I've mentioned in passing (in my previous post) about hormonal change due to my pregnancy, and so I deem it a great idea to research about hormones. And more so because others (like my husband! lol) tend to have a notion that women (I, for instance) are at the mency of our hormones. So let's start to understand
hormones from the beginning.
From Infancy to Puberty
I wouldn't have imagined that babies (female and male alike) are affected with hormones during infancy. But due to the female hormone, oestrogen, in the mother's body and passing through the placenta during pregnancy, newborns, as I've read, could have slightly enlarged breasts! It stimulates breast development in the baby, which usually disappears after a few weeks. In baby girls, however, itsy bitsy breast growth may reappear during the first two years due to the child's own hormones but also entually disappears as childhood progresses.
At puberty, as we all know (and experienced!), this is the stage when we girls are at the height of "warping." We all know the changes -from the breast down to waist below. At puberty, some of us even experience difficulties in adapting to our "changing body, emerging sexuality, the onset of fertility and a degree of emotional turbulence." At this time, hormones which have been present all the time but was still dormant, now try to influence the body. The hypothalamus, a region in the brain, releases pulses of hormone which stimulate the pituitary gland (also in the brain) to produce luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which eventually triggers the ovaries to produce other hormones.
Female sex hormones
The two main hormones produced by the ovaries are oestrogen and progesterone. A male hormone, testosterone is also produced. During puberty, mostly the oestrogen has a greater hand on the female body's development i.e the breast, the reproductive system, etc... Meanwhile, the testosterone promotes muscle and bone growth.
Onwards, LH, FSH, oestrogen and progesterone all supports in regulating a woman's menstrual cycle with each hormone having its own pattern i.e pits and peaks. But altogether, their cycle can be predictable. To illustrate this event, take one egg (out of several hundred thousands in each ovary) which becomes mature gets released from the ovary to the Fallopian tube and then, into the womb. If that egg isn't fertilised, the levels of oestrogen and progesterone produced by the ovary is said to decrease. Consequently, the lining of the womb is shed, resulting in a menstruation.
Pregnancy to Childbirth
However, during pregnancy when the egg released from the ovary is fertilised, results, a woman's hormones change dramatically. Haaaayy, I truly know this! Since no decrease of oestrogen and progesterone at the end of cycle happens, the period doesn't occur. Instead, a new hormone, HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin), produced by the developing placenta, triggers the ovaries to produce higher levels of oestrogen and progesterone needed to support the pregnancy. So this explains why most preg test kits are designed to detect HCG in a woman's urine. (
Oh, now this makes me wonder about HCG diets like Seattle hcg - gotta read more on that next time.)
Anyway, after the first trimester, oestrogen and progesterone plays a vital role in supporting the pregnancy i.e increase the volume of blood circulating (in particular the supply to the womb and breasts), etc.. At the time of childbirth, other hormones help the womb to contract during and after labour, and also help produce breast milk.
After childbirth, as dramatic as the rise of levels of oestrogen and progesterone during pregnancy, now their levels dwindle, resulting to some physical changes i.e the womb shrinks back to its non-pregnant size, etc...
This hormonal fluctuation may also play a role in postnatal depression, but this is still debatable like the issue of the PMS.
The menopause
Another significant hormonal change for most women occurs during the menopausal period. "Over three to five years leading up to a woman's last period," it is said that normal functioning of her ovaries start to decline, resulting to longer or shorter or even irregular menstrual cycle. Eventually, the ovaries produce minimal oestrogen so as failing the lining of the womb "to thicken up" and so periods stop.
Would you know that oestrogen plays an important role in
women's health? Yes, it does. Infact, it helps protect the heart and bones; and maintain the breasts, womb, vagina and bladder in their healthy state. With this, the decline of oestrogen in a woman's body during and after the menopause can have radical effects on her health. I've actually heard of older women experiencing uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, and other problems i.e. recurrent urine infections. Some women, like my mother during her menopausal period, suffer depression, irritability and poor concentration.
In the article I've read, it says there that lack of oestrogen can increase the risk of heart disease and the bone disorder osteoporosis. Oh what a scary thing! Good thing there are treatments like hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which can be effective. Other types of medication can also be used to prevent health problems like osteoporosis or heart disease.
So there it is, from the beginning til end, hormones indeed play a vital role in a woman's life. And I'm glad I've read about this because I understand things better now.
