Understanding women’s basic hormone: estrogen

Estrogen is the most important sex hormone in the female body. It controls the female reproductive system, from the external genitals to the internal reproductive system.

◎ The role of estrogen

As age increases, the level of estrogen in women’s bodies continues to increase. When women enter puberty, they will have menstruation. , which indicates that women basically have the ability to have children. Estrogen controls the cycle of menstruation. It all starts with the development of one or several follicles in the ovaries. As the follicles grow, the estrogen in the female body slowly increases, so a process in the reproductive system begins. The important place, the uterus, also begins to prepare for pregnancy. The endometrium proliferates and thickens, a layer of soil necessary for the seeds to be sown. When the follicle develops to a certain size, it will release the egg, and the place where the egg is released becomes the corpus luteum, and then the corpus luteum secretes two hormones – estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen continues to maintain the proliferating endometrium, while progesterone causes the endometrium to undergo a secretory phase transition. To put it simply, it is adding fertilizer to the soil! They fit together seamlessly.

With enough soil thickness and enough fertilizer applied, the purpose is to allow the seeds to grow vigorously. However, the seeds may not be there. In this case, the painstaking arrangements will fail, so the corpus luteum will shrink after about 14 days. The two hormones produced by the corpus luteum will suddenly decrease, and the endometrium will lose the support of supporting hormones. It will fall off and cause menstruation. The endometrium peels off for a few days, and new eggs begin to develop in the ovaries. Then menstruation stops, the endometrium begins to repair, and a new cycle starts again.

Now that we know the importance of estrogen, I think sisters may not know which organ in their body produces this hormone. In fact, estrogen does not come from a fixed point, but is produced at different points at different times. Before pregnancy, estrogen is mainly produced by the ovaries, but once pregnant, estrogen is produced by the placenta. This is a link-by-link process. If these links are not tightened tightly, gaps will appear and lead to various problems.

Question 1: After menstruation, brown discharge appears again, ticking for several days.

Some women experience a confusing bleeding problem during their menstrual cycle. That is, after 5 to 7 days of menstruation, menstruation is basically over, and there will still be brown secretions flowing out, ticking for several days. What is the reason for this?? It\’s all to blame for estrogen.

When the corpus luteum atrophies, the endometrium loses hormonal support and becomes menstrual flow. The amount of menstruation is usually less at the beginning, more in the middle, and less at the back. When menstruation is about to end, a new egg cell will develop in the ovary in a timely manner, secrete estrogen again, and repair the endometrium. As a result, menstruation immediately stops and a menstrual cycle begins again. However, if the new egg cell in the ovary does not develop in time, for example, it develops a few days late, then problems will arise. Because the egg cells develop late, they cannot secrete estrogen in time, and the endometrium cannot be repaired in time. The old endometrium will turn into brown secretions and drip out. Although the amount is not large, it takes a long time. , this phenomenon cannot stop until estrogen appears. This is also the reason why a woman’s menstrual period may be long or short. The length of her menstrual period mainly depends on whether the egg develops earlier or later, and secondly, the thickness of the endometrium.

Question 2: Bleeding during ovulation.

Bleeding during ovulation is also caused by a lack of estrogen. Once the follicle matures, it will rupture. After the follicle ruptures, the function of secreting estrogen will disappear. At this time, the corpus luteum has not yet formed. Because the estrogen level suddenly drops a lot, the endometrium loses support, and some parts of the uterus will appear. The phenomenon of atrophic bleeding is bleeding during ovulation.

Bleeding during ovulation is not something everyone has, nor does it happen every month. As long as you maintain a certain level of estrogen in your body, you will never bleed during ovulation!

Another important role of estrogen is to create conditions for sperm to enter. Generally, estrogen secretion reaches its peak two days before ovulation. Under the control of estrogen, the cervix will secrete a large amount of mucus and flow out of the vagina, forming stringing. Sperm have no legs, only a tail, and can only swim forward by swinging the tail, so women cover their main channels with liquid to help the sperm move forward smoothly. This is really a very magical design.

◎ Problems caused by too little estrogen

Estrogen is very important. If there is less estrogen in the body, it will cause physical and mental problems. Two aspects of the problem.

1. Physical aspect. Physical and mental fatigue, dry and itchy skin, increased wrinkles, sagging breasts, yellowish hair, facial hot flashes, chest tightness and shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, digestive system dysfunction, diarrhea or constipation, etc.

2. Spiritual aspect. Insomnia, forgetfulness, irritability, and emotional instability. Even women who are usually very docile cannot control their anger. They often lose their temper for no reason, are sensitive and suspicious, and sometimes feel inexplicable sadness.

◎ Problems caused by too much estrogen

Since estrogen is so important, isn’t the more the better? Nor ifExceeding a certain degree will also cause various problems, such as causing lesions in its receiving organs, causing breast hyperplasia, breast cancer; endometrial hyperplasia, uterine cancer; and ovarian cancer, etc.

So, never take estrogen drugs on your own initiative. If you need to supplement estrogen, you must do it under the guidance of a doctor.

◎ The magic weapon for regulating estrogen – soy milk

It is not good if the estrogen is low, and it is not good if the estrogen is high, so is there a way to cut the peak and replenish the grain? What\’s the solution? That is to say, when the estrogen level in the body is low, try to increase it a little; when the estrogen level in the body is high, try to lower it a little. Is there such an organ in the female body that does this job? Maybe not. Although there is no such organ in the female body, we can think of other ways. Soy milk is a food given to women by nature. It is a wonderful food with dual effects. When the estrogen level in your body is too high, which will cause various cancers, it will reduce your estrogen concentration; and when the estrogen level in your body is too low, it will replenish your estrogen level, making you The estrogen level remains at a reasonable level.

This article is provided by Baidu Reading and is excerpted from \”Pregnancy Can Be Simple\” Author: Feifei Mom