Estrogen and Her Girl Gang of Neurochemicals

What I want you to know about estrogen is that she literally has a girl gang of neurochemicals that she brings with her. She brings with her dopamine and serotonin and acetylcholine and glutamate and BDNF and oxytocin. And so when we are going into these states where we are getting big splashes of estrogen, like from day one to day 15 of our cycle it is really estrogen's moment AND you are getting all of those other neurochemicals. These neurochemicals are what honestly make us more compassionate and empathetic human beings. 

As estrogen is building, building, building, in comes oxytocin. The feel-good hormone, think hugs, laughter, orgasm, etc.  When estrogen peaks, serotonin peaks and it activates dopamine. And she brings in glutamate that helps you hold onto new information, and she stimulates acetylcholine, which helps you with memory, and she brings in BDNF, which helps your brain grow. So, she has this girl gang that comes with her, and that is part of our superpower.

And, did you know that your body needs cholesterol to make estrogen?  Any food that supports healthy cholesterol production is a win for estrogen.  One of the reasons we experience such peri/menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog, irritability and joint pain is because our estrogen goes on a wild ride of up and down and then eventually levels out at much lower levels once we are postmenopausal.

If the thought of raising cholesterol levels scares you, remember there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. To make estrogen you need more of the good cholesterol known as high-density lipoprotein, or HDL. This healthy cholesterol is so crucial for estrogen that your miraculous body will change your cholesterol levels throughout your menstrual cycle, elevating your HDLs at the moments in your cycle that you need more estrogen. How cool is that?  You can use your diet to your advantage to ensure that your body has enough healthy cholesterol to efficiently make estrogen and bring along all of her other girlfriends!

How do you get your body to produce more estrogen in peri and menopause?  Outside of keeping your carbohydrate load low, there are several foods that estrogen would love for you to add in. Good fats like avocado, olives, bone broth, ghee, MCT oil, nuts and seeds are essential and no – they will not make you fat!  (More to come on that in the future.)  Make sure you are enjoying some of these foods regularly and especially during day one through 15 of your cycle!!