby. Are you wondering what happens to the other follicles that were in the race? They get reabsorbed in the ovary.
The luteal phase is when the empty follicle now turns into a gland called the corpus lutetium which produces progesterone. And boy does it grow fast! It becomes fully formed in one day. It then pumps out progesterone which is an amazing hormone that thins your uterine lining, helps prevent breast cancer, reduces inflammation, calms us down, builds muscle and helps you get a good nights sleep.
If you’re pregnant the corpus luteum pumps out progesterone for 3 months and then your placenta takes over. If you’re not pregnant it will only last 10-16 days it then shrinks, your progesterone drops and that makes your uterus contract and shed it’s lining.
If you had a healthy corpus luteum that made enough progesterone your period should happen without much of an event with no pain, PMS and a healthy flow.
When this doesn’t happen it can be a sign of a hormone imbalance, which can make you feel crappy and down. We specialise in hormone Heath here at Points so if you would like to find hormone heaven please get in touch.
