5 Ovulation Hormones
Ovulation is a crucial process when it comes to fertility. If you are ovulating every month, this indicates that you have healthy hormones and are most likely fertile. Ovulation occurs during the middle of your monthly cycle where a follicle within the ovary will mature and release an egg into the fallopian for fertilization. If the egg does not get fertilized it will be shed through the uterus as a period. The process seems simple, but in reality, ovulation is not innate because it relies heavily on specific hormone balance.
Hormones are substances produced in one part of our body that provides functions in another part of the body. Almost every part of the body is impacted by hormones and almost all hormones are related together. They work in a balancing system. When one is low, another may become high. Over time, hormone imbalances will not allow for ovulation to occur because the imbalances signal that the body is not a healthy spot for reproduction.
Here are 5 ovulation hormones
1. PROGESTERONE
One of the ovulation hormones in females is progesterone, which is a steroid hormone released from the ovaries and the adrenal cortex. Progesterone plays a has a strong role in ovulation, fertility, and healthy pregnancy. The hormone can be broken down as ‘pro’ meaning to promote and ‘gesterone’ meaning gestation or pregnancy.
During ovulation, the egg is released from a follicle and is sent into the fallopian tube. The remains of the follicle will turn into a corpus luteum if successful conception occurs. During the pregnancy, the corpus luteum will secrete progesterone to help maintain the growth of the fetus. If conception does not occur then progesterone will decrease after ovulation until the next cycle.
Problems can arise when progesterone levels are too low regardless of whether you are attempting to conceive. Low estrogen levels can cause progesterone to rise. Symptoms of high progesterone include low libido, breast swelling, and granulosa cell tumors.
2. ESTROGEN
Estrogen is another one of the ovulation hormones because estrogen is a growth hormone responsible for the development and maintenance of the female reproductive system. This hormone reaches its peak during the first 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle (the follicular phase) that lead up to ovulation. Estrogen is released from the ovaries, fat tissue, and adrenal glands and it, therefore, is regulated with stress and body composition. Estrogen has many functions to promote ovulation which are building up the uterine wall for the menstrual cycle, stimulating the growth of the egg follicle, growing breast tissue, stabilizing bone density, and controlling the metabolism of glucose and lipids.
Estrogen needs to be balanced for optimal health. When estrogen becomes too elevated, this can cause estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance refers to the ratio imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, and it occurs when estrogen is higher than progesterone. Here are the three patterns of estrogen dominance: high estrogen and normal progesterone, high estrogen and low progesterone, normal estrogen, and low progesterone. When estrogen dominance occurs, this can inhibit ovulation because there is not enough progesterone to promote the release of the egg.
3. TESTOSTERONE
Testosterone is another one of the ovulation hormones in females. Testosterone is an androgen hormone produced in the ovaries and the adrenal glands. Androgen hormones are identified as hormones we typically associate with males, though females produce have them in small amounts in the body. During ovulation, testosterone peaks on this day, but overall levels are limited in women because it is an androgen hormone. Testosterone promotes the menstrual cycle, bone health, mood, libido, and breast development. Of course, these are all functions of testosterone when it is at optimal production. As females, if testosterone production is too high symptoms associated with PCOS can arise such as hair loss, hirsutism, acne, rough skin, insulin resistance, and infertility. This is because PCOS is associated with irregular periods and limited ovulation.
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4. PROLACTIN
Prolactin is another one of the ovulation hormones in females. Prolactin is a protein hormone released from the brain in the pituitary gland, and its main functions are to produce milk for lactation and to develop the mammary glands in the breast tissue. A way to remember the definition is that ‘pro’ meaning to produce, and ‘lactin’ meaning lactation or milk. Outside of this, prolactin also has multiple other functions that increase homeostasis and balance in the body. Levels should be highest during lactation, although some women experience high prolactin when they are not lactating. High prolactin levels interfere with ovulation because as a biological adaptation, while a mother is pregnant and breastfeeding the body puts a halt to reproduction so that the initial baby can get all of the nourishing it needs to develop. Women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding can have high prolactin levels due to many lifestyle factors which will inhibit ovulation. This is why prolactin should be kept low for these women.
5. MELATONIN
Lastly, melatonin is another one of the ovulation hormones. Melatonin is produced by the brain in the pituitary gland, and it has a role in the circadian rhythm to improve sleep. The circadian rhythm is our daily body changes that occur to indicate awakeness and sleepiness. These body changes are based on our sensory reactions to light and darkness. Bright light indicates awakeness and darkness indicates sleepiness. Another one of these changes is our cortisol levels. In the morning, we get a burst of cortisol to motivate us to get out of bed, and as the day goes on our cortisol levels will decline so we feel calm and sleepy. When you get a low amount of sleep, or if your sleep schedule is shifted (meaning you go to sleep late into the night and wake up later into the morning) this can delay your cortisol levels, causing low cortisol in the morning and then a gradual increase in cortisol as the day continues. Our stress levels are tied to ovulation so it is important to have the right quality and quantity of sleep each night to have optimal levels of melatonin for ovulation.
