Exercise and it's effect on female/male hormones...

hybridscientist

Does anyone have any information on how exercise effects sex hormones?

I've been doing regular cardio exercise for a couple of weeks and I've started to notice that my hair isn't as greasy and my skin is different too. It got me wondering if cardio exercise has an effect on estrogen, progesterone, testosterone etc.

LabRat529

I don't know, but I'll find out.

hybridscientist

If you could and let me know, that would be great. I might do a search in the journals at work too.

LabRat529

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903887

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559948

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17416764

That's about all I'm finding on exercise effects on estrogen/progesterone levels, so I'm going to say, probably not. The changes you're observing are more likely do to over-all improvements in health, but I could be wrong.

P.S. I'll ask my boss tomorrow. He's the hormone expert, so he might know about something I don't know.

Also... OBESITY does effect levels.

kwehkweh

Sweating removes toxins which also clears out pores and bacteria that normally spreads through touch. That's my best guess without googling.

SolidGoaled

I absolutely believe that weight loss or gain affects hormones in females - if exercise is causing weight loss, then yes, exercise could also be indirectly causing changes in hormones. I have also heard of women who experience changes in their periods when they exercise, which tells me there might be a hormone link there, as well.

hybridscientist

This is what I'm hoping for... I feel like my body has been out of whack since trying 4 different types of bcp last year (none of them agreed with me). I'm wondering if exercise is going to help get my hormones balanced again.

hybridscientist

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903887

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559948

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17416764

That's about all I'm finding on exercise effects on estrogen/progesterone levels, so I'm going to say, probably not. The changes you're observing are more likely do to over-all improvements in health, but I could be wrong.

P.S. I'll ask my boss tomorrow. He's the hormone expert, so he might know about something I don't know.

Also... OBESITY does effect levels.

Thanks so much for having a look... i'll look into them. Where abouts do you work?

LabRat529

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903887

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559948

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17416764

That's about all I'm finding on exercise effects on estrogen/progesterone levels, so I'm going to say, probably not. The changes you're observing are more likely do to over-all improvements in health, but I could be wrong.

P.S. I'll ask my boss tomorrow. He's the hormone expert, so he might know about something I don't know.

Also... OBESITY does effect levels.

Thanks so much for having a look... i'll look into them. Where abouts do you work?

I work at a university in California (I'd be more specific, but it's a public forum :P and psychos abound... I'm already a bit too caviler about things... not that I'm sayin' you're a psycho... ) My project actually involves sex hormones and the brain- specifically their effects on Alzheimer's disease. The hormone stuff is new to me. I'm having to play catch up. *eyes the medical endocrinology book she's supposed to be wading through* The brain stuff is a bit more familiar.

I did a bit more digging, and I'm not really finding a direct link. Lots and lots about obesity effecting hormones and hormones effecting obesity (example: estrogen or testosterone loss makes weight loss harder), and plenty that suggest exercise can ease the transition from pre to post menopause, but there's just not much that suggests the exercise itself has a direct link on hormone levels.

The boss has been busy today, so I didn't get a chance to ask him.

Part of the problem is that hormone levels are tricky to measure. You have total blood levels, and you can measure that, but total blood levels do not necessarily match "bioavailable" levels of hormone. They also don't always reflect what the hormone levels are like in specific tissues. For example, the levels of hormone in the brain can be completely different (higher or lower) than levels of hormone in the body. And then of course you can have normal hormone levels but not normal receptor levels... and long story short... it's hard to tease out cause-and-effect sometimes.

shakybabe

I absolutely believe that weight loss or gain affects hormones in females - if exercise is causing weight loss, then yes, exercise could also be indirectly causing changes in hormones. I have also heard of women who experience changes in their periods when they exercise, which tells me there might be a hormone link there, as well.

I heard if you lost weight the week before they started they don't come or come later and it happened to me last month when I lost the water weight and thought they weren't coming but few days later they did.

This month same as happened I lost 1 lb before they were due to start and they haven't come again... up to November they were regular. I'm trying to maintain for a week to see if they will arrive next week instead.

I'm low carb/gluten free (since august) and have been building up exercise and been able to do more the last few months. I wondered if that was why they had changed but I'm also 42 so could be peri-menopause? they have been getting lighter all year.

I also read chromium is meant to help with estrogen and cortisol levels causing cravings which tend to sabotage our diets.