How do hormones affect our weight?

There are special substances in our body – hormones, which play a significant role in how quickly we lose weight or gain weight. In other words, they affect weight. What are these hormones?

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Estrogen - its three types

Estrogen is called the most feminine hormone. In fact, it is not one hormone, but three, which belong to the group of basic estrogens: estrone, estradiol and estriol. Doctors write that all three of these hormones are equally necessary for our body. Especially at the age of 30 to 40 years.

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What is 17-beta-estradiol, or E2?

This is also a hormone from the estrogen group. It is produced by the ovaries. Women suffer from its deficiency, especially during menopause, when the production of beta-estradiol stops almost completely. What role does estradiol play in the body?

Thanks to it, our mood improves, we feel more cheerful, have vitality, our memory serves us faithfully, and our thoughts run freely. We think logically, work a lot, and concentrate instantly. Thanks to the normal level of estradiol, our blood pressure does not frighten others with unexpected jumps, bone tissue is dense, and metabolic processes in the body are better than you could imagine.

Thanks to a sufficient amount of estradiol, our sleep is calm, we do not suffer from insomnia, and our sexual desire does not fail either.

Estradiol deficiency. Consequences

If there is not enough estradiol in the body, this leads to a decrease in the level of serotonin, which is rightly called the hormone of happiness. And here are the consequences: depression, anger at everyone and everything, irritability for any reason, and even physically we do not feel so hot. Any touch, wound or blow can be very painful.

Jokes aside: a lack of estradiol in the body and, as a consequence, serotonin leads to a disorder of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Another symptom of estradiol deficiency can be insomnia and constant obsessive thoughts about something that we would never even think about in a healthy frame of mind.

As a result: we start to gain weight rapidly because our metabolism slows down. We can only get back to normal if we make a conscious decision to see a doctor and have our hormonal levels checked. Hormonal therapy will help increase estradiol levels, and life will once again sparkle with bright colors.

A word about estrone

Estrone is also called the E1 hormone. It is produced by the ovaries and fatty tissues. This occurs before and after menopause. It should be taken into account that during menopause, the amount of the hormone estradiol in the body can become record low.

This can also happen if a woman has had her uterus removed or her fallopian tubes tied. To compensate for the estrogen level, the body begins to produce another hormone instead of estradiol – estrone, or E1.

This means that your metabolism may slow down significantly and, as a result, you begin to gain weight rapidly. If the level of estrone in your body is high, this may also be accompanied by brittle hair and nails, their loss, low bone density, you break your limbs faster.

If the level of estrol in the body is not reduced to normal, a person is more likely than others to have problems with the functioning of the brain, and women have an increased risk of cancer. In particular, endometrial cancer and breast cancer.

The hormone estriol, or EZ

This hormone is produced only in the body of pregnant women. So, if the hormonal test showed that estriol is present in your body, congratulations on the future addition to the family. Estriol is produced by the placenta.

In terms of its effect on the body, this hormone is considered one of the weakest. And yet, if a doctor prescribes estriol to a woman during menopause, it will help the uterus and mammary glands work more actively.

True, estriol is not so powerful as to replace the estradiol deficiency during menopause. This means that it will not affect the acceleration of metabolism and, as a result, the normalization of weight. That is why it is called a safe hormone, that is, one whose effect on weight and well-being is quite weak.

Check your hormonal background in time and be healthy. We will tell you more about hormones and their influence on weight in our next article.