"That's the hormones!" - How often does a woman hear this sentence in her life? During puberty, during menstruation, during pregnancy and last but not least during menopause. What are the female hormones actually doing? What influence do they have in the body and what role do they play in the different phases of life?
The hormones that determine the cycle, fertility and menopause are the so-called sex hormones. They have three types: female estrogens and progestins and male androgens. Women also produce androgens in certain quantities, just as men do estrogens.
How we work
The female cycle is controlled by sex hormones for the purpose of creating ideal conditions for pregnancy, starting from the first menstruation until menopause. Several organs are involved in this process, especially the ovaries that produce sex hormones and the brain that regulates them. In the first half of every cycle, the ova in the follicles mature and the ovaries release oestrogens which build up the lining of the uterus, so everything is prepared for ovulation and the implantation of the fertilized egg.
In about two weeks, the egg matures and ovulation is triggered by messenger substances in the brain. The ovum migrates to the uterus for about six days, and progesterone is released in higher amounts. After this, the egg can either be fertilized or it dies: the corpus luteum regresses and produces less hormone, which repels the lining of the womb. It comes to monthly menstrual bleeding and the next cycle begins.
The end of all cycles
Ovaries start to age around 40. Eventually, every woman comes to an age (usually between 45 and 55) when the supply of egg cells runs out, hormone levels change, and the cycle is no longer running reliably and evenly. Menopause itself is declared in hindsight, a year after the last menstrual period.