The Hormone Muscle Connection
The body is a complex ecosystem; no one system in the body functions in isolation.
Some connections in the body are widely discussed such as the heart and lungs, digestive system and metabolism, stress and immune system. In today’s blog post we will be discussing a somewhat more surprising connection – menstrual cycle hormones and muscle integrity.
Before we dive in, let’s review the two main hormones that drive the changes in the body during the menstrual cycle and peri to post menopause changes in the body. First, we have our Drama Queen – estrogen. This Drama Queen is mainly responsible for regulating female body attributes and regulates the growth of uterine lining. The second main hormone is progesterone that has the primary role of priming the uterine lining for egg fertilization and countering the effects of estrogen.
These two main hormones work in synchronicity together as they balance each other's effects in the body. As estrogen stimulates uterine tissue growth and release of egg, progesterone stops uterine tissue growth. When estrogen stimulates uterine contractions, progesterone promotes relaxation while it decreases contraction of the muscles. Estrogen promotes inflammation, progesterone is anti-inflammatory. In relation to the immune system, estrogen activates the immune system as progesterone acts as an immunosuppressant.
When we look at the connection between hormones and muscle integrity, we can see that there is a profound relationship between the estrogen and progesterone levels on muscular synthesis. As we have seen, there is a counteractive balancing act that occurs between estrogen and progesterone, and this continues as they influence muscular support at a cellular level. As estrogen decreases the cellular breakdown required for muscle growth, progesterone increases the breakdown of tissue that stimulates muscle growth. This results in more difficulty in making and maintaining muscle while these hormones are high or out of balance as we see in peri-post menopause changes, and as they change throughout the menstrual cycle phases.
The connection that this dynamic duo have on the body’s muscle integrity compounds with the body’s natural sarcopenia, muscle atrophy, as the body ages. This connection further ripples into the pelvic floor muscles needing mindful support to prevent the loss of strength and integrity. To help support the pelvic floor muscles, along with all other skeletal muscles, it is important to engage with the muscles in a mindful way that boosts strength and relaxation.
Research tells us that there are estrogen receptors located throughout the pelvic floor muscles, bladder, vagina and the surrounding sphincters. What does this mean exactly? Given what we know about the role of estrogen in muscle integrity, there is a clear influence of estrogen in the peri-urethral connective tissue as it relates to urinary incontinence is an important one to consider. From a long term perspective, prolonged estrogen deficiency may contribute to the atrophying of the muscular system that supports your bladder. Which means, even if you’ve never experienced any bladder control issues or pee leaks, this could be a reason these symptoms start for you!
Local estrogen and HRT are very commonly prescribed to help reverse, slow down and support these change but this is a little outside of our particular expertise. Speak to your family Dr, a urogynecologist or gynecologist or doctor of Natural Medicine for some options that are suitable for you!
Another great way to prevent or reduce these symptoms is pelvic floor muscle REtraining!
Strength training with the use of the Emsella chair, and in combination with a pelvic floor physiotherapist can provide support for the pelvic floor muscles in maintaining and rebuilding strength. Developing a healthy relationship with exercise and strength training can help maintain and rebuild strength of skeletal muscles throughout the rest of the body. And when it comes to nutrition, ensuring that the body is getting enough protein and carbohydrates helps to support muscle integrity at a cellular level.
Although in the Western medical world the body is looked at as a collection of divided systems, the body is really one complex ecosystem. Changes in one area of this ecosystem will ripple into others, including the connection between hormone changes the muscle integrity. To help maintain and support rebuilding of muscle tissues, pelvic floor or other skeletal muscles, mindful strength training and adequate nutritional support are key.
Resources:
Roar by Dr Stacy Sims
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5920717/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7363722/
https://pelvicawarenessproject.org/hormones-after-pelvic-floor-dysfunction-therapy/
