Fourteen speculations about hormones

There is so much information about hormones that it is completely confused. What is not said about hormones: that they make you fat, that they promote hair growth, that with the help of hormones you can increase male potency to the point of impossibility. What is true and what is speculation about hormones?

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Myth #1: Hormones make you fat

Let's clarify

Hormones themselves do not cause weight gain. When taking hormones, your weight may fluctuate because some hormones may be too low or too high in others. This condition is called hormonal imbalance. It is most often caused by poor nutrition or develops with age, during menopause.

Doctors say that fluctuations in a person's weight and fat deposits are caused by the wrong ratio of hormones, not by taking more estrogen or testosterone on the advice of a doctor.

If you do hormone tests and consult an endocrinologist to calculate the norms for hormone therapy, the imbalance of the body will be corrected. This means that your weight will normalize regardless of the fact that you are currently continuing to take hormones.

Moreover, with the correct intake of hormones, a person can even lose weight, and in a short period of time.

Another fact "for" hormone therapy for weight loss. When a woman takes the right combinations of hormones after menopause, it helps her to improve her skin, improve hair growth, strengthen her nails and, most importantly, normalize her weight.

Research by American scientists who tested different combinations of hormones for several groups of women showed the following. For several years, doctors gave women of different ages, including after menopause, different combinations of estrogens and progestin. Several years later, it turned out that women who took hormones as recommended by their doctor normalized not only their weight, but also their blood pressure, cholesterol, hemoglobin, and blood cell levels. The blood clotting of these women significantly improved, and their condition became more stable. Many of them experienced headaches, neck pain, and back pain.

The group of women who took empty pills instead of hormones did not normalize their weight, and their health did not improve either. On the contrary, their weight increased.

This means that hormones in the right proportions can improve well-being and normalize weight, and not vice versa.

Myth #2: Progesterone Promotes Weight Loss

Let's clarify

Progesterone is not called the pregnancy hormone for nothing. It helps fats to be deposited more intensively, because thanks to them, it is easier for a woman to conceive and bear a child.

In addition, progesterone increases appetite because it prepares the mother's body to provide both herself and the baby with a tasty and healthy menu. That is why a week before menstruation we have a brutal appetite - the level of progesterone increases. When after menstruation there is less progesterone, we want to eat less. So, the conjecture is incorrect.

Myth #3: Estrogens have the same properties

Let's clarify

There are three main hormones in the female body that belong to the estrogen group: progesterone, estradiol and estrol.

All these hormones have different properties and even different molecular compositions. Accordingly, they affect the body in completely different ways.

In addition, estrogens that enter the female body from outside can be of animal and plant origin. They can also cause different reactions of the body: contribute to the normalization of weight or, conversely, its loss or accumulation of extra kilos.

Myth #4: Hormonal medications can trigger tumors

Let's clarify

According to statistics, women after menopause are most susceptible to cancer. But they have the lowest hormone levels, since the reproductive system is no longer as active, and the thyroid gland can also produce hormones much less.

Older women who are also overweight suffer from cancer much more often than younger women. In particular, cancer of the uterus, mammary glands, and gastrointestinal tract. And they also suffer from a lack of hormones. This proves that hormones do not provoke cancerous tumors. Quite the opposite: with the right hormonal balance, cancerous tumors are less likely to develop.

Fact: Taking contraceptives with hormones in their composition can be an excellent prevention of two types of cancerous tumors. That is, with a probability of 50% they can protect against ovarian cancer and reduce the likelihood of developing uterine cancer by 70%.

According to some data, cancerous tumors develop more intensively due to high levels of hormones progesterone and estrogen. But this is provided that the tumors have already appeared. There is no scientific data that cancerous tumors can develop due to estrogens.

Myth #5: Progestins have the same effect on the body

Let's clarify

Progestin hormones are hormones that are produced synthetically. They differ in their biochemical composition from the hormone progesterone, which is secreted by the ovaries.

Progestins have different natures and origins, and therefore their effects on the body are different. Some are obtained by secretion from progesterone, others by means of testosterone, some progestins are called androgens.

The way in which progestins are obtained determines the effect on appetite (it may increase or decrease), weight (it may increase or decrease), and libido (it may become stronger or weaker).

If progestins are obtained with the help of androgens, in women this can cause male changes in the body: the breasts become more flabby, a mustache and acne may appear on the face. All this, of course, happens if a person takes progestins without taking into account the dosage and the doctor's recommendation.

Myth #6: Birth control pills with hormones make you gain weight

Let's clarify

Birth control pills have different properties due to different ratios of progestin and estrogen hormones. In addition, progestins, as we have already found out, also have different structures and effects on the human body.

If birth control pills contain a minimum of estrogen and a maximum of progestin, your appetite will increase, which means you will gain weight. This may be accompanied by muscle pain, headaches, decreased libido, and depressive states.

If there is less progestin than estrogen, your appetite may decrease and you may feel weak, depressed, irritable, and your blood sugar may increase.

To avoid these side effects, be sure to talk to your doctor about the optimal doses of progestin and estrogen for you. You may need to increase or decrease the ratio of one or the other component in your birth control pills.

Myth #7: Hormones have nothing to do with it, you just can't control your appetite.

Let's clarify

If there is a hormonal imbalance in the body, then it is very difficult to control appetite.

The body requires certain food components, and it is extremely difficult to fight this.

In addition, when there is a hormonal imbalance, appetite control alone is not enough.

Some hormone ratios can slow down metabolism, and then a person gains weight regardless of what and how much he eats. Fats are broken down much more slowly, the body stores them in reserve on the waist and sides, even if you do not need this reserve at the moment.

Therefore, if there is a hormonal imbalance, you don’t need to eat less; you need to adjust the hormone ratio, and then your appetite and weight will normalize.

Myth #8: Young people don't need to take hormones

Let's clarify

Many women even before 30 undergo operations to remove fallopian tubes, resect ovaries and others. This disrupts the hormonal balance in the body, and female sex hormones are produced less and less. The reproductive system, reducing the production of hormones, can slow down or, conversely, activate the thyroid gland. And then it can produce more or less hormones than normal. As a result, a person begins to suffer from autoimmune diseases: immunity becomes weak, the body is susceptible to infections and fungi.

To prevent this from happening, you need to take a hormone test after the age of 20. If hormonal imbalance prevents you from feeling normal and controlling your weight, you need hormone replacement therapy.

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Myth #9: The level of GH is normal, which means there is no hormonal imbalance.

Let's clarify

HGH is a stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. It helps to stabilize the thyroid hormone levels if too little of them are produced.

The higher the level of HTG, the weaker the thyroid gland works, producing hormones T3 and T4 in a free, unbound form.

If the HGH level is normal, it does not mean that the other hormones are normal. The level of estradiol, for example, can be significantly reduced, and this will not be noticeable unless the balance of estrogens in the body is checked. So tests for HGH alone will not be enough to determine the true state of health of a woman.

Myth #10: As long as your period is going on, your hormones are fine.

Let's clarify

This is far from true. A woman whose estradiol level is significantly reduced and whose thyroid gland produces negligible amounts of T3 and T4 hormones can still menstruate.

True, the nature of the discharge can indicate a hormonal imbalance. For example, a small amount of estrogen and low thyroid productivity give darker blood discharge, and it is scantier and shorter than with a normal estrogen level.

But when a woman, even at the age of 35-40, has almost zero estrogen production, then menstruation stops completely. Then you need to immediately take measures to increase female hormones and activate the thyroid gland.

Be careful: an accurate picture of hormonal balance can be given not by the presence of menstruation, but by hormonal tests.

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Myth #11: When a woman's vagina is moist, she has enough estrogen.

Let's clarify

It is good when the vagina is sufficiently moisturized. This indicates that the level of estrogen in the body may be normal. But the word "may" is alarming. It is not an exact fact.

Estrogen may be enough to keep the vagina moist. But it may not be enough to affect reproductive processes in the body and weight control. In particular, estrogen receptors in the brain need much more to function properly than the vagina needs to function properly.

Therefore, the level of estrogen cannot be judged solely by the moisture or dryness of the vagina.

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Myth #12: Hormonal therapy is useless in old age

Let's clarify

The older a person is, the more hormones he needs. The body no longer produces them in sufficient quantities, so hormones must be taken from outside.

If you calculate the correct dose of estradiol and testosterone hormones, then the well-being and quality of life of a person will certainly improve. Even regardless of age. These hormones will help strengthen bone and muscle tissue, improve metabolism, and sleep quality. Thanks to the correct ratio of hormones during hormone therapy, you can significantly improve your well-being and the condition of your internal organs.

The quality of your sex life will also become much higher.

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Myth #13: Hormonal levels are constantly changing, so hormone tests are useless.

Let's clarify

The production of some hormones does indeed fluctuate depending on the time of day. Therefore, the doctor prescribes the exact time of the hormone analysis in order to do hormonal tests at the time when the hormone level is the highest. In addition, there are hormones whose norms do not fluctuate much during the day, and these are very important substances for the body. For example, hormones produced by the ovaries.

If a woman has reduced hormone production by the ovaries, then this must be checked using hormonal tests.

Symptoms alone cannot tell you whether your reproductive system is working well or not. Estradiol levels can only be determined by how much of it is in your blood serum, not by how you feel.

Myth #14: If you eat right and exercise, you don't need hormones

Let's clarify

Hormonal imbalance can lead to problems in the body even if a person exercises and eats properly. Moreover, the lack of hormones in the body affects appetite, which increases, metabolism slows down, and there is no way to control weight.

With a deficiency or excess of certain hormones, it is very difficult to influence the amount of fat deposits, even if a person eats sensibly. Therefore, it is imperative to do hormonal tests in order to clearly see the picture of what is happening in the body and prevent the development of diseases in time.