A Curse or a Blessing?

We all know periods are about fertility and having babies.  But what if you’re not interested in having babies at the moment? Or if your period is cramping your style?  Or making life a misery? Painful? Emotionally disruptive? Is there anything good about periods?

Oestrogen and Progesterone

Seems there is much good to be gained from healthy menstrual cycles.

A woman’s  mind, body and spirit are all influenced by her hormonal cycle. In simple terms, the first half (where first day of menstrual bleed is counted as Day 1) is  dominated by Oestrogen and the second half is dominated by Progesterone 

The word Oestrogen comes from estrus + gen = that which generates estrus. Estrus comes from a Latin word meaning frenzy. So with a little imagination, we have Oestrogen is a hormone which produces sexual arousal and activity.
The Progesterone has more obvious origins – pro (for) gestation i.e. hormone which promotes pregnancy.
Not surprising then that the Oestrogen phase is followed by the Progesterone phase.

The graphic below shows some of the effects of Oestrogen and Progesterone.

A Balancing Act

Female hormones Oestrogen and Progesterone have different affects on:

Cardiovascular system
Bones
Brain
Emotional wellbeing
Immune system
Blood sugar
Stress hormone levels

and probably many other aspects of health as well.

The stimulating effect of the Oestrogen dominated phase needs to be balanced by the restorative progesterone dominated effect. 

Other hormones (such as Luteinising Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone) are involved in this intricately choreographed process. Together they keep the stimulation/restoration phases cycling through.

Being stuck in the Stimulation phase would be all too stressful.  In fact this is the case for women on hormonal contraceptives. Ovulation is suppressed meaning no Progesterone is produced and no Restorative phase experienced.
Dr Sarah Hill in her 2019 book This is your Brain on Birth Control states:

“We should all be alarmed by the fact that the stress hormone profiles of women who are on the birth control pill look more like those belonging to trauma victims than they do like those belonging to otherwise healthy young women” . 

Equally, being stuck in the Restorative phase wouldn’t be much fun either – even a little boring.

Periods are a good thing

The evidence seems quite clear then that regular, healthy menstruation is a good thing for women (which makes me wonder how men cope without it – but that’s another issue).

If your menstruation is not regular or healthy and in no way seems to be a good thing – Homeopathy may be able to help. Contact me for a free 15 minute chat to explore the options.
Or see my post Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle for more information about how your period should ideally be and free Cycle Tracking Chart.
Watch for future posts with suggestions for homeopathic remedies to help with period problems.