The Importance of Estrogen and Progesterone

Women appear differently to men because of its primary sex characteristics brought by two female hormones called estrogen and progesterone. Women are pre dominated by these hormones that they appear to have smaller hips, bigger chest, slimmer body and firmer skin compared to men. These particular hormones are also the reason why women menstruate.

Women who lack such sex hormones often have different physique that is closer to males. Usually, if women do not have enough estrogen and progesterone, they appear to have smaller breast and masculine appearance. However, if a women have an over production of these hormones, it may lead to more serious state like stroke and osteoporosis, as what other studies says.

Everyone including men must also know the importance of estrogen and progesterone in the women body. Men should also know that they have these hormones in their body but are found in minimal or sometimes in negligible amount. The hormone that is dominant to men is called testosterone. However, if a man has many estrogen and progesterone in his body, he may have the identifying characteristics of women. Men who have these hormones in huge amount appear to have bigger than normal male breasts, smaller body mass and some other sexual characteristics of women. Thus, it is important that estrogen and progesterone are of least amount in a males body.

Estrogen have three classifications, these are the following:

Estrone is considered the relatively weak classification of estrogen.

Estradiol is also considered the most potent classification of estrogen.

Estriol is the weakest among them all.

The minimum amount of estrogen can be an effect of the following condition:

Fetal demise
Anencephaly
Maternal ingestion of corticosteroids
Placental sulfatase deficiency

Progesterone has the following functions:

It is the hormone responsible for the preparation of endometrium for nidation.

It maintains the normal function of the endometrium

It relaxes the myometrium.

It is the hormone used to prevent the uterus from contracting during pregnancy.

It serves as the precursor for the critical fetal hormones during pregnancy.

It is also responsible for the stimulation of the aldosterone to produce more during pregnancy.

These hormones are essential during pregnancy. Estrogen and progesterone are the main hormones that functions during pregnancy. So without it, women are not capable of bearing or producing a child. Therefore, these hormones are very important in reproduction.

Possible Side Effects of Taking Estrogen Hormone

Estrogen hormone is a group of compounds called steroid. It is dubbed as estrogen because of its big importance in the oestrus cycle. The main function of it is, as female sex hormone.

This hormone is found in both men and women but women of reproductive age have high levels of it. Estrogen hormone helps in developing the breast of the women, thickening of the endometrial, affects the discharge of hormones from pituitary gland and changing the menstrual cycle.

There are a total of six estrogenic substances in the womens body. However, there are only three top occurring estrogens in women namely: estrone, estradiol and estriol.

1. Estrone this is the most powerful among the three. This is the main estrogen being produced in the ovary.

2. Estratiol this is the most common estrogen. It is adapted to estrone. This is the most powerful estrogen produced by the ovary before menopausal stage.

3. Estriol – this is the least powerful among the three.

Since these estrogen hormones can be taken, they have the same effects and side effects especially if the doses are the same. The hormones should not be used when a woman is pregnant because it can lead to miscarriage. If taken at the earlier stage of pregnancy, it can badly harm the developing fetus.

For most senior women, they take the hormone even without any preventive measures. What they do not know is the risk of its side effects increases as they become older and older.

What are the possible side effects when a woman takes an estrogen hormone? The most common side effects with estrogen hormone are:

Softness of the breast, either men or women
Inflammation of the ankles and legs
Lesser cravings for food
Sudden changes in weight
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal pains
Skin Irritation

Other side effects are:

Bleeding gums
Vaginal bleeding and spotting
Changes in menstrual flow
Painful menstruation
PMS or the pre-menstrual syndrome
Vaginal infection such as Candida
Diarrhea
Loss of scalp hair
Migraine
Faintness
Despair
Increased sexual desires
Decreased sexual desires

Rare side effects include:

Blood clotting
Sudden feeling to urinate
Unclear speech
Changes in vision
Breathlessness

Estrogen hormone should always be balanced. When a woman has an imbalance or has a lesser count of hormone, chances are, she has an irregular menstrual cycle. This is the reason why there are women who resort to different estrogen hormone therapy just in order to make her hormone balance.

Though this is important still, women should be aware of its side effects before taking it.