What is a Hormone? Hormones & Their Impact on Women’s Health

Hormones are our body’s chemical messengers, tiny molecules with massive power. They travel through the bloodstream, carrying signals from one part of the body to another, influencing everything from how we grow and metabolize food to how we sleep, feel, reproduce, and respond to stress.

There are more than 50 known hormones in the human body. While we don’t need large amounts of any single hormone, even small imbalances can lead to significant health problems. That’s why understanding hormones is essential, especially in women’s health, where conditions like PCOS, thyroid disease, and diabetes are often linked to hormonal imbalances and frequently misunderstood or under-diagnosed.

To grasp the nuances of women’s medical research, it’s important to understand the hormone. One key reason females were historically excluded from many medical studies was concern that hormonal fluctuations would affect study results. However, including females and accounting for hormone fluctuations is crucial as hormones clearly have an impact on women's health and should be accounted for in their treatment. This information directly impacts a large demographic who will use the medications or treatments being studied.

So, let’s dive into a basic, hopefully easy-to-understand definition of hormones, how they work, and what they do in our bodies.

How Hormones Work

Your body is full of specialized glands and tissues that produce hormones. These make up the endocrine system, which includes glands like the pituitary, thyroid, ovaries, adrenal glands, and pancreas. While not always recognized as part of the endocrine system, organs such as the liver, fat tissue, and even the gut also produce hormones.

Hormones don’t just float around aimlessly. They act on target cells, which have specific receptors designed to receive each hormone’s message. Think of it like a key fitting into a lock: unless the key (hormone) fits the lock (receptor), nothing happens.

Once a hormone binds to its receptor, it triggers a signaling pathway. A chain reaction inside the cell, like a series of falling dominoes. This process continues until the final molecule carries out its job, such as triggering cell division, producing another hormone, or turning on a gene.

Where Are Hormones Made?

Here’s a quick overview of where some major hormones are produced:

• Pituitary Gland: Known as the “master gland,” it controls many others. Produces hormones like growth hormone (GH), TSH, and luteinizing hormone (LH).

• Thyroid: Controls metabolism by producing T3 and T4 hormones.

• Adrenal Glands: Produce cortisol (stress response), aldosterone (salt balance), and adrenaline (fight or flight).

• Pancreas: Makes insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.

• Ovaries/Testes: Produce estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

• Fat Tissue: Produces hormones like leptin (satiety) and estrogen.

• Liver: Produces IGF-1, which supports growth and cell repair.

• Gut: Produces hormones like ghrelin (hunger) and GLP-1 (blood sugar control).

• Placenta (during pregnancy): Produces hormones that support fetal growth and maternal changes.

Hormones and Disease

When hormone levels are too high or too low, serious health issues can arise. Common hormone-related conditions include:

• Diabetes (insulin imbalance)

  • Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the bodies immune system attacks insulin producing cells in the pancreas. At this time, Type 1 Diabetes is incurable and requires life saving insulin injections.

  • Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or the cells become resistant to insulin and can often be managed through lifestyle changes, medication, or insulin.

• Thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism)

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

• Infertility

• Obesity

• Mood disorders and sleep disturbances

These imbalances can result from tumors, autoimmune diseases, genetic mutations, or damage to endocrine glands.

How Hormones Impact Women’s Health

Hormones influence nearly every process in a woman’s body. However, much of the science surrounding women-specific experiences (menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and autoimmune disorders) is still developing. Women are more likely than men to develop both hormone-related diseases and autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, most drug dosages are often based on male subjects, leading to underrepresentation of appropriate dosages for women in certain areas.

Final Thoughts

Understanding hormones is foundational to understanding our health. They’re not just about mood swings or metabolism, they’re intricate, powerful messengers that influence how we grow, feel, think, and heal. Thanks for taking the time to read this brief overview of the hormone.

In the coming weeks, we will explore several related subjects, including:

• Hormones and drug metabolism

• Current research on hormone-related diseases

• Ongoing research studies to watch

• Methods to track cycle-related symptoms for potential abnormalities

These insights will help you identify any concerns that should be discussed with your primary care physician. I look forward to exploring these topics with you, subscribe here so you can follow along!

Until next time,

The Health She Deserves