Part 1: It's All About the Hormones

There are 3 types of Estrogen in women’s bodies: Estrone, Estradiol (E2) and Estriol.  E2 is the main female hormone and it’s what we think of when we think of Estrogen.  That’s the hormone that completely flatlines during menopause.  Guess what all E2 does: Promotes muscle growth and strength, supports mitochondria function (these are the powerhouses of our cells), regulates inflammation, helps manage blood sugar, helps regulate our appetite, helps manage our moods, helps control body temperature, helps control blood pressure, build bone, and keeps our vaginas happy.  So, the loss of it sucks, but hey as Lady Gaga would say we “were born this way”!

To muddy the waters even more is E2’s counterpart, Progesterone.  Progesterone also declines during menopause because of no longer releasing eggs for pregnancy.  But it has other functions including Increasing connective tissue stability (so we are at greater risk of injury).  It helps the brain tell your body to calm or not be as anxious, helps with memory etc. so the “brain fog” you may feel is real. Believe it or not, progesterone also has some pain relief benefits, mainly helping prevent pain from increasing because we are worrying or thinking too much about the pain.  In fact, research has shown that women with fibromyalgia’s pain experience fluctuates by as much as 25% around fluctuations in progesterone.  Progesterone also helps with building bone.  This is why older women are more prone to osteoporosis.  You rarely see a young person with that!  You can see how declining/depleting levels of both of these hormones can impact on our overall health and general good feeling. 

To summarize, with declining E2 and progesterone levels, women often experience: a decrease in muscle growth and tone (even with those that exercise), our bodies may have more inflammation, our insulin sensitivity decreases so we hold on to more fat, our appetite increases, and our moods are a roller coaster.  Hot flushes, night sweats, loss of bone mass (osteopenia or osteoporosis), lack of lubrication thus more painful intercourse, increase risk of injury due to weakening connective tissue and brain fog can all occur. 

While the loss of these hormones is inevitable, we can positively impact the symptoms and even at times hurry them along.  Adapting your training, nutrition, recovery and lifestyle all work to better how we feel overall.  Talk to your doctor.  Consider personal training at least to start and get good nutritional advice. You are not alone. 

Look for Part 2 of this series: Calorie Reduction is NOT the Answer

Gaye B. Vance, Ph.D.

Psychologist, Personal Trainer, Menopausal Coaching Specialist