Hormone Levels at Different Ages, Hormones and Aging

Hormone levels at different ages impact a woman’s sexual health, fertility, metabolism, mood, and overall well-being. This article covers the role of hormones in a woman’s lifespan and the health effects of female aging hormones at different life stages. It also presents information about overcoming hormone-related obstacles to fertility and offers strategies to help you meet your reproductive goals.

At What Age Do Hormones Settle Down? Understanding Hormones and Aging From Puberty to Menopause

Women experience hormonal changes as they transition between four life stages: puberty, reproductive years, perimenopause, and menopause.

Hormones in Puberty

For most girls, puberty occurs between the ages of eight and thirteen when pituitary hormones signal the ovaries to begin producing estrogen. These hormones cause the physical changes girls experience during puberty — breast development, pubic hair development, and the onset of menstruation.

Hormones During Peak Reproductive Years

While technically, a woman can reproduce from puberty until she reaches menopause, her peak reproductive years are generally between her late teens and 20s, declining after age 35. During these years, healthy women’s ovaries continue to produce estrogen to regulate their menstrual cycles, maintain bone density, and regulate moods.

Progesterone and testosterone, additional hormones produced in the ovaries, regulate everything from a woman’s ability to sustain an early pregnancy to the development of lean muscle mass and libido levels. Other hormones — like cortisol and thyroid hormone — help regulate stress levels and other health-related issues like metabolism. Healthy levels of these hormones during a woman’s peak reproductive years contribute to her ability to conceive and carry a child.

Hormones and Perimenopause

Perimenopause refers to the natural transition from reproductive years to menopause. Women usually begin to see perimenopausal symptoms like irregular periods, hot flashes, etc., in their 40s, although some women experience these changes as early as their mid-30s.

During perimenopause, estrogen levels rise and fall unevenly, and women start having menstrual cycles without ovulation. A woman also experiences decreasing levels of progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol which can impact everything from her mood to her stress levels, energy levels, and even cognitive functions like memory.

Hormones During Menopause

Menopause occurs after a woman experiences a cessation in her menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months. Menopausal women experience further declines in estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone levels. Cortisol levels may climb during menopause. For some women, these lowered hormone levels produce symptoms such as mood and sleep disturbances, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, weight gain, and headaches.

Hormones, Age, and Fertility Issues

When a woman experiences reduced estrogen and other hormonal changes, her ability to start a family can be impacted. In particular, women who delay having children are at increased risk for infertility and pregnancy complications.

The longer a woman waits to start a family, the more likely it is that decreased estrogen levels will make it harder to conceive naturally. Women are born with a finite number of eggs. As she reaches her mid-to-late 30s, not only does the quantity of a woman’s eggs decline, but the quality decreases. Older eggs are not as easily fertilized as younger eggs, which means that even if a woman is still ovulating past her 20s, it will be harder to get pregnant.

Along with experiencing hormone-related fertility issues, women who manage to get pregnant at an older age face additional risks.

Older women are at greater risk for gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, which increases the risks of premature birth and complications to the infant after delivery.
The likelihood of premature birth and having a low birth weight baby also increases as the mother ages.
The likelihood of experiencing miscarriage and stillbirth increases with the mother’s age.

Strategies to Manage Female Hormones With Age and Improve Fertility

There are lifestyle strategies and medical interventions you can explore to manage hormonal changes and improve your fertility prospects.

Research shows that a diet high in trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and added sugar negatively impacts fertility, while diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, and plant-based proteins have a positive effect on fertility. Consulting with a nutrition and fertility lifestyle expert can help you find the right diet to balance your hormones and enhance your ability to conceive.
Complementary therapies such as acupuncture have also helped many women address infertility as well as the anxiety and depression that often accompany the proactive reproductive journey.
Regular exercise has been shown to balance hormones and reduce stress, which can help increase fertility.
Several hormone therapies are available to stimulate ovulation or prepare women for fertility procedures, such as egg freezing, in vitro fertilization (IVG), and intrauterine insemination (IUI).

How SOYO Can Help You Proactively Manage Your Reproductive and Hormonal Health

Regardless of your life stage, you can proactively manage your hormonal health. Whether you’re looking for ways to manage perimenopause or menopause symptoms or seek solutions to hormone-related fertility issues, the caring professionals at SOYO can help.

Contact us today at (607) 600-SOYO (7696) to learn more about SOYO’s approaches to hormonal wellness and reproductive options and to schedule your initial consultation.