Dear beautiful soul
Glad you are here …
I’m Kirti, a certified holistic nutritionist and the creator of the Bloom Gracefully – Menopause Wellness Program . I started writing these blogs to help my daughter, Akriti & other women understand hormonal imbalance – because so many women in their 40s are living with it without ever knowing what they are going through.
In the previous two blogs, I explained how women’s hormonal health is impacted during menopause and what perimenopause symptoms look like. If you haven’t read them please check now and then you will understand the story behind oestrogen and progesterone – and why I called one the Bloom-Maker and the other the Protector. Today, let me introduce you to the hormones who’ve been quietly caring for us since before we were born.”🌸 & why oestrogen and progesterone balance in 40s becomes important more than ever.
Oestrogen – The Bloom-Maker
We call estrogen the Bloom-Maker because, quite literally, she makes you bloom. Just as a flower needs the right conditions to open fully – warmth, water, nutrients – a girl’s body needs estrogen to open into womanhood. Without it, puberty doesn’t happen. Curves don’t form. The monthly cycle doesn’t begin. The womb doesn’t prepare. In simple words: estrogen is the signal that tells your body “it’s time to bloom.” And she doesn’t stop there. Every single month of your fertile years, estrogen works quietly in the background – building, protecting, and nurturing – so your garden stays in full bloom.
What does oestrogen do in a woman’s body?
- Growth & Reproductive Architecture – During puberty, estrogen develops breasts, hips, and feminine body composition by directing fat and muscle distribution. Each month, it thickens the uterine lining from a resting 2–4 mm to 10–15 mm – preparing the womb like fertile soil, ready to receive and nourish a fertilised egg.
- Body Protection (Skin, Bones & Heart) – Estrogen maintains 30% of your skin’s collagen – the structural protein that keeps it firm and plump. It protects bones by slowing down osteoclasts (cells that break down bone tissue – see info box). It also supports heart health by raising HDL (good cholesterol) and lowering LDL (bad cholesterol), keeping arteries flexible.
This is also why hormonal imbalance in women often shows up first as skin changes, bone thinning, or unexpected heart issues – estrogen was quietly protecting all three.
- Brain & Mood Regulation – Estrogen binds to receptors in the hippocampus (your brain’s memory centre), supporting focus and recall. It boosts serotonin production (your “feel good” neurotransmitter) and regulates your hypothalamus – the body’s internal thermostat – keeping body temperature stable. That brings us to the most pertinent questions asked by women during perimenopause
Why do women get hot flashes during menopause?
When estrogen drops, the hypothalamus becomes hypersensitive – even the smallest rise in body temperature triggers a “cool down” alarm, flooding the skin with heat and sweat. It is not your body misbehaving. It is simply your thermostat recalibrating without its main regulator. About 75% of women experience hot flashes during this transition – making it the most common and most misunderstood symptom of perimenopause.
Your Journey With Estrogen
Like seasons in a garden, estrogen doesn’t stay at the same intensity forever. She moves through clear, predictable phases – each one serving a different purpose in your life.
Puberty (Around Age 13)
Estradiol (E2) – estrogen’s strongest and most active form – surges from the ovaries. Levels rise from under 50 pg/mL to a peak of 400 pg/mL (pg/mL = picograms per millilitre, a very small blood measurement unit). This surge triggers your first period, develops breasts and hips, and signals the body: the garden is ready to bloom.
Pregnancy
Estrogen rises 1000 times higher than normal. A special form called estriol (E3), made by the placenta, takes over. The uterus grows up to 500 times its original size to hold the growing baby, while estrogen simultaneously prepares the breasts for milk production. This is the garden in its most abundant, full season.
Perimenopause and Menopause
The ovaries begin to retire. Estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause drop by nearly 90% – from a cycling range of 50–400 pg/mL down to a steady 20–30 pg/mL. The body shifts from producing estradiol (E2) to the weaker estrone (E1), now made by fat cells and adrenal glands instead of the ovaries. These are the classic signs of hormonal imbalance in women over 40 – hot flashes, drier skin, and bone vulnerability – your body’s clear signal that estrogen is stepping back.
You Are Never Estrogen-Free (Important Truth)
After the ovaries retire, every kilogram of body fat continues to produce roughly 3–5 nanograms of estrone (E1) daily. It is a quieter, softer signal – but it is always present. There is no such thing as “zero estrogen” after menopause. Think of it as your garden moving from high summer into a warm, golden autumn – the colours soften, but the garden does not disappear.
She retires gracefully. Your garden glows on – rooted deeper, wiser, and still very much alive.
Progesterone – The Protector
We call progesterone The Protector because that is precisely what she does. While estrogen builds and blooms, progesterone steps in after ovulation every month and says: “I’ve got this now. Steady. Safe. Calm.” She prepares the womb to protect a potential pregnancy, quiets the nervous system, and balances everything estrogen stirs up. Without her, the garden overgrows – anxious, restless, and out of rhythm. She is the steady hand that keeps the whole garden from running wild.
What does progesterone do in a woman’s body?
- Womb Guardian (Reproductive Protection)– After ovulation each month, progesterone thickens and stabilises the uterine lining – transforming it from a growing environment into a receiving environment, warm and ready to hold a fertilised egg. If no pregnancy occurs, progesterone drops, the lining sheds (your period), and the cycle begins again. During pregnancy, she rises dramatically to prevent miscarriage, suppress contractions, and protect the growing baby until the placenta takes over at around 10–12 weeks.
- Brain Tranquilliser (Calm & Sleep) – Progesterone is your body’s natural sedative – and this is perhaps her most important and least talked-about role. She converts in the brain into a compound called allopregnanolone, which directly activates GABA receptors – your nervous system’s “calm down” switches. The result: deep sleep, reduced anxiety, emotional steadiness, and relief from that wired, on-edge feeling. Think of her as the garden’s night watchman – when she’s present, everything rests.
- Estrogen Balancer (The Check & Balance System)- Progesterone and estrogen are designed to work as a pair. Where estrogen stimulates and grows, progesterone regulates and protects. She prevents estrogen from over-thickening the uterine lining (which can lead to heavy periods or endometrial issues), controls fluid retention, and keeps mood stable during the second half of your cycle. Wherever estrogen goes, progesterone follows – keeping the garden in balance.
Your Journey With Progesterone
Puberty
Progesterone is relatively low in early puberty. It only rises meaningfully after ovulation begins – which is why teenage cycles are often irregular and PMS can be intense in the early years. The garden is still learning its rhythm.
Prime Fertile Years (20s–30s)
Progesterone peaks in the luteal phase (days 14–28 of the cycle), reaching 10–25 ng/mL at its highest. This is when sleep is deepest, mood is most stable, and the body feels most settled in the second half of the cycle. The garden is in full, balanced bloom.
Perimenopause & Menopause This is where the story changes – and for most women, progesterone is the first hormone to fall, often years before estrogen does.Let’s understand why progesterone drops in perimenopause.
Ovulation becomes irregular, meaning progesterone never gets the signal to rise. Levels can drop to under 1 ng/mL in the luteal phase (when they should be 10–25 ng/mL). Estrogen, meanwhile, is still cycling – sometimes even surging. This hormonal imbalance causes estrogen dominance during perimenopause and it is responsible for many of the earliest perimenopause symptoms:
- Rage and irritability (GABA receptors starved of progesterone)
- 3am wake-ups (no sedative effect on nervous system)
- Heavy, flooding periods (uterine lining over-thickened)
- Anxiety and heart palpitations (nervous system unguarded)
- That “not myself” feeling (emotional regulation gone)
Why do women wake up at 3am during menopause?
The progesterone and sleep connection runs deep. When progesterone drops to near zero – typically under 0.5 ng/mL – the calming role she played for 30+ years disappears. This is why sleep disturbances, anxiety, and mood shifts often intensify at menopause. The night watchman has left the garden – and the garden must now find new ways to stay calm and protected.
You are never beyond her reach
While the ovaries stop making progesterone, the adrenal glands continue to produce very small amounts. More importantly, lifestyle – stress management, sleep, magnesium, B6 – can support the nervous system pathways she once maintained. Bioidentical progesterone (if clinically recommended) can also restore her protective role naturally.
When she is present, the garden rests. When she fades, the garden learns to find its own stillness – with the right roots in place.
Two of your body’s most powerful messengers – Estrogen, your Bloom-Maker, and Progesterone, your Protector – now make a little more sense, I hope. Every hot flash, sleepless night, and “I don’t know why I’m crying” moment has a reason. And that reason has a name.
Menopause is not a malfunction. It is a phase – as natural as puberty – and like every season, it transforms into something quieter, deeper, and surprisingly free. So when your time comes, please don’t panic. Understand it. Nourish it.
Testosterone, DHEA, Thyroid, Oxytocin, and Pregnenolone are waiting in our next letter. Five more messengers. Five more reasons to trust your body completely. We will also explore Natural ways to support hormone balance – through food, sleep, and stress management.
Until then – breathe easy, eat well, sleep deeply. Your menopause wellness journey has already begun.
With love,
Your menopause coach – Kirti
Kirti is a certified holistic nutritionist with 10+ years of experience in women’s hormonal health and the creator of the Bloom Gracefully Menopause Wellness Program.
