Meet the Essential Women’s Hormones for Balanced Energy and Wellbeing

Women's Essential Hormones: The Subtle Messengers Shaping Your Health

In the last blog, we explored what hormones are and how they work together within the endocrine system - a beautifully orchestrated performance where each one plays its part in keeping your essential women's hormones in balance. Now that we have seen how your hormones work together in harmony, let's meet the essential women hormones behind your energy, mood and overall sense of wellbeing.

Oestrogen: The Harmoniser

Oestrogen plays a key role in keeping many aspects of a woman’s health in balance - from menstrual cycles, bone strength, heart health, skin health, energy levels and the feeling that you are in sync with your body.

Oestrogen levels vary depending on what life stage a woman is at. During the pre perimenopause stage of her life, the oestrogen is made in the ovaries, adrenal glands and fat cells.

Perimenopause - when a women enters perimenopause oestrogen levels can initially rise in comparison to progesterone and although not recognised officially in some circles, this is known as oestrogen dominance. This imbalance with progesterone can cause heavier periods than normal, missed periods, erratic cycles, breast tenderness and mood swings.

Menopause is reached when a woman hasn't had a period for 12 months, when the ovaries cease to produce oestrogen and primarily the adrenals and fat cells take over mostly.

Progesterone: The Cooling Calming Influencer

During a women's cycle progesterone is often thought of as oestrogen’s balancing partner, helping to create a sense of calm and stability, especially in the second half of a women's menstrual cycle. Common symptoms of low progesterone in contrast to oestrogen (known as oestrogen dominance) include:

• Irregular or absent periods

• Emotional & mood changes

• Sleep disturbances

• Fertility issues

• Physical symptoms - weight gain, bloating, and breast tenderness

  
  

During a women's transition through the different life stages, the hormonal balance can shift dramatically:

Perimenopause - as a woman enters perimenopause; progesterone levels decline, initially this is more dramatic in comparison to oestrogen levels which do not decline quite so quickly. This balancing act can cause symptoms such as irregular periods, mood swings and hot flushes.

Pregnancy - high levels of progesterone are needed to take a pregnancy to full term. After the first trimester, progesterone is produced by the placenta instead of the ovaries.

Testosterone: Your Get Up And Go

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone - in women though it is is produced in much smaller quantities, it is still an essential hormone but not to the same degree as oestrogen and progesterone. Testosterone is important for energy, vitality, motivation, assertiveness and self confidence.

Low levels of testosterone levels in women may cause fatigue, feeling listless reduced self-esteem, difficulty concentrating or being unmotivated.

High levels of testosterone levels in women often associated with conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), acne, excess body and facial hair, thinning hair, irregular periods, mood swings, deepening of the voice and increased muscle mass.

Testosterone levels naturally decline with age - particularly when women are going through perimenopause and menopause.

The Thyroid Hormones: The Energy Regulators

The thyroid produces hormones that are essential to a women's overall health and wellbeing, they also play a key role in regulating metabolism, energy levels, mood and touches on nearly every single organ system in the body. Imbalances can have a huge impact on a women's reproductive system and overall physical and mental health throughout all a women's life transitions from puberty to menopause.

Thyroid hormone effects a women's metabolism, so controls how quickly calories are burned and how fast the heart beats.

• Hypothyroidism (under active) - slowed metabolism causing symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, feeling cold, constipation, muscle weakness and a slowed heart rate.

  
  

• Hyperthyroidism (over active) - metabolism is in overdrive resulting in weight loss, rapid or irregular heart rate (palpitations), anxiety, increased sweating, muscle weakness and diarrhoea.

• Bone Health - too much thyroid hormones can cause bones to lose calcium, increasing the risk of osteoporosis especially women who have been through menopause.

Cortisol: The Stress Signal

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, situated on top of the kidneys, shaped like little pixie hats. Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps regulate metabolism, blood pressure and inflammation, it also helps you wake up in the morning, rise to a challenge, and respond to stress. Cortisol is released in response to stress after releasing the 'fight or flight' hormones like adrenaline. This allows the body to stay on high alert. Cortisol also triggers the release of glucose (sugar) from your liver. Short bursts are essential, but when stress is constant, cortisol can stay elevated for longer periods of time leaving you feeling anxious, “wired,” or eventually exhausted - sometimes referred to as adrenal fatigue, which is not recognised in medical circles, but in my practise it is one of the underlying factors to imbalance of the hormones.

In women when levels are high this can cause anxiety, weight gain (especially around the belly), reduced immune function and irregular periods.

Chronically high levels can lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Insulin: The Gatekeeper

Insulin acts like the gatekeeper - after you eat, the brain releases insulin instructing the body to move glucose from the blood into the cells to be used for energy or if there is too much glucose to be stored in the liver or muscles primarily as glycogen, and when those stores are full to be stored as fat in adipose tissue throughout the body.

When insulin is balanced, energy levels feel steady. Imbalances, whether low or high, can cause blood sugar fluctuations, leaving you feeling sluggish, craving sweets, or experiencing energy crashes.

Putting The Pieces Together: How Knowledge Supports Hormonal Balance

As you can see, hormones are constantly communicating, adjusting, and responding to your body’s needs. When they are balanced, you feel steady, energised, and resilient. When they are out of balance, the effects can ripple across the whole of your body affecting your mood, energy, menstrual cycles and overall wellbeing.

Now, for the good news, you have control over your daily choices, you don’t have to leave it to chance. Your daily habits - from the food you eat and the way you move your body, to how well you sleep and manage stress - can have a significant impact on keeping these messengers in harmony and happy. With the right support, many women can restore balance and feel more like themselves again if not better, and living their best life.

Looking Ahead: How Everyday Choices Influence Your Hormones

In the next blog, we will be exploring practical ways your everyday choices - nutrition, sleep, movement, and stress management have a direct affect on the balance of your hormones. You will learn simple, actionable strategies that fit in with your lifestyle and help to support your body naturally, helping you feel more balanced, energised, and resilient.

Thank you for reading “Meet the essential women's hormones for balanced energy and wellbeing”. If you suspect your hormones may be out of balance, I’d love to help you uncover what’s really going on. To start you on your journey to happy balanced hormones, book a free hormonestrategy session call using the link below, and together we can explore ways to support your hormonal health and overall wellbeing.

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