There are several unique hormones that are essential to different functions of the body. Simply put, hormones help regulate the body, its functions, and the brain. However, hormones are responsible for communicating two separate messages to the body to exert its functions. Many people understand the basics of hormones, but can’t answer the question; where do hormones come from? Keep reading more details to understand what hormones are, how they function, and the impact of hormone therapy.
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What Are Hormones?
When a woman is feeling emotional, a man will say, ‘it’s her hormones,” but what does that mean? Women and men both have hormones, but the male sex hormone is called testosterone.
The male sex hormone is responsible for excess body hair, decreased breast size, deep voice, baldness, etc. Let’s take a deeper look at the function of female hormones and the effects of hormone therapy on women.
Hormones are produced by the endocrine system. Female hormones contribute a lot to the body. A woman’s hormones are responsible for emotional shifts and changes throughout the body. They act as chemical messengers that regulate how the body uses and stores energy along with how it controls and coordinates activities in the body.
Thus, it’s possible for women to be out of sync and have changes in her behavior with differentiation in hormones. What are those hormonal changes to the body?
How Hormones Can Impact The Way The Body Behaves
There is significant variation in how hormones impact mood and behavior. For example, the gonadal hormones in women play a significant role in the mood and changes in the body they experience. The gonadal hormones have an impact on the production and the brain of both men and women. Gonadal hormones are produced in the ovaries of women and play a role in their emotional state, mood, and behavior.
Researchers have linked the estrogen and estrogen produced by the gonadal hormones as the culprit behind the female’s changed mood and behaviors. The menstrual cycle and the ovulation of women are dependent on such particular hormones.
Many people associate hormones with the reproductive system, but hormones operate in the functions of many other parts of the body.
Additional Functions Of Hormones
- Brain. As a messenger, hormones like estrogen and progesterone play a role in the functions of the brain for women. In fact, they work with the nerve cells to contribute to the blood flow of the brain. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone protect women from the early stages of dementia and other diseases that can impact the brain. Women also need the proper hormones to avoid memory loss as they age. There are hormonal effects on cognitive functions too with decreased hormones. The way we feel, remember, and function is all a result of the number of healthy hormones being released in the brain.
- Body. Hormones are responsible for the processes of the body. The endocrine system produces these hormones and distributes them to unique parts of the body. For example, hormones are responsible for hunger, sexual desire, and blood pressure in women which are all body functions regulated by hormones.
What Is Hormone Therapy?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “hormone therapy is mainly used for menopausal women.” Women going through menopause eventually stop releasing important hormones that can lead to bone loss also known as osteoporosis and reduced fractures.
Hormonal therapy is a prescription treatment option used to reduce the side effects of inadequate hormonal release for women. They’re given an increased dose of estrogen that is no longer being produced by the endocrine system. Hormonal therapy is recommended by a doctor and can be administered in various ways.
Take a look at the short video clip below to find out how hormonal therapy works:
The side effects from hormonal therapy include the following:
- vaginal discomfort
- hot flashes
- blood clots
- strokes
- heart disease
Today, hormonal therapy is widely being used to treat cancer in both women and men.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is affected by hormones like estrogen and progesterone hormones. Breast cancer cells have receptors that attach themselves to estrogen and progesterone hormones. Hormonal therapy is then used to stop hormones from attaching to these receptors.
After breast cancer surgery, hormonal therapy is used to prevent the combination of hormone cells to receptors that increase the reoccurrence of breast cancer. About 2 out of 3 cancer patients are hormone receptor-positive. Breast cancer attacks a sensitive area of the body and hormonal therapy is a highly doctor-recommended method of controlling it.
Prostate Cancer
Hormonal therapy is used for prostate cancer patients in an effort to stop testosterone hormones from attaching to cancer cells. In fact, prostate cancer relies on testosterone for continued growth. Hormonal therapy is a relatively new treatment option for prostate cancer in men but is a highly recognized treatment option for women.
How Is Hormonal Therapy Administered?
Hormonal therapy is administered in various ways including the following:
- pills
- patch
- ring
- sprays
- gel
- creams
These forms of administering hormonal therapy are known as systemic treatment options. Through systemic administration, hormones are absorbed adequately by women. However, these are all used to provide high doses of the necessary hormones no longer being produced by the body. To administer low dose hormones to women, a low dose vaginal treatment is used. Low dose hormonal therapy minimizes the hormones absorbed by the body.
What Physicians Are Saying About Hormonal Therapy
Research suggests, “women over 60 that use hormonal therapy are at a great risk of developing side effects.” Hormonal therapy should be used before the age of 60 or 10 years prior to menopause to avoid increased side effects.
However, hormonal therapy has a high success rate for women and men in the treatment of cancer.
Hormonal therapy is only available with a prescription from a doctor. With a prescription, you can get hormonal therapy treatment medication from a local and online pharmacy. If you’re experiencing hormonal irregularities or have been diagnosed with a specific form of cancer, talk to your physician about the benefits of hormonal therapy.
