Feminine Genius: What Exactly is it?
May 3, 2024
Precocious (Early) Puberty in Girls
June 6, 2024
Oxytocin Receptivity in Women
Last week, we talked about "receptivity" as one of the aspects of the Feminine Genius.
This week, we're talking about a different sort of "receptivity...." which is the relationship between female hormones (estrogen + progesterone) and oxytocin receptivity!
First, let's begin with: What is oxytocin?
Oxytocin is a hormone that is often referred to as "the love hormone," because it plays such an important role in establishing positive bonding between people. I once told my friend, Abby Jorgensen, that oxytocin is my favorite hormone because it's sort of like the Holy Spirit working among people. But what does it actually do?
Oxytocin is an important hormone involved in labor and delivery, for starters. When a baby's head pushes against nerves in the cervix, it signals a woman's body to release oxytocin and stimulate contractions. This same hormone is also involved in the let-down reflex when a baby is nursing at the breast. Much like serotonin or endorphins, the presence of oxytocin contributes to positive feelings, which promotes tight bonding between mother and baby in these situations.
But oxytocin is also involved in building up positive relationships in the context of hugs or other touch, and can have powerful benefits including reduction of cortisol and stress, inducing better sleep patterns, and more!
We also shouldn't be surprised, then, that oxytocin is a key bonding hormone between sexual partners.
So when the Catholic Church insists that sexual intercourse is both for the procreation of children and the good of the spouses, that's actually good science!
What determines our body's response to oxytocin?
There are three key things which determine how our body responds to oxytocin: the level of oxytocin itself, the number of receptors we have for oxytocin, and how "sensitive" each of those receptors are to binding with oxytocin.
You can picture it sort of like this:
How do different cycle hormones interact with oxytocin?
Both men and women produce oxytocin in response to very similar stimuli. It's not a hormone that really "plays favorites" necessarily with one gender or another.
However, there is an interesting interplay between oxytocin and the hormones that women experience in different parts of our cycle. This difference is primarily due to the varying effects of estrogen, which promotes the production of oxytocin receptors, and progesterone, which inhibits the sensitivity or the binding level of oxytocin to those receptors.
Very quickly, let's recap:
Estrogen is considered the dominant ovarian hormone during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, prior to ovulation. Even though estrogen remains relatively high during the luteal phase after ovulation, it is simply dwarfed in production by progesterone. This relatively high progesterone and estrogen state is sustained for approximately 10-16 days before hormones begin to drop off and "reset" for the start of a new cycle.
So, in general:
1) women are more receptive and respond more strongly to oxytocin in our follicular phase when estrogen is high, because estrogen contributes to an environment with lots of oxytocin receptors that are able to bind oxytocin well.
2) women have a harder time utilizing oxytocin in our luteal phase when progesterone is making it harder for oxytocin to bind to those receptors.
What are some of the potential impacts and implications???
When our body is able to bind and use oxytocin well, it serves as a sort of protective insulation around certain nerves. Under this protective "layer," our nerves are less excitable—meaning we feel more calm and can handle external stimuli a lot better.
- This is partly why, at the end of our luteal phase and in the first few days of our periods when estrogen may be lower, women tend to experience more migraines.
- It is also partly the reason why women going through perimenopause experience mood instability, and can often benefit from estrogen creams to boost their dropping hormone levels.
- It's also partly whey teens going through puberty can feel more irritable or anxious, since their estrogen levels are objectively lower than levels in grown women, even if the teen ratio of estrogen:progesterone is higher than in our peak reproductive years.
Within the context of any particular menstrual cycle, we can also see that a woman's responsiveness or "uptake" of oxytocin may affect the way she feels at different times.
But note that I have emphasized oxytocin's PARTIAL role in all of these things. As I like to remind all of my clients, we are not slaves to our hormones! It's just that hormones can affect the climate in which we experience certain events, and that means that we sometimes need to adjust our behavior (and in certain cases, our expectations) to be better suited to the climate.
None of this should mean that a woman is SO dependent upon oxytocin that she is always going to feel anxious or stressed in the luteal phase. If that happens, it means that lots of factors are contributing and some adjustments (including medication, when appropriate!) should be considered.
At a very basic level, this could look like making sure that you're supporting the production of oxytocin AND the proliferation of oxytocin receptors so that the body can receive the benefits of oxytocin even when the receptors aren't really strong (as in the case of the luteal phase).
In particular, suggestions would be:
1) boost your oxytocin through cuddling, hugging, and yes-- the big "O" occurring within intercourse.
2) make sure estrogen levels are well supported throughout the cycle, but especially in the luteal phase.
You could also ask your doctor to check on magnesium levels, since there is significant interplay between magnesium concentrations and the body's ability to bind oxytocin to its appropriate receptors.
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