Women have always claimed that it is their fluctuating hormones that make them do crazy things, and men have always wondered how much truth can be attached to those statements! It is time you learnt a thing or two about female hormones….if for nothing else, just to understand your woman and her hormonal woes a little better.

Hormones do play a very important role in a woman’s life. They are the reason she sings those romantic songs for her lover, and they are also the reason she cries in agony when menstrual cramps are wrecking havoc on her life. Even a study done by Hertfordshire University of England in 2009 suggested that intense emotions during PMS can cause a woman to shop compulsively!

Those are truths that most men know about women. But what they don’t know is that hormones vary from woman to woman, and you might need to have basic understanding of what hormonal changes can do to women in order to really connect with your girl. So find out a few essential facts about female hormones, so that you can feel more in tune with the woman in your life!

There is More to Female Hormones than just Estrogen

It is estrogen that regulated the menstrual cycle in women and also causes her to bloat or have enlarged breasts during the time. But Estrogen is not alone in causing fluctuations in a woman’s body. There is another major hormone called progesterone that helps prepare the body for pregnancy, supports the baby growing inside her when she is pregnant and even decides when a pregnant woman goes in to labor or starts lactating!

And yet, there is another hormone that plays a role here! And that is the male sexual hormone – testosterone. Both male and women have testosterone, just like both men and women have estrogen.

It is this testosterone that plays a role on female sex drives and affects her bone density. There are a few more hormones produced by the pituitary glands that regulate normal menstrual cycles. Is it any wonder that female hormones are so complex, when there really are so many!

Now, if you thought you know all about hormones and women because you have been in a long term relationship before, we have news for you. Hormones don’t work the same way for every woman! For some women, raging hormones can cause cravings, moodiness and depression.

And just like that, for another woman fluctuating hormones mean nothing more than mild headaches! So really, there is no way to de-code hormonal changes in women in general. The best way to understand a woman better is to try to analyze the hormonal changes she goes through every month and not depend on data you might have collected based on previous relationships!

PMS is Not Always as Simple as It Looks

Different women experience different things in PMS – from mood swings, intestinal distress, headaches to even insomnia. And maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help women overcome these issues over a period.

Some medical professionals believe that PMS is nothing but an excuse that women have conjured up for behaving badly for a few days each month. Yet, there is a new school of thought where doctors believe that PMS can be especially disturbing for few women.

But sometimes, women can experience a rare but debilitating problem called PMDD or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. PMDD can result in extreme emotions and these emotions can be anxiety, stress, anger and irritability that are out of the woman’s control. In such conditions, medication and therapy are required. So the next time your woman complains she is suffering because of PMS, don’t take it too lightly.

Menopause is gradual and always distressing

Menopause is the time when a woman is no longer fertile. Her monthly period will stop and she will suffer from various side effects of the process. These can be hot flashes, heart palpitations and night sweats. Men should understand that menopause is a gradual process.

A woman cannot be termed ‘post-menopausal’ until she has not had her period in a whole year. But before that stage, she goes through months of skipped periods and fluctuating hormones, all of which make life pretty tough for her. This can start anytime from late 30s to early 40s, and the effects of this pre-menopausal state will show in all spheres of her life. You must be more understanding because she needs all the support she can get.

Changing Hormones = Changing Libido

There are so many changes that a woman goes through, thanks to her hormones, that sometimes all of it can be a little difficult to de-code for the man in her life.

Even though they are called ‘sex hormones’; a fluctuation in these hormones is not always good news for sex life! A healthy libido means normal hormonal levels. And this is why, several female sexual dysfunction cases are related to hormonal imbalances. Lowered Estrogen levels can greatly reduce a female’s desire to have sex. A woman’s sexual desires change over a course of time and this is perfectly normal. In adolescence, both men and woman have a higher libido as hormones begin to rage through the body.

As she matures and factors like birth control and stress come in to the picture, her libido decreases. However, post menopause when a woman is no longer bothered by her monthly cycle, her libido can increase once more.

But women are not slaves to their hormones, and more often than not, can control the urges and cravings that hormonal imbalances bring with them every month.

All they need is a bit of understanding and compassion from the men in their life, and a few boxes of chocolates and flowers don’t hurt either!