Womanly Wonderings.

Note: the information in this particular post is completely derived from my own medical-mental processing, and therefore I could be totally wrong! I'm hoping that next year, in my Women's Health class, I'll have these questions answered. In the meantime, here are my wonderings as I try to connect the dots in my head.

While I was studying the reproductive organ chapter of my NPLEx prep book, I starting putting concepts together and started asking questions. As a result, I came up with these three womanly wonderings:


In order to metabolize and excrete estrogen hormones from the body, the liver has to conjugate the estrogens.  And in order for the liver to conjugate the estrogens, it has to have a good supply of B-vitamins to serve as co-factors in the conjugation reactions.  

Womanly wondering #1: Is this why so many NDs prescribe B-vitamins (aka B-complexes) to menstruating females suffering from PMS and bad menstrual cramps? Are the B-vitamins prescribed to support the liver and the excretion of estrogens? 

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Estrogen and progesterone (the female hormones) levels drop in menopause not because they can't be made anymore, but because a menopausing female doesn't have any more follicles left in her ovary and it is the follicle that stimulates the release of estrogen and progesterone.

Womanly wondering #2:  Is this why every female enters menopause at a different time, because it depends on when their follicle supply runs out? (For instance, all women don't just immediately start menopause on their 50th birthday; the start date is so variable). If so, do the women with more follicles than others, not enter menopause until later in life? 

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A magnesium deficiency can causes muscle problems, such as cramps (among other symptoms). 

Womanly wondering #3:  Is this why some menstruating females get cramps, because they are deficient in magnesium? Hmm, chocolate is a food source of magnesium, is this also why some menstruating females crave chocolate? Because their bodies want the magnesium stored in the chocolate?