Hormones are essential substances that your body produces for the regulation of bodily processes from metabolism, growth, reproduction, mood, sleep to energy levels. For women, hormones have an effect on puberty and menstruation to pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause.
The hormones fluctuate through all the stages of a woman’s life and these hormonal fluctuations influence both physical and emotional well-being. Understanding how these hormones affect your health helps keep you attuned to the changes in your body and your health.
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Understanding hormones
Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, skin, muscles and other tissues (Cleveland Clinic). They are produced by glands in the endocrine system namely the pituitary, thyroid, adrenal glands and the pancreas and ovaries.
Despite hormones fluctuating, they have to be in a state of balance at all times to maintain optimum functionality of the bodily processes.
1.Estrogen
This is the primary female sex hormone (Hamilton et al., 2017) which is produced by the ovaries and the adipose tissue and is needed for your sexual and reproductive health. Estrogen fluctuates, rising during puberty, ovulation and pregnancy and dropping during menopause, after child birth and menstruation. Specific functions of estrogen include:
- Causing changes in your body and the development of the female reproductive organs during puberty
- Facilitates the thickening of the endometrium for preparation for implantation.
- Improves fertility during ovulation by thinning your cervical mucus for easier transportation of sperm as well as the lubrication of the vagina during sexual intercourse.
- During pregnancy, estrogen is needed for the growth of the fetus, facilitation of the flow of blood in the placenta and for the preparation of your body for lactation and breastfeeding.
- It also facilitates uterine contractions for birth
- Regulation of your body’s blood flow and circulation, blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels
- Facilitation of collagen production (Cleveland Cinic)
2. Progesterone
It is another primary female sex hormone produced from cholesterol by the ovaries and the placenta during pregnancy (Kolatorova et al., 2022). According to Sundström-Poromaa et al., 2020, progesterone is only present during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy. It rises during pregnancy and drops rapidly after child birth. Progesterone influences your mood especially for women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Some of the functions of progesterone are:
- Prepares the endometrium for implantation.
- Maintains pregnancy by reducing blood pressure or hypertension and the maintenance of the cervical integrity to prevent pre-term birth (Conde-Agudelo et al., 2018).
- Facilitates the development of the development of the endocrine system of the fetus.
- Helps with emotional processing which is needed for emotional arousal and regulation thereof and emotional recall.
3. Testosterone
In as much as it is majorly associated with men, it is also found in women albeit in smaller amounts. According to Rojas-Zambrano et al., 2025, testosterone is a steroid hormone primarily produced in the testes in males and, to a lesser extent, in the ovaries and adrenal glands in females. Some of the functions of testosterone are:
- It regulates libido.
- It helps with lubrication for comfort during sex.
- Facilitates bone maturation for girls in puberty and maintenance of bone density in adulthood.
- Reduces depression.
- Maintains muscle mass.
- It also helps with endothelial cell growth and repair (Hotta et al., 2019)
4. Cortisol
It is known as the primary stress hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands. High cortisol levels may cause osteoporosis, impaired wound healing and reduction in growth hormone levels (Kaur et al., 2026). Some of the functions of cortisol are:
- Regulation of your mood and helping your body to adapt to stress by inducing emotional responsiveness, coping and attentiveness (Kaur et al., 2026).
- Regulation of blood sugar levels (Cleveland Clinic)
- Reduces inflammation.
- Facilitates protein and lipid synthesis in your body (Kaur et al., 2026).
- Regulates your sleep-wake cycle.
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5. Thyroid hormones
They control metabolism and influence the activity of other glands (Shahid et al., 2023). They are produced by the thyroid gland.
- They help regulate the rate of food movement in the digestive tract, your heart rate and body temperature (Cleveland Clinic)
- It helps regulate your mood, but too much of it may lead to irritability and impaired memory.
- Needed for brain development of the child during pregnancy (Shahid et al., 2023)
- It is essential for lipid synthesis and protein metabolism
6. Insulin
It is a hormone composed of 51 amino acids, which plays important roles in glucose homeostasis, cell growth, and metabolism (Rahman et al., 2021). It is produced by the pancreas and some of it’s functions are ;
- Regulation of blood sugar levels to prevent chronic sugar diabetes.
- Regulates your body’s energy supply.
- Helps with memory processing and cognitive health (Taouis and Torres-Aleman, 2019)
- It helps with bone development and collagen synthesis (Malekzadeh et al., 2018)
Common signs that your hormones are not in good order
Regardless of the fact that hormones are always fluctuating, there are times when specific hormones may be too much or too little or there is a general imbalance in your hormones. This may require some medical intervention. Some of the signs that your hormones are imbalanced are:
- Sudden weight loss
- Hair loss
- Low sex drive
- Irregular periods and severe dysmenorrhea
- Infertility or failure to conceive
- Poor sleep and irritability
- Chronic fatigue
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In conclusion, hormones influence nearly every aspect of women’s health, from growth and reproduction to metabolism, mood, and energy levels. Understanding the role of hormones empowers you to make informed lifestyle choices and recognize when changes may require medical attention.
Sources
- Hamilton KJ, Hewitt SC, Arao Y, Korach KS. Estrogen Hormone Biology. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2017;125:109-146. doi: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2016.12.005. Epub 2017 Feb 3. PMID: 28527569; PMCID: PMC6206851.
- Cleveland Clinic- Estrogen
- Cleveland Clinic- Cortisol
- Cleveland Clinic- Thyroid hormones
- Kolatorova L, Vitku J, Suchopar J, Hill M, Parizek A. Progesterone: A Steroid with Wide Range of Effects in Physiology as Well as Human Medicine. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 20;23(14):7989. doi: 10.3390/ijms23147989. PMID: 35887338; PMCID: PMC9322133.
- Agustin Conde-Agudelo, Roberto Romero, Eduardo Da Fonseca, John M. O’Brien, Elcin Cetingoz, George W. Creasy, Sonia S. Hassan, Offer Erez, Percy Pacora, Kypros H. Nicolaides, Vaginal progesterone is as effective as cervical cerclage to prevent preterm birth in women with a singleton gestation, previous spontaneous preterm birth, and a short cervix: updated indirect comparison meta-analysis, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 219, Issue 1, 2018, Pages 10-25, ISSN 0002-9378, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.028.
- Inger Sundström-Poromaa, Erika Comasco, Rachael Sumner, Eileen Luders, Progesterone – Friend or foe?, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, Volume 59, 2020, 100856, ISSN 0091-3022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100856.
- Rojas-Zambrano JG, Rojas-Zambrano AR, Rojas-Zambrano AF, Barahona-Cueva GE. Benefits of Testosterone Hormone in the Human Body: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2025 Feb 9;17(2):e78785. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78785. PMID: 39926620; PMCID: PMC11807418.
- Hotta Y, Kataoka T, Kimura K. Testosterone Deficiency and Endothelial Dysfunction: Nitric Oxide, Asymmetric Dimethylarginine, and Endothelial Progenitor Cells. Sex Med Rev. 2019 Oct;7(4):661-668. doi: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2019.02.005. Epub 2019 Apr 12. PMID: 30987932.
- Kaur J, Gandhi J, Sharma S. Physiology, Cortisol. [Updated 2025 Dec 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239/
- Shahid MA, Ashraf MA, Sharma S. Physiology, Thyroid Hormone. [Updated 2023 Jun 5]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500006/
- Rahman MS, Hossain KS, Das S, Kundu S, Adegoke EO, Rahman MA, Hannan MA, Uddin MJ, Pang MG. Role of Insulin in Health and Disease: An Update. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jun 15;22(12):6403. doi: 10.3390/ijms22126403. PMID: 34203830; PMCID: PMC8232639.
- Taouis M, Torres-Aleman I. Editorial: Insulin and The Brain. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019 May 10;10:299. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00299. PMID: 31133989; PMCID: PMC6524151.
- Malekzadeh BÖ, Erlandsson MC, Tengvall P, Palmquist A, Ransjo M, Bokarewa MI, Westerlund A. Effects of implant-delivered insulin on bone formation in osteoporotic rats. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2018 Sep;106(9):2472-2480. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.36442. Epub 2018 May 14. PMID: 29673097.
Written by:
Laura Mlambo
Medically Reviewed by:
This article was reviewed by the OhHealthWorld Editorial Review Team using credible health resources and public health guidance to ensure accuracy and clarity for readers. Information is intended to support general wellness education and should not replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
Last Updated:
3 June 2026
