You're listening to Well Now, Slate's podcast on health and wellness. I'm Maya Feller.

And I'm Kavita Patel. Today we're diving into a topic that affects literally half the world's population, yet remains shrouded in mystery and misinformation.

It took me six years, six years to fix my hormones after coming off of hormonal birth control.

From a very young age, we are not properly taught how to support our bodies with nutrition and stress management.

I feel like I've been fighting with my mind and my body. I've had really bad brain fog.

I feel like I've been very anxious. So and my body. I've had really bad brain fog. I feel like I've

been very anxious. So by the time we reach maturity, our hormones are an absolute mess. And conventional

medicine's remedy for that is synthetic birth control. We're talking about women's hormonal health.

And let me tell you, as someone who's spent a long time studying this, there's still so much we're

learning every day. Our hormones influence everything from our mood and energy levels to our

fertility and long-term health. Yet so many women feel completely in the dark about what's

going on in their own bodies. Hormones play a crucial role in regulating various aspects of women's health,

influencing everything from reproductive function to overall well-being.

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are the primary sex hormones in women,

each serving essential functions throughout different life stages.

Estrogen is responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics,

which for girls include things like growing breasts and widening hips.

It also regulates the menstrual cycle and contributes to bone health.

Progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy and helps maintain it.

And testosterone, the present in smaller amounts in women,

contributes to libido,

bone density, and muscle strength. Hormonal imbalances can lead to a range of health issues and symptoms. For instance, estrogen dominance can result in premenstrual syndrome, weight gain,

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