ESTROGEN, PROGESTERONE AND YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Dr Steven R. Goldstein MD, a hormone specialist in NYC, is the co-author of the books “The Estrogen Alternative” and “Could it be….Perimenopause?”. A past President of the International Menopause Society and a Certified Menopause Practitioner, Dr Goldstein has worked alongside thousands of his patients in over 2 decades of private practice using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help them cope with the symptoms of menopause and hormone imbalances that may result in gynecological conditions such as bleeding. Let’s take a closer look at the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is made from follicles that develop each month in the ovaries. A follicle is a saclike structure inside the ovary that contains an egg. At the end of a cycle, if pregnancy does not ensue, the menstrual lining of the uterus is shed. The first day of the period begins day one of a new cycle. At that point, both ovaries recruit about a half dozen follicles under the influence of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland in the brain. Around day nine, one follicle takes off geometrically and becomes the dominant follicle. It is a small 2.5 cm cystic structure prior to it bursting. This is ovulation. At midcycle, (day fourteen), a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary causes the follicle to rupture, releasing the ovum to be picked up by the fallopian tube.