🌿 Understanding Estrogen: The Role of This Important Hormone in Women’s Health
Hormones influence many processes in the body, yet we often begin to notice their importance only when something starts to change.
In recent conversations with friends and clients, the topic of hormonal changes has come up frequently. Many women begin to experience unfamiliar symptoms as they approach midlife — joint stiffness, changes in sleep, shifts in mood, or fluctuations in energy levels. These experiences often lead to questions about hormones, particularly estrogen.
Estrogen is one of the most important hormones in the female body. Although it is often associated mainly with the reproductive system, its influence extends far beyond this. Estrogen receptors are present in many tissues throughout the body, meaning this hormone plays a role in a wide range of systems that affect daily wellbeing.
Understanding how estrogen works can help us make sense of the changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause, and how we might support the body through this natural transition.
What Is Estrogen?
Estrogen is not a single hormone but a group of related hormones that play important roles throughout a woman’s life.
The three main forms are:
• Estradiol (E2) – the most active form during the reproductive years
• Estrone (E1) – more dominant after menopause
• Estriol (E3) – mainly produced during pregnancy
These hormones are produced primarily in the ovaries, although smaller amounts can also be produced in other tissues such as fat cells and the adrenal glands.
Estrogen travels through the bloodstream and interacts with cells by binding to estrogen receptors (エストロゲン受容体) located throughout the body.
Estrogen Receptors Throughout the Body
Estrogen receptors are found in many areas of the body, including:
• the brain
• bones
• joints
• skin
• blood vessels
• immune cells
• reproductive organs
Because these receptors are so widely distributed, changes in estrogen levels can influence many systems at the same time.
Hormones Work Together
Hormones rarely work in isolation. Estrogen interacts with other hormones such as progesterone, cortisol and insulin, forming a complex network that influences many systems in the body.
During perimenopause, progesterone often begins to decline earlier than estrogen because ovulation becomes less regular. This shift in hormonal balance can influence sleep, mood and the body’s response to stress.
I will explore the role of progesterone in greater detail in a future article.
When Estrogen Levels Become Relatively High
During perimenopause, hormone levels do not simply decline gradually. Instead, they often fluctuate.
At times estrogen levels may become relatively higher compared to progesterone, a situation sometimes referred to as estrogen dominance.
Symptoms sometimes associated with this imbalance include:
• breast tenderness
• fluid retention
• headaches
• mood changes
• heavy menstrual cycles
• fatigue
Another factor increasingly discussed in functional medicine is blood sugar balance. Large fluctuations in blood glucose levels may place additional stress on the body’s metabolic and endocrine systems and can influence hormonal regulation.
Maintaining stable blood sugar levels through balanced meals, adequate protein intake and regular eating patterns may therefore support overall hormonal balance.
Estrogen Metabolism: The Role of the Liver and Gut
Another important aspect of hormonal balance is how the body processes and eliminates hormones.
Estrogen does not remain active in the body indefinitely. After it has performed its functions, it must be broken down and cleared from the body.
The liver plays a central role in this process by metabolising estrogen into forms that can be eliminated.
The gut microbiome also plays an important role. Certain gut bacteria influence how estrogen is processed and whether it is properly eliminated from the body.
When liver function or gut balance is disrupted, estrogen metabolism may also be affected. This highlights how interconnected the body’s systems truly are.
Personal Reflection
Over the past year, I also made a personal decision to stop drinking alcohol.
One of the first changes I noticed was a clear improvement in my sleep. I also realised that the strong late-night hunger I sometimes experienced before going to bed gradually disappeared.
Looking back, I began to wonder whether this might relate to how alcohol influences the liver and blood sugar regulation. After stopping alcohol, my evening blood sugar fluctuations seemed to stabilise, and the urge to snack late at night faded.
This personal experience reminded me how closely connected the liver, blood sugar balance and sleep can be — and how these systems may also influence hormonal wellbeing.
How Aromatherapy May Offer Gentle Support
While aromatherapy cannot replace medical care, it may offer supportive practices that contribute to wellbeing during hormonal transitions.
Aromatherapy works through the sense of smell. When essential oils are inhaled, aromatic molecules stimulate receptors in the nose that send signals to areas of the brain involved in emotion, memory and stress regulation.
This pathway allows scent to influence the parasympathetic nervous system, often described as the body’s “rest and repair” mode.
Some essential oils contain plant compounds that have been studied for their potential interaction with hormone-related pathways.
For example:
• Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) contains a compound called sclareol, which has been discussed in research for its possible phytoestrogen-like activity.
• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) contains anethole, a plant compound studied for its estrogen-like properties.
In aromatherapy practice, oils such as clary sage, fennel and geranium have traditionally been used to support women during hormonal transitions, although research in this area is still evolving.
AromaYasumi Reflection
Hormonal transitions such as perimenopause and menopause are natural stages of life, yet they can sometimes bring unfamiliar experiences as the body adjusts.
Learning more about hormones such as estrogen helps us see how closely connected many systems in the body truly are — from metabolism and digestion to sleep and emotional wellbeing.
In aromatherapy, scent can become a gentle companion during these transitions, offering small moments of calm and self-care in everyday life.
In the next article, I will explore why joint discomfort sometimes appears during perimenopause and menopause, and how aromatherapy may offer supportive ways to care for the body during this time.