The Affects of Estrogen and Progesterone

The physiological hormones in a woman’s body differ during various phases of the menstrual cycle. We use these fluctuating hormone levels to characterize when one menstrual phase becomes the next and they have a powerful impact on our mood and motivation levels. If you are a woman, you are likely well-aware of how your hormone levels impact your mood and behavior. While a menstrual cycle is governed by an array of hormones, estrogen and progesterone are important to understand because they play predominant roles in menstrual processes. Let’s take a quick, general look at how these two sex hormones can affect day-to-day life based on the menstrual cycle phase.

Follicular Phase

Early Follicular Stage

The menstrual cycle begins with the early stage of the follicular phase. This is when menses and all of its inconveniences—bleeding, cramping, lower back pain, etc.—are taking place. Sure, it’s a natural process… but it’s not very fun.

During this time, both estrogen (estradiol) and progesterone are relatively low, leaving you feeling pretty indifferent about life. While you’re likely experiencing some physical discomfort, emotionally you might be feeling “meh” (accompanied by a shoulder shrug). For these few days, you might feel a bit like you’re just going through the motions.

Mid Follicular Stage

Now things are starting to heat up because estrogen is on the rise. Menses and its physical discomforts are in the rear-view. Life isn’t looking so dull, your motivation has resurfaced, and managing your emotions during negative situations is much easier than it has been for the last two weeks. This stage is all about your body creating a less-hostile physical environment for sperm to survive in… and you’re likely starting to feel less hostile towards the sperm-carrying human being/s in your life.

Late Follicular Stage

Estrogen peaks during the late follicular stage. Can I get a “Hallelujah!!”?

Estrogen plays an important role in how women experience life. It is like a power source, affecting our motivation levels and “action potential”. It influences how we perceive different situations (positively or negatively). It might be that this boost in estrogen temporarily enhances dopamine release and synthesis — so life is just full of more pleasurable experiences at this point.

Some entertaining research has even shown that there is a decline in a woman’s ability to recognize angry expressions when estrogen levels are high. That says a lot about how hormones can affect our perception of life. With all external factors controlled, the late follicular stage just feels good.

Ovulation

Peak estrogen levels in the late follicular stage trigger ovulation. Through a cascade of hormonal events, the female body has been building up to this moment in hopes of getting pregnant— as captives to our biology, yes, the rhythms of our body are centered around reproduction. The perfect egg has been chosen and prepared (hopefully) and there’s a welcoming environment in which sperm can survive (hopefully). If you are trying to get pregnant, this is when you want to put the most effort in. Research shows that the days we spend ovulating are often the days that we feel the happiest and the most attractive… and given what our biological objective is during this time, that makes total sense.

Luteal Phase

Early Luteal Stage

During the luteal phase, estrogen levels have lowered (not as low as they were during the early follicular stage and not as high as they were during the late follicular stage... just mid). Progesterone is now on the rise and that means a lot of physical and psychological changes are about to take place.

Mid-Late Luteal Stage

Progesterone peaks during the mid-luteal stage and the power of progesterone is nothing short of fascinating. While this hormone can serve many purposes, in the context of the menstrual cycle, I like to think of it as the “pregnancy hormone”.

Progesterone influences significant changes in psychologically- and emotionally-motivated behaviors. Heightened emotional sensitivity isn’t just stereotypical. Women are biologically wired to be more sensitive during this time. Research shows that women are more sensitive to and avoidant of threatening, negative, or harmful situations when progesterone levels are high (or in Gately’s words, we are less tolerant of bull shit but also it makes us more emotional than it has during other times of the month). Both our perception of and our patience for what is happening to or around us are different. For example, in contrast to a weakened ability to recognize angry expressions when estrogen levels are high during the late follicular stage, women are now more sensitive, emotionally and physically (increased heart rate), to angry expressions during the luteal phase. You can imagine how that might affect your behavior during social situations.

Life might feel heavy during this time. Our emotions are at the forefront and we are equally vulnerable as we are protective. Avoiding harmful situations is also in an effort to protect personal health.

During the luteal phase, while progesterone is high, the immune system is suppressed to prevent the body from rejecting the (potentially) developing fetus. This makes women more vulnerable to illness during this time and are more sensitive to nausea. So, naturally, we tend to stray away from things that could possibly cause sickness.

You’ll likely also start to experience some bloating, tender and/or enlarged breasts, and just an overall “softness” because of hormone fluctuations. Food aversions are more common during this stage and for a number of reasons (e.g., a drop in serotonin levels and varying “fuel” use based on hormone concentrations), you might be on the hunt for carbohydrate- and/or fat-rich foods. The physical changes and differences in food preference are made in preparation for possible pregnancy.

Late Luteal Stage

At this time, if pregnancy was not achieved, the power source for your progesterone supply goes away. A new menstrual cycle will begin again with endometrial shedding (menses/early follicular stage) and low estrogen and progesterone levels. And if pregnancy was achieved— well, we’ll have to get into that later.

If you didn’t have a much of an understanding of the effect of estrogen and progesterone before, I hope you do now. You deserve some validation for the waves of emotion and motivation you feel throughout a menstrual cycle. While I can’t justify any type of behavior, there is definitely justification for what you are feeling that might have motivated your behavior.

What might be the most important thing to remember here is how much impact external factors can have on the fluctuation of hormone levels and, therefore, the fluidity and intensity of the menstrual cycle. Stay tuned for more on that.