A woman’s hormones start to decline as she ages. For
women, optimal hormone production occurs during the
mid-twenties through early thirties. Hormones such as
testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and DHEA decline
as women age. The four hormonal cycles of a woman’s life
are premenopause, perimenopause, menopause and
postmenopause.
Most of a women’s reproductive life is spent in pre
menopause. This is a time when women are at their
maximum reproductive ability. Ideally, hormones are
balanced during this period. However, some women have
fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone during this time
and need medical intervention. Treatment options are
typically diet, botanical medicine and supplements.
This is a period of transition when your body passes from
the reproductive stage to the nonproductive stage. It can
last from 2-10 years and usually starts for women between
35-50 years of age. Many people focus manly on estrogen
decline but other hormones start to decline first.
Testosterone begins to decline at age 30 and continues to
decline throughout your lifetime. This drop is related to
loss of libido, muscle mass, memory, and mood. Additionally, loss of testosterone contributes to weight gain
due to the loss of muscle mass.
Progesterone is usually the next hormone to fall and it is
an important hormone to balance the dominance of
estrogen. It is important to have enough progesterone to
regulate your menstrual cycle, prepare your uterus for
pregnancy, and maintain a pregnancy in the early stages
of pregnancy. A reduction in the amount of progesterone
causes irregular and heavy menstrual bleeding. A drop in
progesterone during pregnancy can result in a miscarriage
and premature labor. Progesterone usually drops during
perimenopause earlier than estrogen declines. This can
result in estrogen dominance.
During this stage, women are often treated with
progesterone as well as supplements to counter the
estrogen dominance. If testosterone is low, it is added to
the treatment.
During menopause, testosterone, progesterone and
estrogen are all reduced due to the slow down of hormone
production in the ovaries. A woman’s menstrual cycle
appears less frequently and then stops. In theory, the
adrenal glands should start producing a substantial portion
of these hormones and ease women into menopause.
However, this doesn’t usually happen because of the
demands placed on our adrenal glands due to stress and
environmental factors. As a result, we have multiple
symptoms that indicate a decline in a woman’s well being.
Estrogen is the main hormone associated with female
reproduction. It is generally, the last of the three hormones
to decline. Estrogen regulates your menstrual cycle and is
necessary to regulate a pregnancy in the form of estriol.
Estrogen affects reproductive, brain, cardiovascular,
musculoskeletal, and other body systems. When estrogen
is reduced during menopause, we develop symptoms
such as hot flushes, vaginal dryness, night sweats and
mood swings. Low estrogen is associated with
osteoporosis and depression as well.
Post menopause begins a year after a women’s last
menstrual cycle. This is when all the symptoms not treated
converge. It’s also when there is the most risk of
depression, osteoporosis, and heart disease, due to the
lack of the protective effect of estrogen.
Anara health helps women achieve their optimal through
all four stages. We can develop treatment plan to help you
achieve your best health.