At any point during the month, you are under the influence of hormones connected to your menstrual cycle. This doesn’t mean that you are going to burst into tears at any given moment. It means that our body is working to maintain balance to keep us fertile and healthy. Getting our period every month is actually a complex system of hormones working harmoniously together. But what are these hormones? How do they affect our bodies? 

The four main hormones of your cycle 

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) 

• Stimulates egg development 

• Increases oestradiol production (oestradiol is an estrogen hormone (estrogen)) 

• Highest levels happen just before the egg is released by the ovary 

Luteinizing hormone (LH) 

• During week 1 and 2 - LH stimulates ovarian follicles to produce estrogen

• Releases the egg (ovulation) around day 14

• During week 3 and 4 - LH stimulates corpus luteum to produce progesterone 

Estrogen 

• There are three major forms of estrogen: Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2) and Estriol (E3) 

• Helps growth of the uterine lining 

• Kicks off ovulation when levels peak, causes LH to rise and release the egg 

• After ovulation, estrogen levels decrease 

Progesterone 

• Maintains and thickens uterine lining 

• Mainly secreted by corpus luteum 

• If there is no fertilized egg, levels drop and menstruation begins 

If your body is feeling out of wack, most likely its because of nutritional or hormone imbalance. Certain symptoms can be the marker but the best marker will always be the best indicator of hormone imbalance. Have some symptoms you think may be hormone related? DM us on IG and let us know!

With love,

Rebecca