“Hormonal, hormonal mess, out-of-whack hormones, hormonal rollercoaster.” Our hormones have gotten a bit of a bad rep. But did you know that, for example, healthy estrogen levels actually improve your skin, support heart health, and help keep your bones strong?
Though menstruation and (peri)menopause come with their challenges, often the real issue is not that our hormones are out of whack, but that our lifestyle, diet, or level of stress are out of balance. This creates imbalance in different areas of our lives, like our health and hormone levels, causing or exacerbating “hormonal symptoms.”
In this series about hormones, I’d love to take you on a journey that will help you see that our hormones aren’t bad. They can do amazing things for us! And by giving your hormones the support they need to remain balanced, you can enjoy their benefits.
Keep in mind that science has only recently started to seriously consider that a woman’s body functions differently from a man’s body. Proper research into women’s health is still relatively new, and a lot more cool stuff will be discovered in the years to come.
But read on to find out what we already know!
Do you first want a little refresh on the natural flow of your cycle? Then go here first.
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
Like the previous two hormones we discussed, FSH is also produced in the brain — however, in a different part, namely the anterior pituitary gland.
Both women and men produce FSH, but with different effects. Our bodies release it in response to GnRH from the hypothalamus. For both sexes, it’s crucial for fetal sexual development. In men, it supports sperm production and maturation. In women, it stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles and the production of estrogen.
How FSH Works in Your Cycle
Your pituitary gland releases two hormones in response to GnRH: FSH and LH. When the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a slower pulse, the production of FSH is favored over LH.
FSH stimulates your follicles to mature and prepares them for ovulation. Follicles are little fluid-filled sacs that hold our ova (eggs). Each month, one of them becomes dominant. This one will exit the ovary at ovulation and has the chance to be fertilized.
The follicles are surrounded by specialized cells called granulosa cells. FSH stimulates these to produce aromatase, which converts to estrogen — another important hormone in your cycle.
A healthy dominant follicle will start to produce more and more estrogen, as well as inhibin B. Once your body can maintain high enough levels of estrogen for a minimum of 48 hours, the hypothalamus will respond by increasing its frequency of GnRH release. This causes FSH to diminish and LH to surge. Luteinising Hormone causes ovulation, without which conception could not happen because the egg would never leave the ovary.
So without FSH, there will be too little estrogen, and the switch to LH will not occur, meaning ovulation cannot happen. Without ovulation, no babies are made — no matter how much sex you have.
FSH is crucial for regulating our female cycle and our fertility. But what happens when we reach menopause?
FSH During Perimenopause and Menopause
As you may have read in some of my other posts, women’s health needs a lot more research before we can fully understand what is happening in our bodies. Certain (peri)menopause ideas are already being corrected, but I don’t think we have the full picture yet.
What we know about FSH is that it rises during perimenopause and remains elevated post-menopause. The mood swings and depression that can happen in the perimenopausal phase were always attributed to declining estrogen. As we now know that estrogen actually rises and fluctuates, other causes are being sought — and FSH may be a contributing factor.
The increase in FSH may heighten oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. FSH receptors have also been found in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that plays an important role in regulating mood. It is thought that overstimulation of FSH may cause depression.1
That said, there are a few studies whose findings do not coincide with the above thesis. So, we’ll have to wait for more conclusive results.
You may wonder how it is possible that during post-menopause FSH is high but estrogen is low. Well, it is thought that FSH rises because estrogen levels drastically drop due to our eggs failing to mature. Estrogen is an important feedback mechanism to shift FSH to LH production. Because estrogen levels are too low to flip that switch, FSH production keeps going.
Beyond Reproduction: FSH and Whole-Body Health
Recent studies suggest that FSH may be involved in other things than just reproduction.
Researchers have found FSH receptors in bone, as well as immune cells and other tissues. They proposed that chronically elevated levels of FSH (like in post-menopause) promote bone resorption, fat storage, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. This is an interesting finding because estrogen — the hormone that is increased by FSH — has the exact opposite effects. This makes it seem that FSH is reducing estrogen’s effects.
It can be a contributing factor in the development of osteoporosis post-menopause when our estrogen levels drop and FSH levels increase. (Bone resorption means that the body breaks down bone tissue.)
That doesn’t sound like a health benefit, right?
It indeed doesn’t at first glance. But remember, this research is still unfolding, and nature’s designs are rarely random. FSH actually plays a supportive role in your life before menopause. By stimulating estrogen production, it indirectly helps maintain mood balance, bone strength, and overall wellbeing during these years.
Also, even if high FSH levels can affect us negatively in and after the menopausal transition, then by understanding this, we can learn to work with our bodies — and support them naturally, for instance through herbs and nutrients that help balance hormones.
Nutrients That Support Healthy FSH Levels
Let’s recap: FSH is made in your pituitary in response to GnRH that comes from your hypothalamus — both glands in your brain. Obviously, these glands need to be in good health for proper hormonal balance. But not just these glands, and not even your entire brain, need to be well — ‘you as a whole’ need to be well. As mentioned here and here, if your brain thinks you aren’t well enough or are greatly lacking in nutrients, it can shut down your cycle.
In the first article of this series, I provided advice for a standard healthy diet that will support your cycle and overall well-being. When discussing GnRH, I dived into a few more details regarding nutrients that are known to support the hypothalamus, hormone, and cycle balance.
Let’s now dive a bit deeper into some of these nutrients that are crucial specifically for FSH.
Vitamin D and Follicle Sensitivity
Your ovaries have enzymes that are involved in Vitamin D synthesis and metabolism. We also know that Vitamin D regulates hormones that influence follicle development as well as the sensitivity of your follicles to FSH.2 3
While certain studies show FSH levels go up with Vitamin D, others show the opposite. The idea is proposed that a specific level of Vitamin D is needed to fully support FSH.
Though this particular idea needs further research, it is clear that this vitamin influences female fertility, as deficiency has been linked to fertility issues.
So how do you get vitamin D? Our skin can make it when it gets exposed to sunlight. Your skin holds a substance called 7-dehydrocholesterol. When UVB sunrays hit your skin, a chemical reaction occurs that converts 7-dehydrocholesterol to an inactive form of Vitamin D3. Certain enzymes in your body, which are also found in your ovaries, convert this to the active vitamin that your body can use.
So, get some direct sunlight, or eat some seafood. Seafood also contains Vitamin D. Adding some fish to your diet also provides omega-3, which is really good for your brain!
Zinc: Helps Build Hormones
Zinc is essential for the production and release of several hormones, FSH included.4
FSH is a glycoprotein, meaning it is part carbohydrate and part protein. To build FSH, the pituitary gland needs to first read the gene that tells it how to build this hormone, then transcribe that info into mRNA, and then make the hormone. For all these steps, zinc is needed.
Besides this, zinc also helps convert cholesterol into estrogen and progesterone. Your brain checks how much of these hormones you have and then adjusts FSH levels accordingly. So when these hormones are out of balance, your FSH will suffer too.5
Now, there aren’t many foods that provide a lot of zinc. Oysters have been found to contain the most. Pumpkin seeds, seafood, and eggs also add zinc to your diet.
Magnesium: Supports FSH Bind More Efficiently
Though not directly involved in the synthesis of FSH, magnesium is still very important for your overall health and FSH’s effectiveness in your body. For FSH to have an effect, it needs to be able to bind to receptors on the granulosa cells of your follicles. Only then can it affect your follicles.
Magnesium has been found to make this bond 4 to 5 times stronger. Calcium and manganese also had their effects, but not as strong as magnesium.
And luckily, you can find this mineral in many foods — and chocolate is full of it! Keep in mind, though, that chocolate is best eaten in its most natural form: cacao, or dark chocolate (no sugar, no milk, no additives, just the real deal).
Nuts and seeds, whole grains, legumes, avocados, greens, tofu — all of these contain magnesium too.6
Selenium and Oxidative Protection
Zinc and selenium are very important links in oxidative stress protection. Oxidative stress is damage done to cells by reactive oxygen species — molecules with a free oxygen ion that can damage other molecules.
There isn’t yet strong evidence that selenium affects FSH directly, but links are seen with overall cycle health and fertility.7
What Science Still Has to Learn About FSH
As you may have noticed, there are still many gaps in knowledge when it comes to women’s health. Much still needs to be learned, and I am happy women are stepping up, demanding better health care and research!
Supporting Your Hormones Naturally
I hope I am inspiring you to see yourself and your body in a more positive light and empowering you to make better choices.
Contact me if you would like my guidance in creating the perfect diet for you. I am looking forward to helping you achieve balance and better health!
Images
Cover Image: Stiven Rivera on Unsplash
Diagram: Isometrik on WikiCommons
Portrait of 2 women: KaboomPics.com on Unsplash
Woman with oysters: Mitli Mitli on Pexels
Scientist: Navy Medicine on Unsplash
Medical Disclaimer