Fibra™ Updates: Cutting-Edge Technology Meets Women’s Health
By: Umairah Samsudeen
“Must be looovee on the brainnn…”.
We’ve all heard Rihanna sing about it, but what kind of effect does love have on our hormones and reproductive health? The familiar racing of your heart, sweaty palms, blush, anxiety— A crush? Or maybe you just missed your bus. Let’s dive into hormonal imbalances and how love can affect our reproductive health.
When we experience attraction or love, our brain signals the release of various neurotransmitters and hormones, including oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. These hormones are associated with the brain’s reward center and are responsible for those familiar feelings of warmth and excitement we feel. They can also affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, potentially influencing ovulation timing and fertility by enhancing feelings of bonding, intimacy, and desire during the fertile window.
Let’s take a look at these hormones in more detail, and how they affect our reproductive health:
During the early phases of love, levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise, channeling our bodies to deal with the “crisis” at hand (aka your crush sitting next to you). When cortisol levels rise, levels of the neurotransmitter and hormone serotonin become depleted, leading to those preoccupied thoughts associated with infatuation or a crush (still waiting for that text back?).
Being love-struck also releases high levels of dopamine, a chemical that activates the brain’s reward center. This makes love a pleasurable experience, driving us to seek more intimacy and connection. Areas of our brain tied to pleasure such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex, are sensitive to pleasurable behaviors such as intimacy, and food consumption, making us crave love and affection.
This hormone is often released during intimacy and bonding, increasing our receptivity to affection and promoting feelings of trust, attachment, and relaxation. Oxytocin also plays a crucial role in childbirth by stimulating uterine contractions during labor. After birth, oxytocin is also responsible for lactation alongside the hormone prolactin, which stimulates the release of breast milk when a baby suckles. Oxytocin is regulated by dopamine levels, therefore, when you have loving and supportive relationships oxytocin can positively contribute to your pregnancy journey and reproductive health.
Although treating yourself to flowers and chocolate during your period or Valentine’s Day is always on the table, let’s discuss hormonal imbalances and how they affect our reproductive health and fertility.
Our bodies produce various hormones that work to regulate and control different bodily functions, such as metabolism, reproduction, and sexual function. Hormonal Imbalances occur when our body’s hormone levels fluctuate, causing disruptions to our normal bodily functions, along with other symptoms that affect our daily lives. For women, hormonal imbalances can interfere with their menstruation cycle and fertility.
Although being in love doesn’t directly change the levels of these reproductive hormones, some studies suggest that a woman’s emotional state associated with love can influence fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels during our menstrual cycle.
The release of estrogen and progesterone is controlled by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in our brain, and their release into our bloodstream is regulated through the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
Estrogen and progesterone levels often fluctuate throughout a woman’s life, primarily due to our menstrual cycles. For example, estrogen levels rise during puberty and ovulation and decline during menstruation and menopause. Our ovaries produce these hormones in varying amounts throughout our cycles; however, other factors like stress, diet, exercise, age, medical conditions like PCOS, and medications can also significantly impact hormone fluctuations.
During this phase of our cycle, estrogen levels rise, stimulating the development of a follicle (a small fluid-filled sac containing an egg) in the ovary, leading to ovulation.
During ovulation, our body primes itself with the possibility of becoming pregnant, it is also known as our “fertile window” when we have better chances of conceiving. During this phase, there is a peak in estrogen levels and a surge in the Leutenizing hormone (LH), which triggers the release of an egg from the ovaries.
After ovulation, the corpus luteum ( a temporary gland in the ovary) forms and produces progesterone, which prepares the uterine lining for potential implantation.
If pregnancy does not occur, the corpus luteum breaks down, causing a drop in progesterone levels, and triggering menstruation. During this time due to the drop in estrogen and progesterone levels, many women are prone to the typical period symptoms, such as cramps, mood swings, and lower back pain.
Perimenopause is the transitional period before a woman experiences menopause and the ovaries gradually stop working. Perimenopause usually occurs when a woman reaches her mid 30’s, but more commonly during ages 40-44 and can last for years. During this time estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate which can lead to various emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms such as vaginal dryness, irregular or lengthened menstrual cycles, hot flashes, and night sweats amongst other symptoms.
This is a stage when menstrual periods permanently stop, and a woman can no longer get pregnant. During this stage, the ovaries stop releasing eggs, which causes a significant decline in estrogen and progesterone production. Menopause often occurs in women reaching or in their late 50s, and symptoms are similar to perimenopause. Some symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, weight gain, reduced sex drive, weight gain, joint stiffness, aches, and pains.
During puberty a woman experiences increased hormone production which leads to the development of secondary sexual characteristics such as breast development, widened hips, pubic hair, increased body fat, and recurring menstrual cycles.
High cortisol levels from stress can interfere with progesterone production. When the body needs to produce cortisol, it does so at the expense of progesterone, leading to a decrease in progesterone levels. Essentially, cortisol “steals” the building blocks needed to make progesterone, which is why being stressed often has various physical manifestations such as acne, weight fluctuations and can impact timing of menstruation cycles.
Extreme calorie restrictions or excessive exercise can also disrupt the balance of our hormones. Our reproductive hormones are primarily made of amino acids (protein) and lipids (fats), which is why a lack of a nutritional diet can cause imbalances in our hormone production and levels of hormones throughout our cycles. It’s important to replenish the nutrients we lose during our menstrual cycle, and have an overall nourishing diet in our daily lives.
Adipose (fat) tissue in our bodies also has the ability to produce estrogen, therefore fluctuating weight and body fat can lead to potential hormonal imbalances as well. Excessive exercise and an unfulfilling diet can reduce the amount of adipose tissue and fat stored in our bodies and over our muscles, which leads to decreased estrogen production, thus impacting our reproductive health and menstruation cycles, such as missed periods.
Many women struggle with PCOS, experiencing irregular ovulation and high androgen levels, which affect estrogen and progesterone balance. This condition can also cause many other symptoms such as excess hair growth on the face, acne, infertility, and hair loss. It’s a constant battle and can affect a woman’s self-esteem.
Hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid occurs when the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone regulates growth, metabolism, development, and many other bodily functions, including hormone production. Having an underactive thyroid in turn can cause hormonal imbalances as well. It’s important to have regular checkups and hormone testing with your doctor or gynecologist, this way you can find a treatment plan that works best for you and manage the symptoms that occur.
Cysts are abnormal sacs of fluid that can form and disrupt normal hormone production, depending on their location and function. Ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone, therefore ovarian cysts can disrupt this production process, leading to hormonal imbalances.
These treatments can damage the ovaries affecting the production of progesterone and estrogen, disrupting their levels and causing an imbalance.
These pills are an ongoing dilemma many women face, they contain synthetic hormones that can influence estrogen and progesterone levels. Many times birth control is taken as a contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy or help regulate menstrual cycles. However, similar to any medication, birth control has a list of side effects and is often used as a long-term option.
This medication is used to manage menopausal symptoms by supplementing estrogen and progesterone. As we mentioned before, with any medication be sure to talk with a physician and follow the instructions prescribed. Everyone is different and what works for one person may not always work for another, so it’s important to choose what works best for you.
Hormonal Imbalances have become a universal issue that many women around the world face in their daily lives. PCOS, hypothyroid and many other issues can feel like an endless struggle, but having people who can relate with these issues can provide a sense of community and support. As women, are bodies are much more reactive and prone to the effects of hormonal imbalances and stress, which is why it’s important to prioritize your health in any way you can, taking small steps towards self- love.
To manage hormonal imbalances, focusing on lifestyle changes can be helpful. Finding ways to manage stress with meditation or taking a long walk not only calms the mind but your body as well. Stress can impact hormonal balance and finding ways to ease the rush of daily life and find time for yourself is important. Maintaining a healthy weight, a balanced diet and regular exercise are also proven ways to manage hormonal imbalances. A diet rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and proteins are essential building blocks to nourish your body and maintain your hormones.
As we all know, our bodies change with time, and many women are affected by conditions such as PCOS. Consulting with your gynecologist or doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment options is a good way to learn how to manage your symptoms.
By understanding how our hormones work, we can better navigate the complexities of our health and fertility—whether it’s about love or overall well-being!
We do this for ourselves, our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, and granddaughters—because every woman deserves the tools to understand and care for her body with confidence. Together, we’re building a healthier, more informed future for generations to come.
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