UNDERSTANDING THE HORMONES IN YOUR BODY

YOU ARE YOUR HORMONES

Hormones are naturally occurring molecules that act like messengers in your body. They regulate many important body functions, including growth, hunger, thirst, and mood. The so-called reproductive hormones, influence puberty, your sexual desire and your ability to become pregnant. A rise and fall of these hormones in people with female reproductive organs creates and controls what is called the menstrual or monthly cycle.

MyCon Menstruation Animation - 1080x1080 v1.0

HORMONES
AND THE
MENSTRUAL
CYCLE

FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH) AND ESTROGEN

At the beginning of your cycle, a gland in your brain produces FSH. It stimulates small sacs with undeveloped eggs, called follicles, to start developing in your ovaries. These follicles release estrogen, which causes the lining of your womb to thicken.

LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH)

As one of the eggs develops in the ovaries, estrogen levels rise further. When they are high enough, another gland releases LH, which triggers the release of a mature egg. The follicle bursts, and the egg leaves the ovary to travel down the fallopian tubes.

PROGESTERONE

The burst follicle in the ovary then produces progesterone, which prepares the womb lining to receive a fertilized egg. If the egg is not fertilized, progesterone levels drop, and the lining of the womb is discharged as menstruation, commonly called the period.