May2015_GET TO KNOW YOUR HEALTH: Hormones Part 2
Hormones Part 2
Estrogen (Oestrogen); and its effect on male 100m sprint time
Think back ten, maybe twenty years to a time that seems an age ago. A time where children could just ‘be back by dark’; a time where going to dinner with friends didn’t involve posting that fact from the dinner table; a time before car GPS units where, when a husband said the wrong thing at ‘that’ time of the month, he could run and hide. Now, she will FIND YOU!
On that note, we will kick off this months topic about Estrogen, also sometimes known as ‘Yes, I hate you cause you’re a man!…hormone’. First, lets clear this up; while estrogen is often referred to as the female hormone, both sexes do produce it. Women do however, produce much more estrogen as the work horses of estrogen production are the ovaries. Smaller production houses do exist in the adrenal cortex, the fetoplacental unit (baby + baby’s backpack) and in the male testes; which is why, counter intuitive as it may be, estrogen actually plays a major role in sperm production and maintaining the male libido levels.
As mentioned last month, in women, estrogen is actually estrogen(S), as there are three main subtypes in humans; estrone(E1), estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3). Working up, E3 is actually a metabolic waste product that still maintains some limited effects, and is most abundant during pregnancy. E3 is only 14% as strong as E1, which is still considered a weaker form of estrogen and is the least abundant in the body. E2 on the other hand is not weak or rare. E2 is produced in the ovaries and the most potent estrogen giving it the fullest range of effects. The downside to this is that E2 is thought to contribute to most gynaecological problems such as endometriosis, fibroids and some female cancers.
Estrogen as a whole, is responsible for the growth and development of female sexual characteristics and reproduction. It controls the growth of the uterine lining during the first part of the menstrual cycle, breast development during puberty as well as various other metabolic processes such as bone regulation and cholesterol levels. During a woman’s life, estrogen will ramp up production during the early teens with levels peaking throughout the childbearing years. Over time, the ovaries slow this production until the levels no longer stimulate the extra uterine lining growth, which signals the start of menopause for many women.
In relation to pregnancy, estrogen comes into play as the egg is released, preparing the uterus for implantation. Once pregnant, it works with progesterone to stop more eggs being released; a mechanism that is utilized by current oral contraceptive (OC) pills which also result in a thin lining, unsuitable for implantation. This also gives the reason for OC’s being used to treat ‘bad’ menstrual effects such as heavy/painful periods or those associated with endometriosis (endometrium = uterine lining therefore thinner uterine lining = less symptoms).
As for the rest of the body, and hold on for rapid fire info, estrogen stimulates some breast cancer growth, ovarian cancer growth and endometrial cancer growth too. It can trigger lupus due to immune stimulation, increase gallstones from increasing cholesterol elimination and once levels drop, it can cause osteoporosis. But now the good stuff, estrogen is protective against colorectal cancer and heart disease; as well as emerging evidence for protection against neurological diseases, specifically Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
That’s it for this month, next month we will continue the journey through the endocrine system with progesterone. As always if you want more information just drop into the pharmacy or visit your local health care practitioner.
Written by Andrew Harvey
Dayboro Pharmacy, Phone 3425 1435,
Mon – Fri 8.30am – 5.30pm Sat 8.30am – 12.30pm
