Hormones are extraordinary biologically active substances that affect not only the state of he alth, but also the secret world of man. Nature has made it so that in a woman’s body immediately after conception, special pregnancy hormones are stimulated - estradiol and progesterone, which not only help the fetus to fully form, but also awaken a maternal feeling in a woman.
Why you need to monitor your hormone levels
At the stage of waiting for a baby, cardinal changes occur in the entire female body (in particular, this applies to the hormonal background). Changes are taking place in the entire endocrine system. The body of the future mother, completely rebuilding, creates an environment for bearing, as well as the natural development of the child, from the initial stage of pregnancy begins to prepare for childbirth.
Absolutely all the hormonal indicators of the body of a future woman in labor play an important role - they are the main factors in the proper formation of the fetus. And in this regard, progesterone and estradiol are necessarily controlled by a gynecologist with the help of additional tests that a woman needs to take at least twice during pregnancy: 1st trimester (10-12weeks) and 2nd trimester (16-18 weeks).
Pregnancy hormones
Hormonal examinations necessarily contain tests for the level of estradiol and progesterone. Such studies should be carried out as often as possible and not postpone a visit to your doctor, who will send you to take these tests. Just they are the most important in the development of the baby, contributing to the normal course of pregnancy. And that's why they are called the main hormones of gestation.
Estradiol
This is a hormone of the reproductive system, which is of direct importance in the formation of a woman's secondary sexual characteristics. Estradiol and progesterone "monitor" the work of the entire reproductive system. With disorders in the production of estradiol in the female body, the full bearing of the fetus is almost impossible. In addition, such a hormone performs a major function in the natural formation of the child's genital organs at the pubertal stage.
Estradiol is produced, as a rule, by the ovaries and, to a lesser extent, by the layer of the adrenal glands. During pregnancy, the saturation of this hormone increases significantly within the physiological norm. Permissible concentrations of estradiol in the follicular phase vary from 97.5 to 592 mol / l, in the luteal - from 120 to 738 mol / l, during menopause they drop to 14.9 mol / l. The male body also contains estradiol and progesterone, but in small quantities.
Increased estradiol levels are found in disease states such as:
- follicular ovarian cysts;
- estrogen-secreting and granulosa cell neoplasms;
- tumors that secrete pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin);
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- obesity;
- gynecomastia (in men).
The saturation of estradiol decreases with hypogonadism (in males) of any genesis. As with progesterone, the analysis for the detection of this hormone in the blood should be carried out on the day strictly prescribed by the doctor.
Progesterone
Considered to be a steroid hormone produced by the female ovaries, to a much lesser extent the layer of the adrenal glands, and during pregnancy, the placenta. Of course, without progesterone, the natural change and activity of the female body is excluded. The main purpose of the hormone is to regulate the menstrual cycle and ensure the successful bearing of the fetus. It is necessary to donate blood for progesterone and estradiol clearly on the day that the gynecologist prescribes.
Depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle, the concentration of progesterone in the female body can be as follows:
- in folliculin - from 0.4 to 5.4 nmol/l;
- in luteal - from 3.3 to 71.3 nmol/l;
- before ovulation - from 1.23 to 18.7 nmol/l;
- at the beginning of pregnancy (4-12 weeks) - from 35.6 to 136 nmol/l.
In addition to finding a woman in an "interesting" position, progesterone saturation can increase with diseases such as:
- tumorsadrenal;
- bubbly skid;
- chorionepithelioma of the uterus;
- congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
Decrease in progesterone levels is detected if a woman may have a miscarriage. Even with endocrinopathies (with a lack of luteal phase) and galactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome. Both in the first and in the second case, progesterone and estradiol are significantly reduced.
Testosterone
This is primarily a male hormone (androgen), which is responsible for the formation of secondary sexual characteristics in the male gender and improves childbearing activity. Testosterone preserves spermatogenesis, affects the development of muscle mass and bone growth, and activates erythropoiesis. The natural concentration of this hormone in a man's body ranges from 11 to 33.5 nmol / l. In the female body, testosterone is available in a much smaller volume - from 0.2 to 2.7 nmol / l.
The increased content of such a hormone in the body may depend on the following pathologies:
- testosterone-producing neoplasms of the testicles;
- endogenous corticism;
- secondary adrenal layer dysplasia.
Increased saturation of testosterone (if you do not take into account the hormone progesterone and estradiol) in the female body is often observed with virilizing ovarian tumors and their polycystosis.
The concentration of this hormone can decrease when:
- liver failure;
- cryptorchism;
- Down syndrome;
- original andrepeated hypogonadism;
- uremia.
It is important to know that the unnatural introduction of testosterone into the body can adversely affect the he alth of the male reproductive system.
Consequences of hormonal failures
Decrease in the amount of reproductive hormones in the female and male body affects not only the reproductive functioning, but also the appearance. Excessive production of testosterone in a woman's body leads to excessive hair growth in uncharacteristic areas for her and the formation of acne.
An increase in the concentration of the female hormone in the body of a man leads to the formation of secondary sexual characteristics in the female form, such as swelling of the mammary gland (gynecomastia). In addition, doctors see the hormonal cause as the main factor in sexual orientation disorder.
What norms can hormones have
For a normal female body, it is natural to produce enough prolactin, progesterone, estradiol. And when they talk about a hormone like estradiol, a woman's norm should be:
- in the follicular phase - from 57 to 227 pg/ml;
- in luteinizing - from 77 to 226 pg / ml;
- in preovulatory - from 127 to 475 pg/ml.
The older the woman, the less estradiol the test results give out. When menopause comes, the female hormone norm is approximately 19.6-83 pg/ml.
In women and men, low estradiol can be detected if there are suchphenomena:
- Inflammation of the genital organs.
- Vegetarianism.
- Smoking.
- Endocrine disorders.
- Disturbances in the functioning of the pituitary gland.
- Increased prolactin levels.
- Active exercise.
- Taking medication (including various contraceptives) without a doctor's prescription.
Elevated estradiol
Women usually have causes such as:
- alopecia (hair loss);
- irritability;
- acne;
- overweight;
- low limb temperature;
- fatiguing too fast;
- puffiness;
- insomnia;
- disturbances in the digestive tract;
- intermittent periods;
- pain in the mammary glands.
Elevated progesterone and estradiol during examination in a woman may indicate increased production of thyroid hormones, malignant tumors and the initial stage of the formation of endometriosis in the ovaries.
Low estradiol
Diagnosed in a female if bleeding does not appear for 6 months, the mammary glands and uterus decrease, and the skin becomes dry. Conception in such a situation cannot occur. Estradiol and progesterone may also be low during early pregnancy.
Progesterone norms
Such a hormone responsible for a favorable coursepregnancy, should normally be in the follicular phase 0.2-3.07 ng / ml, in the luteal - 0.32-20.6 ng / ml. During the "interesting" position, the level of progesterone in a woman is determined by the trimester. Usually, in the first trimester, the hormone fluctuates between 19-53 ng / ml, in the second - 24-81.2 ng / ml, and in the third - 62-3135 ng / ml. Probable factors for an increase in progesterone may be ovarian neoplasms, diabetes mellitus and a corpus luteum cyst. And the decrease itself can make you aware of infertility.
Low progesterone (and estradiol too) is called luteal insufficiency and makes it impossible to get pregnant, much less bear a fetus. Another indicator of luteal inferiority is a short menstrual cycle. With a reduced saturation of progesterone in the blood, unpleasant sensations appear in the mammary glands and an excess of male sex hormones. The second reason can provoke the appearance of acne, fluctuations in blood pressure, as well as the occurrence of pigmentation of the skin.
Note
All actions that take place in the human body are closely related, and therefore the restructuring of the level of one or two hormones affects other indicators too. And in order for the gynecologist to be able to assess the general hormonal background of a woman, she needs to do tests for all types of hormones. And it would be better if such trips to a specialist are systematic to control the general and hormonal state of the patient's he alth.
After all, an important factor for any representative of the fair sex is their norm. Estradiol and progesterone arethe most important hormones responsible for the proper functioning of the entire reproductive system.
