A healthy body weight is rare thing to see these days– especially in America! I so often see women who aren’t taking the steps they need to maintain a healthy body weight and lifestyle, and let me tell you, this is so important for your reproductive health. We all know that obesity can lead to things like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. But what about uterine cancer, infertility, or irregular menstrual cycles? Obesity can lead to all of these things, and I’m here to tell you how!
If we go back to my previous article about birth control and periods, we know that estrogen is responsible for building a uterine lining, while progesterone is responsible for shedding it (to put it very simply). What if I told you that fat cells store estrogen? This is something we know in the healthcare world, but a fact that isn’t well-known outside of it. The more fat, the more estrogen. Increased estrogen levels can cause a few problems.
First, extra estrogen can cause a thicker uterine lining. If you haven’t gone through menopause yet, this can mean heavier, longer periods. If you have, a thicker uterine lining can put you at risk for uterine cancer. Inversely, if you don’t have enough body fat, you won’t have enough estrogen to maintain a healthy menstrual cycle. So a healthy body weight is so important here!
Second, too much estrogen can disrupt other female-related hormones. It could potentially throw your whole woman-body-hormone connection. Your whole juju! If there’s enough estrogen to disrupt other hormones, it can delay or impede ovulation. This can lead to problems such as infertility and irregular cycles.
Healthy food and a healthy diet is not seen as medicine these days, but it probably should be. Who wants to experience any of the things mentioned above? We of course see these issues in women with healthy body weights as well, it is just more prevalent in those with too little or too much fat. As always, this is NOT medical advice and should not be taken as so. Always consult your doctor for any concerns or before starting any new diet.
Thanks for reading and make sure to pass along to your female friends!