Understanding The Role Of Estrogen And Progesterone In The Body

If you have recently started to go through menopause, then you may have noticed certain bodily changes. These changes are likely to include weight gain, increased body odor, vaginal dryness, hair loss, and the development of hot flashes. These things are all common when menopause starts. Your may also have trouble sleeping. If some of the effects of menopause are bothersome to you, then you can speak with a doctor about certain age management treatments. These treatments include hormone replacement therapy. Specifically, the therapy will involve the use of both estrogen and progesterone. Keep reading to learn a little about these hormones so you can better understand why they are beneficial to you during hormone therapy aging treatments.

Estrogen

You may know that estrogen is the hormone that prepares your body for pregnancy. Specifically, estrogen tells the uterus to prepare for a fertilized egg. However, estrogen does other things in the body that help to keep you healthy. The hormone assists with calcium homeostasis by allowing the body to absorb the calcium you consume. Estrogen works in the intestinal tract so you do not excrete the calcium that you take in. In this way, your body is able to properly use the calcium you take in. 

Without estrogen, calcium levels in your body drop. This is one reason why you may develop osteoporosis when you go through menopause. While a lack of estrogen does affect the amount of calcium that is available for your bones to absorb, it also forces the body to leach calcium from the bones as calcium blood levels drop. Both of these issues cause brittle bone problems. Bone problems can be partially remedied through hormone replacement therapy. 

Progesterone

Progesterone is another sex hormone that tells the body it needs to prepare for pregnancy. The hormone causes the lining in the uterus to thicken so a fertilized egg can implant itself. If you become pregnant, then progesterone levels remain elevated and cause the body to form blood vessels in the uterine lining to feed your child.

Progesterone also helps to regulate your menstrual cycle. If you experience cramps, irregular bleeding, and vaginal drying, then this is a result of low progesterone. 

Progesterone is also a responsible for maintaining a normal blood sugar level and turning fat into energy. The hormone helps to maintain normal brain activity as well, and it tells your thyroid when to produce hormones. Without a good level of progesterone in your body, you are likely to see some significant changes in many of your normal body systems. 


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