Weight gain and perimenopause

Estrogen is also known as female sex hormone, but is present in both males and females, although this hormone is more abundant in women.

Perhaps the most popular among all hormones, it refers to a cluster of hormones with the same chemical makeup and they have a significant impact on the organs, cells, and the overall growth and functioning of the human body.

These hormones are formed not only in the ovaries, but also in adrenal glands and fat tissues. In the rest of this article, you will know more about the different functions of estrogen in the human body, and hence, providing you with a better understanding on how it is essential to one’s health.

Physical Development of the Body

One of the most widely researched effects of estrogen on women’s health deals with how they have an impact on physical appearance. This is comparable to the way by which testosterone works among men, which is responsible for manly characteristics, such as muscle mass. Estrogen, on the other hand, is mainly responsible for defining a woman’s body an in making its physical structure significantly different from that of a man.

The following are some of the effects of estrogen on the physical body of a woman:

• Having lesser and finer body hair
• Preserving bone density, which makes shoulders narrower and pelvis broader
• Shorter vocal cords resulting into a higher-pitched voice
• Reduces muscle mass
• Accelerates the ability of the body to burn fat
• Develops fuller breasts
• Production of milk 

Brain Functioning and Development

Aside from the effects of estrogen on the physical health of women, several studies in the past have resulted into empirical evidences showing its effects on mental health. For instance, it has been claimed that estrogen is instrumental in the delaying of memory loss, which often happens as a result of aging.

In as early as 1988, this has already been proven in a study by Barbara Sherwin. Women who had their uterus and ovaries removed have been the subject of the investigation. Those who have been given estrogen responded better on verbal tests and showed better cognitive functions.

Aside from delaying memory loss, it also helps in the modification of endorphins in the brain, or what are also known as happy hormones, making it able to provide favorable effects on mood.

Bone Health and Formation

As it has been earlier mentioned, estrogen is responsible for the preservation of bone density and in making women appear to be smaller as against men. More than that, estrogen is also claimed to be instrumental in preserving the strength of the bones.

This is possible by working together with calcium and Vitamin D, amongst other vitamins and minerals. Once the level of estrogen in the body become slower, which happens as a natural effect of aging, it also accelerates the breaking down of bones.

Skin Health

Most of the concentrations of estrogen in the body of a woman can be seen on the face and the skin above the thighs and breasts. In a study published at the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, it has been reiterated that estrogen can reverse the visible signs of aging.

It is believed that the hormone can aid in increasing skin elasticity and giving it a youthful glow in spite of growing older. In relation to its positive effects on skin health, the same study also supports how estrogen can speed up the healing of wounds.

Cardiovascular Health

An ample amount of studies in the past have also supported claims with regards to how estrogen can prove to be an agent of a better heart health and in the prevention of a wide array of cardiovascular diseases.

One research from the University of London has revealed that this is possible as the hormone allows the immune system to have a better defense. This can also make a good explanation on why heart diseases are more commonly experienced by men as opposed to women.

There is also a positive correlation between estrogen levels in the body and the behavior of white blood cells, which are essential in fighting infections that can negatively affect cardiovascular health. These white blood cells will stick to the blood vessels and will prevent any damage that will be bad for your heart.

Menopause

As a woman ages, the ovary slows down the production of hormones in the body, and hence, causing an imbalance. More than aging, however, this can also be caused by stress, medications, birth control pills, and health problems. If you experience the menopause suddenly rather than gradually – for example, as a result of cancer treatment – your symptoms may be worse.

The first sign of the perimenopause is usually a change in the normal pattern of your periods.

You may start having either unusually light or heavy periods.

The frequency of your periods may also be affected.

You may have them every 2 or 3 weeks, or you may not have them for months at a time.

Eventually, you will stop having periods altogether.

Aside from those that have been mentioned above, your hormonal imbalance can also mean being more irritable, persistently gaining weight, lacking focus, suffering from depression, and difficulty of getting into sleep.

Females are protected against weight gain when they are young because of ovarian estrogen. The understanding has been that women gain weight after menopause because of a precipitous drop in estrogen, resulting in a decline in health parameters, including obesity.

Females deposit fat below the skin (subcutaneously), while males accumulate fat deeper, in the body's visceral region, which may affect internal organs.

Eventually, even in women, the subcutaneous regions get overwhelmed with fat and the abdominal region begins to show obesity.

While overweight, women are more protected than men, this could be an evolutionary protection for women, who need to experience more change in weight due to pregnancy.

However, this protection is significantly curtailed when overweight women become obese and fat gathers around the waist during the perimenopause to menopausal time period.