Estrogens are a group of sex hormones that promote the development and maintenance of female characteristics in the human body.
They play an essential role in the growth and development of female secondary sexual characteristics, such as breasts, pubic and armpit hair, and the regulation of the menstrual cycle and reproductive system.
During the menstrual cycle, estrogen produces an environment suitable for the fertilization, implantation, and nutrition of an early embryo.
An imbalance of these hormones can lead to a range of health problems and unwanted physical changes. This MNT Knowledge Center article will explain what estrogen is, how it works in the body, its range of medical uses, and the effects of estrogen imbalance.
Fast facts on estrogen
- The ovaries are the main location for estrogen production.
- Estrogen influences the structural differences between the male and female bodies, such as females having a wider pelvis and more permanent hair on the head.
- Synthetic estrogen has a range of uses in medicine, including birth control and managing the effects of menopause.
- Estrogen is involved in the development of a range of health issues.
Function
Estrogen is crucial to the reproductive function and cycle of a woman.
Benefits
In females, estrogen affects the following areas of the body:
- Ovaries: Estrogen helps stimulate the growth of an egg follicle.
- Vagina: It also stimulates the growth of the vagina to its adult size, the thickening of the vaginal wall, and an increase in vaginal acidity that reduces bacterial infections. It also helps lubricate the vagina.
- Fallopian tubes: Estrogen is responsible for the growth of a thick, muscular wall in the fallopian tubes, and for the contractions that transport the egg and sperm cells.
- Uterus: Estrogen enhances and maintains the mucous membrane that lines the uterus. It increases the size of the endometrium as well as enhancing blood flow, protein content, and enzyme activity. Estrogen also stimulates the muscles in the uterus to develop and contract. Contractions help during the delivery of an infant and placenta, and they also assist the wall of the uterus in getting rid of dead tissue during menstruation.
- Cervix: Estrogen is thought to regulate the flow and thickness of uterine mucous secretions. This enhances the movement of a sperm cell to an egg and enables fertilization.
- Mammary glands: Estrogen forms unique relationships with other hormones in the breast. They are responsible for the growth of the breasts during adolescence, the pigmentation of the nipples, and eventually stopping the flow of milk when an infant is no longer breast-feeding.
Estrogen is responsible for the differences between male and female bodies. For example, in a female body:
- Estrogen makes the bones smaller and shorter, the pelvis broader, and the shoulders narrower.
- It increases fat storage around the hips and thighs, meaning that the body is more curved and contoured.
- Estrogen helps to slow down the growth of females during puberty and increases sensitivity to insulin. Insulin influences the amount of body fat and lean muscle a person can develop.
- It influences body hair to become finer and less pronounced while making the hair on a woman's head more permanent.
- Estrogen makes the voice box smaller and the vocal cords shorter, giving females a higher-pitched voice than males.
- Estrogens suppress the activity of the glands in the skin that produce oily substances. This reduces the likelihood of acne in females.
Other areas on which estrogen has an impact include:
- The brain: It can help maintain body temperature, regulate the part of the brain linked to sexual development, and enhance the effects of the brain's "feel-good" chemicals.
- The skin: Estrogens improve the thickness and quality of the skin as well as the collagen content which prevents aging.
- The bones: Estrogen helps to preserve bone strength and prevent bone loss.
- The liver and heart: The hormone regulates cholesterol production in the liver, helping to protect the heart and arteries.
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