14/04/2023
Estrogen and progesterone have prominent reproductive roles, but did you know they also have receptor sites throughout the body? These receptor sites act like locks, and the hormones act as keys that unlock various processes in the body, impacting a wide range of functions. This is why having optimal levels of estrogen and progesterone appropriate to your life stage is vital, even if reproduction is not on your agenda. Let's take a look at some of the lesser-known receptor sites for estrogen and progesterone and the effects they have on different body systems:
Central Nervous System (CNS): The CNS holds receptor sites for both estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen influences mood, cognition, and memory, regulates neurotransmitters such as serotonin, and contributes to overall mental wellbeing. Progesterone calms the brain, stabilizes mood, reduces anxiety, acts as a natural antidepressant, and promotes better sleep quality.
Skeletal System: Estrogen plays a crucial role in maintaining bone density by slowing down bone loss, while progesterone helps to promote new bone growth.
Cardiovascular System: Estrogen contributes to regulating blood vessel dilation and cholesterol levels. It helps maintain the elasticity of blood vessels and can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol.
Kidneys: Progesterone helps regulate electrolyte balance and water retention. It works with aldosterone, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, to maintain the balance of sodium and potassium in the body, supporting proper kidney function.
It is not uncommon for women to experience significant upheaval in their bodies when their hormone levels are imbalanced. In most cases, this is due to a lack of nourishment, an unhealthy gut bacteria profile, an overwhelmed liver, and/or the continuous presence of stress hormones. The body needs certain nutrients like zinc to build s*x hormones. The body can only produce these essential substances at ideal levels with adequate resources. An overwhelmed liver and an unhealthy gut microbiome can result in the recycling of estrogen, shifting the delicate balance between estrogen and progesterone. Stress hormones are considered priority substances. When they are constantly produced, the body often opts to downregulate the production of non-crucial hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
As you can see, the wide-ranging effects of these hormones contribute significantly to many aspects of our wellbeing beyond just reproduction. Supporting your body to produce the right amount of estrogen and progesterone substantially impacts how you look and feel daily.
