All bodies have hormones, and when it comes to estrogen, women create more of it. Those estrogen levels fluctuate a lot during perimenopause, as do our other hormones.
What does estrogen do?
There are different kinds of estrogen. Estradiol is the one that we have a lot of in our reproductive years. It is produced by the ovaries, adrenal glands, and fat tissues.
As well as regulating the menstrual cycle, estrogen affects the reproductive tract, the urinary tract, the heart and blood vessels, bones, breasts, skin, hair, mucous membranes, pelvic muscles, and the brain.
Hormonal decline
During perimenopause (in our 40s and 50s usually), a decrease in hormones is natural.
Low levels of estradiol are associated with weight gain as well as
- menstruation changes
- hot flashes
- mood swings
- low sex drive
- dry skin
During perimenopause, some women will have an estrogen imbalance. That can make them feel depressed or anxious. It can cause severe mood changes too. Many people find that HRT is a lifesaver and as a holistic practice, yoga is great. More about that below.
The internet can’t take blood samples, check your urine, or have a chat! Please see your doctor about any perimenopausal symptoms that you are going through.
Yoga helps
Researchers have found that yoga has a positive hormonal stress-related effect on menopausal women.
During perimenopause one of the best things that we can do is to reduce stress. We need to ease the impact of less cortisol (a stress hormone) flooding the body.
In a 12 week trial, for 88 women regular yoga practice “remarkably” reduced oxidative stress and improved antioxidant levels in the body. It also had a beneficial impact on stress hormone releases and partially improved immune function.
So there you have it. We all have hormones and in women they naturally start to decline during the stages of menopause. For some women, hormonal imbalances can bring on all kinds of mental and physical symptoms. HRT helps, and according to robust, clinical trials, so does yoga.
References
Estrogen’s Effects on the Female Body, Hopkin’s health. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/estrogens-effects-on-the-female-body
Jorge, M. et al (2016), ‘Hatha Yoga practice decreases menopause symptoms and improves quality of life: A randomized controlled trial‘, Complimentary therapies in Medicine pgs.128-135.
Lim et al (2025) ‘Regular Yoga Practice Improves Antioxidant Status, Immune Function, and Stress Hormone Releases in Young Healthy People: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Pilot Study‘, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
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