If you’ve ever felt inexplicably weepy on a Tuesday, wide awake for no reason at 2am on a Thursday, or like your body is running on a completely different operating system than it was five years ago– hi, hormones. Specifically estrogen and progesterone, the two most influential (and yes, occasionally chaotic) players in the female body.
Let’s break down what these hormones actually do, how they work together, and what can happen if they decide to stop cooperating
What is Estrogen?
Estrogen is often thought of as the female hormone, and while that's a bit reductive, it does carry a lot of weight. Estrogen plays an important role in the menstrual cycle, and its levels rise during ovulation so the body can prepare itself for pregnancy.1 It doesn’t stop there, though. Estrogen also helps support mood, emotional balance, sleep, brain function, and bone strength and density. 1
From a brain chemistry standpoint, estrogen helps regulate serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for, well, a whole lot. But to put it simply, we’ll call it the wellbeing neurotransmitter. When estrogen levels drop during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (the second two weeks after ovulation), this also means a drop in serotonin levels, which can lead to PMS mood symptoms.3
What is Progesterone?
While estrogen is the dominant hormone during the first half of the month in the follicular phase, progesterone takes things over for the luteal phase. This is because it’s progesterone’s job to prepare the endometrium for a fertilized egg to implant and grow. If a pregnancy doesn't occur, the endometrium will then shed. That’s your period.4
Of course, progesterone does a whole lot more, namely in regulating a feeling of calm and sleepiness.
Studies show that progesterone helps in the production of GABA, a neurotransmitter that gives us a feeling of calm or sleepiness. This is the same neurotransmitter that benzodiazepines, like Xanax, help produce. So when progesterone levels are healthy, sleep and anxiety may improve.5 When they’re not— hello 3am.
How these Menstrual Cycle Hormones Work Together
Estrogen and progesterone are meant to balance each other out. Estrogen and progesterone work well together to prevent the lining of the uterus from getting too thick. But because we can’t just have nice things, some people’s bodies don’t naturally make enough estrogen, or enough progesterone. When one of these gets out of whack and becomes “dominant,” there are some tell-tale signs.
Estrogen dominance: When estrogen levels are high relative to progesterone, you might see symptoms like irregular or heavy periods, severe PMS, weight gain in the hips and thighs, breast tenderness, fibrocystic breast lumps, mood swings, fatigue, low libido, and bloating.6
Progesterone dominance: Unfortunately many of the symptoms for progesterone dominanace—when you have high progesterone relative to estrogen—are the same or similar to estrogen dominance. (Fun!) Some of the symptoms include extreme fatigue, breast tenderness, irregular periods, significant water retention, bloating, low libido, and mood changes like depression and irritability. It’s often caused by over-supplementation with something like HRT or birth control, pregnancy, or certain medications, and tends to be most noticeable during the luteal phase of the cycle.7
This is why understanding how emotions affect your hormones, and vice versa, can help you connect the dots between how you feel and where you are in your cycle.
Fluctuation Hormones During Perimenopause
Perimenopause is when hormone fluctuations can feel truly unpredictable. In the early stages of perimenopause, it's actually progesterone that is the first level to drop as ovulation becomes more sporadic, while estrogen can fluctuate wildly, sometimes rising higher than at any other time in a woman's reproductive life.
This can lead to occasional estrogen dominance and symptoms like worsened PMS, heavier periods, sleep problems, and hot flashes.6
Other symptoms of hormonal fluctuations and imbalances during perimenopause include8:
- Hair loss
- Mood shifts
- Increased anxiety and irritability
- Increased depression
- Changes in libido
A lot of these symptoms can be worsened depending on your thyroid health, too.
Natural Supplements for Hormonal Imbalance
If you’re in your cycling years and dealing with intense PMS, cramps, or cycle-related mood swings, you don’t have to just white-knuckle your way through it. FLO Ovarian Support is formulated to help support hormonal balance and a healthier cycle from the inside out.*
Otherwise, if you're navigating the fluctuating hormones of perimenopause or the persistent symptoms of menopause, MENO was built specifically for this life phase filled with hot flashes, sleep changes, and more.*
Estrogen and progesterone are powerful hormones that are deeply interconnected. And they’re tied to how we feel every single day. When they're in sync, you barely notice them. When they're not, it's hard to think about anything else. The good news is, understanding what’s happening in your body is the first step to doing something about it.
