Hormones, part two: estrogen
We discussed the male sex hormones, and now it is logical to talk about female. Estrogen and progesterone not only control puberty and reproductive functions - they are associated with the work of the brain and are involved in the regulation of the immune and cardiovascular systems.
Female sex hormones, like male hormones, are steroids - substances that dissolve not in water, but in fat. In the female body, they are synthesized by the ovarian follicles, and in the male body - by the testes (in a much lower concentration). In both sexes, estrogens are produced in the adrenal cortex and, according to research , directly in the brain. Estrogens are synthesized from both androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) and directly from cholesterol.
In women, estrogens begin to be produced in the prenatal period, when ovaries are formed in the embryo at about 10 weeks of gestation. With the onset of menstruation, the level of estrogen changes during the cycle - it begins to rise from the first day, reaches a peak before ovulation, then decreases, and 1-2 days before the onset of menstruation drops sharply. After the onset of menopause, the level of estrogen in women decreases and continues to remain consistently low.
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Estrogens are responsible for the feminization of the body, are involved in puberty, support the menstrual cycle and prepare the body for pregnancy. Estrogens inhibit lactation (and lactation, in turn, inhibits the activity of estrogen). In addition, estrogen is involved in the fermentation of fats, increase the level of "good cholesterol" (HDL) and reduce the level of "bad" (LDL), protect vessels from the formation of cholesterol plaques.
Estrogens have a double action - “fast” and “slow”. "Slow" reactions are associated with effects on gene activity. Like other steroids, estrogens can enter the cell, bind to intranuclear receptors and activate or inhibit the expression of some genes. It takes a lot of time - the body's response to changes in estrogen levels can occur only after an hour. The “quick” response to the actions of estrogens is due to their intervention in other cascade reactions and the functioning of brain neurons. Formation of the answer takes a few minutes. To carry out such reactions, estrogens are synthesized directly in the central nervous system: the aromatase enzyme processes them from testosterone.
In the brain, estrogens behave almost like neurotransmitters. They affect the receptors for acetylcholine, glutamate and serotonin. Therefore, estrogens are involved in the processes of learning and memorizing, regulates mood, appetite and sleep. They interact with opioid receptors - and thus affect the sensitivity to pain. Estrogens support signaling in the CNS and help form new neural connections, which improves plasticity and regeneration of nervous tissue. All these processes occur in both women and men.
Three substances belong to estrogen - estradiol, estriol and estrol. Of these, estradiol has the strongest effect (it is formed from testosterone). The concentration of estriol begins to predominate over estradiol after menopause and during pregnancy.
A decrease in estrogen levels — for example, before menstruation or after menopause — can cause mood swings, memory loss, insomnia, and migraines.
Estrogens play an active role in the life of a woman before pregnancy, and then pass the baton to progestin (gestagen). This is the second group of steroid female hormones that are synthesized in the corpus luteum, the placenta and in the adrenal cortex. The corpus luteum is an iron that is formed by the action of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the second phase of the cycle. It is formed after ovulation and is responsible for preparing the body for pregnancy. If the pregnancy does not occur, the corpus luteum collapses its activity, after which the level of progesterone production decreases - and after a while, menstruation comes.
Chorionic gonadotropin can prolong the “life” of the corpus luteum. This hormone begins to be produced in the female body from the first days of pregnancy (it is used for home pregnancy tests). By the way, if you have heard that men normally have hCG, and that their pregnancy tests will always be positive - do not believe: hCG is absent in non-pregnant people, and if the analysis has determined it, then this may signal the development of cancer.
Thanks to the activity of hCG, the corpus luteum lasts for another 10–11 weeks, until the placenta begins to produce progesterone and estrogens on its own. Progesterone levels will increase during the entire pregnancy and will fall sharply a few days before delivery. A high level of progesterone along with prolactin inhibits the activity of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), without which follicles do not form and ovulation does not occur.
Progesterone reduces the contraction of the uterus and fallopian tubes (pregnant women do not need such activity) and helps the body prepare for lactation. It stimulates the renewal of breast cells, therefore, too high a level of this hormone increases the risk of breast cancer after menopause.
In the central nervous system, progesterone decreases sensitivity to serotonin and histamine, a neurotransmitter of inflammation. Progesterone affects appetite and can lead to weight gain in both men and women. In the male body, progesterone is involved in sperm formation .
This is a non-steroid hormone associated with pregnancy in women. In its structure, relaxin is similar to insulin. In the female body, it accompanies progesterones - it is secreted by the corpus luteum after ovulation; when pregnancy occurs, relaxin begins to be produced by the placenta. The peak of the relaxin level falls on the period of 14 weeks and then on the time of delivery. In males, relaxin affects sperm motility.
The interaction of estrogen and progesterone can be used to prevent pregnancy. According to this principle, female hormonal contraception is built, which suppresses ovulation. It can be both combined oral contraceptives (COCs), which include estrogens and progestogens, and single-component (progesterone is the only component). They all suppress ovulation and increase the secretion of mucus in the cervix, so that spermazoids cannot overcome this barrier.
Each drug has its own characteristics and side effects. The synthetic estradiol molecule - ethinyl estradiol - was developed in the 1940s; its features cause the main side effects of hormone therapy. If the patient has a predisposition, then ethinyl estradiol increases the risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases. Now bioequivalent drugs are gaining popularity, their action is as close as possible to the “native”, endogenous estradiol and does not cause side effects.
If men andropause comes unnoticed, then in women this process is more obvious. Gradually, at the age of 45-55 years, the frequency and duration of menstruation is reduced in a woman, and over time they pass completely. The level of estrogen during menopause is significantly reduced, not estradiol comes to the forefront, but estriol is the easiest hormone of estrogen.
The transition period can be accompanied by increased sweating, sleep disturbances, headaches, decreased attention and even depression - a bad mood and loss of interest in life. In the postmenopausal period, the risk of breast cancer increases, and in older age - dementia.
To alleviate menopausal symptoms, a woman can use hormone replacement therapy. If you start treatment immediately during the period of menopause (up to 59 years), it will help to maintain healthy vessels and good memory longer and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Side effects depend on the patient’s health condition, history, genetic background and the drug chosen. Combination drugs, which include estrogen and progesterone, increase the risk of breast cancer. At the same time, hormonal agents consisting only of estrogens and bioequivalent agents do not affect the risk of cancer in people who are not predisposed to them.
Hormone therapy, be it contraception or postmenopausal support, offers many options: it can be different combinations and dosages of drugs, bioidentical formulas of molecules, alternative routes of administration (patches and gels).
To choose a safe drug, you must consult with the obstetrician-gynecologist and discuss the personal risks of cardiovascular and oncological diseases, medical history, genetic factors. “Giktames” readers and their relatives receive a 15% discount on the primary gynecologist's appointment at the Atlas clinic.
Estrogen
Female sex hormones, like male hormones, are steroids - substances that dissolve not in water, but in fat. In the female body, they are synthesized by the ovarian follicles, and in the male body - by the testes (in a much lower concentration). In both sexes, estrogens are produced in the adrenal cortex and, according to research , directly in the brain. Estrogens are synthesized from both androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) and directly from cholesterol.
In women, estrogens begin to be produced in the prenatal period, when ovaries are formed in the embryo at about 10 weeks of gestation. With the onset of menstruation, the level of estrogen changes during the cycle - it begins to rise from the first day, reaches a peak before ovulation, then decreases, and 1-2 days before the onset of menstruation drops sharply. After the onset of menopause, the level of estrogen in women decreases and continues to remain consistently low.
')
Estrogens are responsible for the feminization of the body, are involved in puberty, support the menstrual cycle and prepare the body for pregnancy. Estrogens inhibit lactation (and lactation, in turn, inhibits the activity of estrogen). In addition, estrogen is involved in the fermentation of fats, increase the level of "good cholesterol" (HDL) and reduce the level of "bad" (LDL), protect vessels from the formation of cholesterol plaques.
Estrogens have a double action - “fast” and “slow”. "Slow" reactions are associated with effects on gene activity. Like other steroids, estrogens can enter the cell, bind to intranuclear receptors and activate or inhibit the expression of some genes. It takes a lot of time - the body's response to changes in estrogen levels can occur only after an hour. The “quick” response to the actions of estrogens is due to their intervention in other cascade reactions and the functioning of brain neurons. Formation of the answer takes a few minutes. To carry out such reactions, estrogens are synthesized directly in the central nervous system: the aromatase enzyme processes them from testosterone.
In the brain, estrogens behave almost like neurotransmitters. They affect the receptors for acetylcholine, glutamate and serotonin. Therefore, estrogens are involved in the processes of learning and memorizing, regulates mood, appetite and sleep. They interact with opioid receptors - and thus affect the sensitivity to pain. Estrogens support signaling in the CNS and help form new neural connections, which improves plasticity and regeneration of nervous tissue. All these processes occur in both women and men.
Three substances belong to estrogen - estradiol, estriol and estrol. Of these, estradiol has the strongest effect (it is formed from testosterone). The concentration of estriol begins to predominate over estradiol after menopause and during pregnancy.
A decrease in estrogen levels — for example, before menstruation or after menopause — can cause mood swings, memory loss, insomnia, and migraines.
Progesterone
Estrogens play an active role in the life of a woman before pregnancy, and then pass the baton to progestin (gestagen). This is the second group of steroid female hormones that are synthesized in the corpus luteum, the placenta and in the adrenal cortex. The corpus luteum is an iron that is formed by the action of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the second phase of the cycle. It is formed after ovulation and is responsible for preparing the body for pregnancy. If the pregnancy does not occur, the corpus luteum collapses its activity, after which the level of progesterone production decreases - and after a while, menstruation comes.
Chorionic gonadotropin can prolong the “life” of the corpus luteum. This hormone begins to be produced in the female body from the first days of pregnancy (it is used for home pregnancy tests). By the way, if you have heard that men normally have hCG, and that their pregnancy tests will always be positive - do not believe: hCG is absent in non-pregnant people, and if the analysis has determined it, then this may signal the development of cancer.
Thanks to the activity of hCG, the corpus luteum lasts for another 10–11 weeks, until the placenta begins to produce progesterone and estrogens on its own. Progesterone levels will increase during the entire pregnancy and will fall sharply a few days before delivery. A high level of progesterone along with prolactin inhibits the activity of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), without which follicles do not form and ovulation does not occur.
Progesterone reduces the contraction of the uterus and fallopian tubes (pregnant women do not need such activity) and helps the body prepare for lactation. It stimulates the renewal of breast cells, therefore, too high a level of this hormone increases the risk of breast cancer after menopause.
In the central nervous system, progesterone decreases sensitivity to serotonin and histamine, a neurotransmitter of inflammation. Progesterone affects appetite and can lead to weight gain in both men and women. In the male body, progesterone is involved in sperm formation .
Relaxin
This is a non-steroid hormone associated with pregnancy in women. In its structure, relaxin is similar to insulin. In the female body, it accompanies progesterones - it is secreted by the corpus luteum after ovulation; when pregnancy occurs, relaxin begins to be produced by the placenta. The peak of the relaxin level falls on the period of 14 weeks and then on the time of delivery. In males, relaxin affects sperm motility.
Oral contraception
The interaction of estrogen and progesterone can be used to prevent pregnancy. According to this principle, female hormonal contraception is built, which suppresses ovulation. It can be both combined oral contraceptives (COCs), which include estrogens and progestogens, and single-component (progesterone is the only component). They all suppress ovulation and increase the secretion of mucus in the cervix, so that spermazoids cannot overcome this barrier.
Each drug has its own characteristics and side effects. The synthetic estradiol molecule - ethinyl estradiol - was developed in the 1940s; its features cause the main side effects of hormone therapy. If the patient has a predisposition, then ethinyl estradiol increases the risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases. Now bioequivalent drugs are gaining popularity, their action is as close as possible to the “native”, endogenous estradiol and does not cause side effects.
Postmenopause
If men andropause comes unnoticed, then in women this process is more obvious. Gradually, at the age of 45-55 years, the frequency and duration of menstruation is reduced in a woman, and over time they pass completely. The level of estrogen during menopause is significantly reduced, not estradiol comes to the forefront, but estriol is the easiest hormone of estrogen.
The transition period can be accompanied by increased sweating, sleep disturbances, headaches, decreased attention and even depression - a bad mood and loss of interest in life. In the postmenopausal period, the risk of breast cancer increases, and in older age - dementia.
To alleviate menopausal symptoms, a woman can use hormone replacement therapy. If you start treatment immediately during the period of menopause (up to 59 years), it will help to maintain healthy vessels and good memory longer and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Side effects depend on the patient’s health condition, history, genetic background and the drug chosen. Combination drugs, which include estrogen and progesterone, increase the risk of breast cancer. At the same time, hormonal agents consisting only of estrogens and bioequivalent agents do not affect the risk of cancer in people who are not predisposed to them.
Hormone therapy, be it contraception or postmenopausal support, offers many options: it can be different combinations and dosages of drugs, bioidentical formulas of molecules, alternative routes of administration (patches and gels).
To choose a safe drug, you must consult with the obstetrician-gynecologist and discuss the personal risks of cardiovascular and oncological diseases, medical history, genetic factors. “Giktames” readers and their relatives receive a 15% discount on the primary gynecologist's appointment at the Atlas clinic.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/398527/
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