8 Hormones You Need to Know for Women's Health

Hi all! 👋

Here’s your weekly dose of Pillow Talk - your 5 minute read on how to use science to have a healthy, confident and pleasurable life. I’m turning 36 in November and more and more, I’m feeling the ‘tick tick tick’ of my biological 🕰️ . I’m also realizing how little I know about what that actually means for my body.

So, for this week’s read, here’s a list of some key hormones for women’s health - what they are and why they’re important. Note: this is defo not an exhaustive list, just some of the ones that I’ve been exploring personally.

What are Hormones?

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands (e.g. pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, ovaries, etc.) in your body. Each hormone has a specific tissue or organ which it targets so as to regulate and coordinate essential processes in your body.

Oestrogen & Progesterone

Oestrogen and progesterone are primary female sex hormones that are critical to our reproductive health, libido and a whole other suite of functions in our bodies (e.g. mood regulation, bone health, sleep, brain function, etc.). Made predominantly by our ovaries, oestrogen and progesterone levels naturally decline with age, with a dramatic decrease occurring during menopause.

FSH and LH: Cycle Orchestrators

During the menstrual cycle, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates the growth of follicles in the ovaries (~Days 1-14). As follicles develop, estrogen production increases, leading to a decrease in FSH levels. Luteinising hormone (LH) levels surge just before ovulation (~Day 14), triggering ovulation and the production of progesterone. An imbalance of LH & FSH can disrupt both our periods and fertility. Additionally, FSH and LH levels naturally rise as we age.

Testosterone: Not Just a ‘Male Hormone’

Whilst commonly associated with men, we also have testosterone and it too decreases with age. Low testosterone can impact desire, mood, energy levels, metabolism and muscle strength. Likewise, high levels can contribute to things like infertility, irregular periods, increased growth of body/facial hair, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Thyroid Hormones: Metabolic Masterminds

The thyroid hormones, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) influence the functioning of virtually every cell in your body, helping to regulate metabolism, growth and development.

Imbalances in thyroid hormones are particularly common for women. Personally, I went through years of misdiagnoses until I finally had my thyroid levels tested in my 20s and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I also know many women with hypothyroidism so worth keeping an 👀 on these.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH): Your Reserves

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is primarily produced by our ovarian follicles and can be tested to understand the quantity and quality of our egg reserves (as well as PCOS). From about our mid-20s onwards, our ovarian reserve begins to decline as do AMH levels.

1 Thing to Try This Week

Wherever you’re at in your journey and whatever your age, invest 30-60 minutes to learn more about your hormone health. Remember, the better you understand your body, the more autonomy you have.

2 Questions to Ponder

• How does my cycle affect me? Or, how do my hormone levels affect my overall health and wellbeing?

• Why might I want kids? Equally, why might I not want kids?

• Or, if you’ve chosen to have/not have them, what (if anything) have you enjoyed/regretted about this decision? (I’d also love for you to reply and share your thoughts with me on this 🙏)

3 Read/Watch/Listens

• 🎧 How to Optimize Female Hormone Health for Vitality & Longevity with Dr. Sara Gottfried (longer listen but a game changer for me)

• 🎧 How does Testosterone Affect Women’s Health with Dr. Brooke Vandermolen

• 📚 Period Power: Harness your Hormones and Get your Cycle Working for You by Maisie Hill

• 📚 Detailed Resources on specific hormones - Hormone Blog by Hertility Health and You and Your Hormones by Society for Endocrinology

There’s a tendency to joke about women’s hormones or reduce them to a ‘period’, ‘pregnancy’ or ‘menopause’ thing. They are - but they’re also so much more. From osteoporosis to heart disease, energy to sex drive, by caring about our hormones, we gain insights into our bodies and how to cultivate a healthy, confident and pleasurable life.

p.s. If you want a daily dose of science-based tips follow us on the ‘gram (and join the other 50K folx who already do!)